Art Galleries - Online or Not?

Many visual artists have taken advantage of online art galleries to showcase their work.  Me included.  But how many of us have actually made promising contacts as a result of the online venue?  That is what I hope to find out here, and I want your comments to give our readers an opportunity to decide which resources are legitimate and which are not.

I have spent hours uploading images of my artwork to various online galleries.  Some of them are very nice websites, easy to navigate, and some even have online competitions, although I think that it is more an opportunity to get our money than to really offer a legitimate competition.  For instance, I have seen websites where artwork in the competition requires a vote.  I suppose that the piece that receives the highest number of votes wins, however, that is more a competition of who has the most friends rather than who has the best artwork.  Also, competitions that ask for a fee but don't offer any awards are questionable.