does distance matter to maintain friends?

This is one question I am never coming up with any kind of answers........coz I can say "NO" it doesn't in any way because I have few friends who are my friends for over a decade and we must have seen each other hardly 5 or 6 times. But at the same time I can say "YES" as I did lose a few of my very close friends due to distance

My best friend and I are not living close to each other for 6 yrs now and I still have the same rapport with her as I used to when we were friends.............

at the same time I have lost few of my very good friends over the time, due to the distance, the minute we moved away from each other, we started slowly actually getting out of each others lives.......I really dont know wat is the reason that happened.........I failed in certain realtions

I personally feel, if u are really considering a person ur friend, u shud not argue abt  the other person not calling  U very often...etc etc....... There are few of my friends, whom I talk to once in an year may be and still the conversation continues as if ......... we have just spoken the day before................

I am not trying to make any point here, nor am I trying to poke at some one........this is just the thought I got and I really miss those few friends of mine.......whom I have lost the touch with........ the realtion will no longer be the same way........... may be the saying "broken string can be repaired but not made to look like new" fits here

I just hope to be friendly with all not hurt any as much as possible............