Online learning, according to a recent Department of Education meta-analysis (Means et al. 2009), is equal to and sometimes better than traditional face-to-face instruction, while hybrid education is best of all. Students seem eager to reap those online benefits; the March 2009 "Digest of Education Statistics" reports that the U.S. college with the highest enrollment is the University of Phoenix Online, 165,373 students and growing. This article provides a preliminary exploration of some important factors at the intersection of basic writing pedagogy, adult learning theory, and online education research in the hope that other basic writing instructors will not rush blindly onto the online bandwagon but will also not postpone, out of lack of information, a move that could be beneficial. The author presents a brief synopsis of (1) the general factors thought to predict success in online learning; (2) the general factors thought to predict academic success for adult learners; and (3) how these factors interact with some common characteristics and needs of adult basic writers. Then, she explores three specific issues that basic writing teachers contemplating either distance education or hybrid writing courses must weigh carefully: (1) the technology skill levels; (2) the academic skill levels; and (3) the individual learning characteristics of their students. (Contains 1 note.)