Is there a difference between online and offline action anymore?

I recently missed some very important occurances in the lives of a couple friends of mine. Two friends got married. Another friend who I have not seen in a year is planning a trip to DC and I will unfortunately be out of town. There seemed to be this growing trend of me missing very important things in friends' lives because we have not kept in touch as well. I decided to reach out to each one to figure out why I didn't hear about these. It is common we miss emails, things get lost in the mail, etc. But, to my surprise, the response I got across the board is 'it was all over Facebook. Don't you read my updates?" This got me thinking about the line we draw between our "online" and "offline" lives and how that applies to the way we participate in our democracy. A few years ago, even up to this past election cycle, one of the strongest driving points in any online organizing training you attended was "online engagement needs to lead to real world action." But, is there really a difference between the two?We have seen an immense societal shift in the past two to three years as more and more people are engaged online and social media plays an increasingly important part in our daily lives. I would venture to say I know more about people in my life because of Facebook and Twitter than I ever did from our real world interactions. My engagement with friends and family online has become a daily routine, part of the norm. I am sure this holds true for countless others. If society sees their interactions with people online as being no different than their interactions offline, can we then venture to say that there really is no difference between online and offline action? If I sign a petition online, and I then see that the campaign was victorious, I get that same warm feeling like I helped to accomplish something. If I watch a video of Obama speaking online, I still get that feeling of hope and optimism I did when watching him speak at my college graduation or seeing him on the stump while campaigning for the presidency. The impact social media has on our lives is creating a new paradigm in the world of online organizing and advocacy which warrants a reset on the way we think about online engagement. I am sure online organizers in every sector are recognizing that many of those they engage online to take action and participate in promoting their mission or cause do so with a feeling of accomplishment no different than that they would get from taking action offline.Now, the great challenge for us as online organizers is to recognize this shift in paradigms, realize the bridge between online and offline action is building itself, and focus on how we can be prepared to provide the means for our constituents to engage with us and each other fully both online and offline. The strategies and tools that we use need to change and adapt with the times. There are great examples out there already on a local, national and international level of organizations using online community strategies to build stronger relationships with and between their constituents. I think that trend will only continue to grow.