Sloe Times

I was reading a few posts in various places today and I came across someone recounting his experience at some online poker room. One of the comments he made was that his decision to bet/raise was based on betting patterns. This is something I've definitely noticed and taken advantage of (much to the lamentation of the poor fools who were bluffing) but I've not really stumbled across any source of information on the net that discusses it. Since you can't look someone in the eye online, it seems to me that betting patterns is the only true source of a tell. Granted you can try to use the speed (or lack of speed) someone responds to decisions but with lag, or just plane slow play I've found that it is not as reliable a source of information.
I wish I could quantify more about betting patterns into some cohesive strategy, but it seems to me that it's more of a feel thing than it is a rule or guideline. Either way, it's definitely something I watch for when playing, and it's made my home game play a bit stronger since it's now become second nature to watch how people bet more than trying to look for some sort of body tell.