If there's one thing the Internet has introduced us to that we love, it's online dating. If you stop to ponder it a bit, you will understand that it makes the whole process of meeting someone to date just way too easy. We can browse pictures before we even talk to them, centre on the cuties and ignore the rest. No awkward conversation at bars, no “trying to get out of it”, nothing. No more worries about that creepy guy in the corner approaching you just before last call. Even better is the fact that if you have a bad reaction to them you do not have to take pains to hide your feelings from showing on your face.
One thing that baffles me about online dating, unlike dating, is how brash and open the profiles are. You will find that many people who join an online dating site will give you a full discourse on their personal lives and desires. Maybe it's just me. Maybe those are the sorts of things you want to know about before hand so you can dodge the proverbial bullet, so to speak. It's hard to say. I'm on the fence about these sorts of things, myself. On one hand, I like to know what I'm getting in to, on the other, sometimes there's such thing as too much information.
Something else to consider is your comfort level in meeting someone that you have interacted with online for the first time. This is not unlike a situation where you have interacted with someone professionally by email or over the phone. When it comes to your first face-to-face meeting though, there is always some trepidation, especially if something important is riding on it. When meeting someone from a dating site in person for the first time, the stakes are high. After all, your whole personal future may be riding on it. Anxiety is bound to be high. Thousands of people meet through dating sites every day with no issues, but it is still best to take precautions. Take your cell phone and leave it on. Put 911 on speed dial. Tell friends and family where you will be and for what reason. Make sure you meet in a public place, and do not go anywhere alone with them the first time out. Best to be just meeting over a coffee rather than for a full blown date the first time you get together with someone. The same thing your parents would have insisted still works, folks. I am stressing here to meet in a public place the whole time, like a restaurant, a movie theatre, and a crowded street, whatever. If it's appropriate, I'll even bring a friend along and encourage them to do the same. Avoid totally free dating sites. You will find more predators in totally free dating sites because they can contact you with a totally assumed alias. Paid sites are more difficult for predators to use bogus information on, so they usually avoid them
Other than that, I can only say good things about meeting people online. If you take the right precautions, you can have a great time. You never know what is going to happen when you meet someone for the first time, and that is always a bit of a kick for me. Do they slouch when they walk around? Do they have a nervous tic or annoying habit? I am also nervous too. After all, this could be the love of my life that I am meeting, so I tend to get into a bit of a nervous sweat. Other than that, like I said, I have nothing but good things to say about it.
I find that meeting people online is a lot easier, and from my perspective, better. Aside of the initial pre-contact screening where you filter out people with three eyes and stuff, people using online dating sites tend to focus on the intellect and communication first and foremost. This may be largely because you cannot be influenced by pheromones, ambiance, or clothing which might draw you into a relationship with someone that you are just not intellectually compatible with. Most people will meet someone for the first time within a window of 2 to 6 weeks or so. Going to fast is dangerous, and waiting too long will likely result in never meeting them at all. Personally, I really like the conversations when you first start talking to someone online. There is just so much to learn about them and there is so much for them to learn about you. This is also a good time to look for inconsistencies in what they say, because that is a sure sign of someone to be wary of.
Sometimes meeting an interesting person face to face for the first time ends up in disappointment. No spark! Often though, these people end up being really good friends because there is just so many other things that you have in common. In a real way though, whatever sort of person you're interested in meeting, friend, date, husband/wife, whatever, online is a great way to go. With all the free online dating sites and common interest forums, you can find whoever you're looking for.
The Internet has given us online dating and online chatting for a reason. Maybe in some ways it seems too new and frightening in it's own degree but so many people are involved in it now. If it's a trend, it's not one that will be fading out fast and you'll meet tons of people that will swear by it as the perfect way to meet a casual date, a soul mate, a best friend etc. If you stay cautious about it, it's good to give it a shot at least once in your life. As for my vote, you've got it.
If you are interested in online dating sites, but are not sure where to start, then check out this link:
Online Dating
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