Online Dating | Dating Without the Bar

Back in our parent’s day, boy meets girl at school, church, in the grocery store, at a concert or through friends. They’d start dating, fall in love and eventually get married. Today, boy meets girl through a dating website, starts dating, falls in love and eventually gets married. In the age of social networking, online dating has really lost its stigma. In 2007 more than 22 million people visited dating websites. Google “online dating services” and over 6 million results and over 800 dating sites pop up.

Much better than Grandma setting you up

As far as matchmakers rank, online dating definitely beats going on endless blind dates. Over the past few years, the Internet has helped countless people connect and reconnect. Today, online dating is HUGE. If you check out Match.com with 18 million subscribers or eHarmony with 19 million registered users you’ll find seemingly endless possibilities. Some websites have a more casual approach to dating, while others are focused on marriage. Many of these matchmaking sites help people find love by doing extensive personality profiling. It only takes one person, and on these sites your “options” become refined to your tastes—it’s like shopping for a mate. For example, eHarmony helps people find long-term relationships by asking nearly 500 questions ranging from child rearing to hobbies.

Speed Dating?

Popular websites like HurryDate and WooMe offer a high-tech version of speed dating. Other websites like, Ice Brkr offer a text messaging application that allows people to text strangers. Websites like Facebook offer a “Little Black Book” application that users can load on their profile to connect with potential matches and share them with friends.

Cut to the chase

Most online daters said that the Internet played a main role in the early stages of their relationship. And even though it’s online, many subscribers feel like it still has an old-fashioned quality to it, like writing letters to a pen pal. One big advantage is you can skip the awkward silences and uncomfortable questioning of a first date. Communicating online really allows you to cut to the chase without feeling rude or abrupt—plus you don’t have to play coy or worry about exposing too much about yourself. When you two finally meet, those subjects should already be in the past and you can focus on enjoying each other’s company and getting to know one another better.

Like any tool, be careful

Of course there are extensively publicized negatives to online dating. The safety aspect is a vital concern. Using the Internet as a matchmaker isn’t anything new, yet in a society where it’s hard to meet people, any tool that could introduce you to the love of your life is a method worth a peek.

How to Date Online Success Stories (click here to read online dating stories)