Love can be found online (Have you found love on the internet?)

Member Name: BeautyGeek

Product:	Have you found love on the internet?
Date:	27/03/09 (30 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Dating in your PJs

Disadvantages: Addictive

Online dating has come a long way in recent years. When I first became familiar with it, it had a taboo attached that gave the impression that it was for people who were incapable of dating in the 'real world'. Thankfully that has now changed considerably, and it seems you are as likely to meet someone suitable online as you are offline.

I absolutely love internet dating. Within this review I will be discussing mainly dating sites, although obviously there are many other online ways to meet people like in forums and social networking sites. I have met one long-term partner through a social networking site, but that was mainly because he was a friend of a friend and I very much doubt we would've met were it not for that connection.

So! What's so good about internet dating? From my experience, the brilliance of internet dating is that you are forced to get to know each other as people with personalities without being under the influence of other factors such as looks, figure and, erm, alcohol. Yes most profiles will have a picture attached, but more often than not, if you're on a dating site you'll be seeking more than just the physical aspect in a partner. Obviously there are many on them who are just looking for someone who is physically perfect, but I feel that these types of people won't have much success. This is because you are given a whole page to write about yourself, what you like to do and what you look for in a partner. This is one of the most important differences between online and offline dating, as unless you're a tad odd/impatient, you're not going to launch into these types of vivid descriptions with someone you've just met are you? So in a sense you are already narrowing down the search and eradicating anyone unsuitable. The theory being that you won't be approached by those you have nothing in common with.

Originally I suppose the taboo was correct in the sense that the internet was full of geeks and internet dating was for geeks who wanted to date. This is fine (please don't get me wrong, I'm a geek and a geek lover!) but more recently people who are too good looking or make incorrect first impressions are utilising online dating to it's full worth. This has created the changeover and made online dating far more common which can only be a good thing.

The downside to internet dating is that profiles are created by the person and therefore could be made up or give the illusion of something that isn't fact. However I feel that's just as likely in real life; you could meet someone and everything they say could be a lie, how would you know?

I've had quite a few dates from internet sites. Firstly I am very selective about who I meet. I know there are many who hate the whole e-mailing process and insist on meeting up as soon as possible, but that sort of approach isn't for me. I like to really get to know someone first via e-mails and MSN before planning to meet. I have done this on several occasions and most of these have turned into relationships. In fact, my last three relationships were from internet dating sites and I am very excited about my next date who I have been communicating with for 7 months! Obviously 7 months is a tad extreme - he's in the army - but generally I'll communicate for a few months before meeting up. I really think it's worth having a period of getting to know each other beforehand as I enjoy the whole experience and it makes me much more excited about the actual meet. It helps me eradicate the unsuitables :)

So in conclusion, I have found love online. I have only been in love once and it was with a man who I met on a dating site. Sadly it didn't work out between us, but I can safely say that had I met him offline our relationship would've happened in the exact same way. The only difference being that I very much doubt our paths would've crossed if it weren't for the internet.

Some sites that I've had success with are:

www.datingdirect.com
I wrote a review on this site. If you're really committed to finding someone online then this is a good place to start as it's very popular

www.plentyoffish.com
I have several friends who have made wonderful connections on here and two of which are in long-term relationships with members of this site.

www.girlsdateforfree.com
A site that is free for women. The problem is that you do - for whatever reason - get a lot of strange individuals on here! That was a polite way of putting it wasn't it? This is the site where I met the man I fell in love with though, so it can't be all bad......

Summary: Definitely worth trying and not as scary as it may seem