How does that work? I admit that totally online relationships of any kind mystify me for many reasons - but to dom someone that way would seem even more challenging.
I got into it briefly on Second Life. The avatar bit helped with some aspects of the roleplay. But most of the actual D/s interaction happened in private chat while our avatars were standing around picking their noses. Or rather, the submissive avatar was kneeling and the Dominant avatar was holding a leash to the submissive's avatar. Meanwhile in chat, we would roleplay scenes, and they would involve real-world instructions.
How do they develop the relationship, dominate, enforce their contracts, etc.?
D/s is about trust. Trust is a two-way street. Enforcement is part of the play. If someone needs to constantly be enforced to do something, then it's a sign either that they don't like it, or that they enjoy the discipline from not doing it.
IMO, most well-matched D/s relationships don't require a lot of enforcement because the submissive genuinely wants to serve the Dominant, and their own internal motivation is much stronger than any external enforcement the Dom/me could ever impose. The exception being where discipline and punishment ARE the desired act, in which case you negotiate those acts as you would negotiate anything else.
If you can't trust your submissive to do what you tell them to do, then there are bigger problems.
And how would they know the subs are really who they say they are?
Depending on how deep you're going, it may not even matter. If two people act out a scene and they both get their jollies, then it really doesn't matter if they're both full of shit, as long as they're both satisfied.
Also, do you think anyone gets into domming in order to gain confidence and develop leadership skills, or is it usually just something they are naturally skilled at?
I would argue that for every thing that people do and every conceivable reason, there is someone on the planet doing it for that reason. Unquestionably, some people get into Domming with "alterior motives." And again, as long as everyone gets what they need, there's nothing wrong with that.
I certainly would never argue with someone who says they CAN feign submissiveness and enjoy it ONLY because it pleases their partner.
Hmm.. But could it not be said that someone who feigns submissiveness and enjoys it only because it pleases their partner is still being genuinely submissive on some level, simply by receiving their satisfaction from their partner's pleasure?
I was referring to their identity. Does everyone stay anonymous or do they know each other's real names and contact info?
Again, some do, some don't. I doubt you could ever collect accurate statistics, because the people who play anonymously are exactly the people who would be less likely to participate in the statistics gathering.
Many will create videos and send pics to subs as rewards, but it seems even more will NOT cam or do things like that, and look down a little bit on those who do -- but they will talk on the phone with their subs or slaves, to tell them what to do (I guess). For them, it's all about the power exchange and they don't want sex or sexy pics/videos involved.
I look down a little bit on those who look down a little bit on people for not doing things exactly the same way they do things. Elitism is stupid. "My way is better than yours" is stupid, provided your way is not harmful and all people involved are getting their needs met.
People also do power exchanges in all kinds of ways. Some are more of the Daddy/caregiver type, in which case it's not so much about "you're my little bitch" but more "I want to take care of you." For others, there's an element of wanting to be worshipped. I can imagine someone camming because they want to be flattered or something. *shrug* to each their own.