I play as GM in an on-line only game set on Mars named "Martian Autumn." My outline for the game covers 64 weekly play sessions of an hour each. We've done five so far, and the long-term aspects move along fine. These regular short sessions require something of dramatic interest for every player every session. They also make combat a little hard to handle, but that suits the play style of everyone involved. The PCs started in the same physical location but relatively independent of one another. This matched their real-world arrangement. One player's character has a fairly independent plot line. The other two players, husband and wife, have characters with closer plot lines. This works well because it matches player attendance to the game. The married couple tends to miss simultaneously, and the other player's relative plot-independence makes it matter less to the story. I also encourage the players to handle ongoing projects out of play by email or by referring to the common Google Docs we keep. I ask them what their characters and their characters' muses plan to do for the next session. This gives plot hooks for future use, advances the story line without occupying the sixty short minutes of weekly live chat, and encourages the players to have long term in-game plans. This requires strict time records for a meaningful campaign, just as Gygax once wrote. :) It could also get out of hand, if the players find their side projects more interesting than the main storyline. That hasn't yet posed a problem. Good luck with your game, and have fun in Brisbane!