Good communciation with students and an organizational system to manage communication with students is very important when facilitating an online course.  Also, all online students will not be equally motivated to participate in the course just like in a traditional setting!

Asynchronous discussions should be used more than synchronous discussions, synchronous discussions are better with individuals or small groups, instructor feedback and encouragement helps keep students motivated and involved.

In order for students to feel comfortable and trust the instructor in the online setting, the instructor needs to communicate information about the instructor's academic background, credentials, and experience. This helps students to develop a relationship with the instructor, the same way you would develop the student/teacher relationship in an actual classroom setting.

I have learned that I need to do a lot of planning and preparation before I am ready to set up an online course, can't just plunge in and learn on the fly!