So...Internet dating...

Tell me what you think

Have you tried it?
Have you paid for it?
Have you met people off "the internet" or dating sites?
What experiences have you had/heard of...good or bad?
How dangerous is the infamous "stranger of the internet"?

Just let loose with your fingers and tell me all.

Background story:
I've always been curious about having pen palls.I also was a dodgy teenager who met teenage boys of chatrooms (and no they weren't peados...just awkward teenage boys).Since I was 17 I havent really used the internet for meeting people much...until...
The other day a mutual friend told me and my friend that she'd tried "OKCupid" and so me and my friend also joined...mainly for the lols...but....I've actually met someone I really really like talking to

I personally have never tried it (I met DH when I was 17 and we started dating when I was 19) but I have many friends who use some of the bigger ones and while there have been duds, many eventually did meet their spouse through it.

Thats how my husband and I started talking. Single Parent forum.

Have you tried it?

Yes, once.

Have you paid for it?

Yep... that same once.

Have you met people off "the internet" or dating sites?

I went on a date off an dating site. It was an epic wreck. We were nothing alike in person.

What experiences have you had/heard of...good or bad?

I wouldn't say that my experience was the fault of the dating site. That's the nature of blind dates, you win some you lose some. I didn't do it again because I really wasn't having any issues getting dates from people I've met face to face.

How dangerous is the infamous "stranger of the internet"?

Not dangerous as long as you practice some safety things. Never let him drop you off at your house, always meet in public places, whenever possible take your own car, don't reveal more than you're comfortable doing, don't go to his house on the first date if he's a stranger.

I know a lot of us have broken that last rule, it doesn't make doing it less stupid or less dangerous though

Have you tried it? Yes
Have you paid for it? No - nor would I ever.
Have you met people off "the internet" or dating sites? Yes - not dating sites though.
What experiences have you had/heard of...good or bad? Equal amounts of both
How dangerous is the infamous "stranger of the internet"? ?? Whom?

My one and only experience with net dating was disastrous. I've met casual acquaintances thru the net and we've met up in person - they've been lovely and we are still in contact. As far as pursuing a relationship thru those channels goes though....not for me.

Hmmm interesting feedback so far.
I've been surprised by the amount of seemingly normal people my age who do this.

I've met a number of Chazzers, does that count? LOL

I signed up for eHarmony waaaay back in the day after Daniel and I broke up, never paid for it so never met anyone off it. Did go on a date with a kid from Myspace though, laughed the entire time and never went out with him again. I've got some friends/co-workers trying to convince me to sign up for Plenty of Fish but meh. I think I'm about ready to start dating again, it's been almost 6 months since my last bf and I broke up, but I don't know if I'm ready to just jump into online dating. I think I'll try the normal route of asking friends to set me up.

I was 19/20 when I met my husband he was 25/26

the first time we "met" was at the airport when he flew to FL, went out to eat and brought him to my house LOL. I also had quite a few big dogs that he knew would bite LOL. We also had been talking for a few months. MIght not have been the best way to go about it but meh lived and married the guy LOL. I also stayed at the hotel with him his first trip (had my own car and it was across the street from my friends house though)

Have you tried it? Yep. okcupid can be pretty hilarious but plentyoffish is the worst if you really want a laugh...

Have you paid for it? No, and I wouldn't... based on my experiences with matches on free sites I wouldn't think paying would be different. OTOH I suppose if there were a paid site called HotChristianMenWhoLoveDogsAndDon'tWantKids.com I would dish out money for that!

Have you met people off "the internet" or dating sites? Never anybody off a dating site but off the internet, yes.

What experiences have you had/heard of...good or bad? My friends met on eHarmony and they are married. Another friend of mine tried it and met a few guys, one she really liked and dated for a bit but she was religious and he was not, and not only just not religious but mean about it, so they broke up. She ended up being set up with a friend of a friend and they are married now so she quit the internet dating thing.

How dangerous is the infamous "stranger of the internet"? Honestly I don't think "stranger of the internet" is inherently more dangerous than anybody else. People were getting abducted, raped, and killed before the internet too. And usually it's somebody you know who rapes you, so... I don't think a random stranger online is inherently any more dangerous than anybody else. I think using common sense is a good thing... and carrying mace is a good idea in general, LOL.


It is surprisingly common these days. It's always weird to see people I know personally on dating sites LOL. One of my co-workers showed up as a match on okcupid and I was like AUGH ABORT ABORT NO *close window*

POF is hilar! Literally getting so many laughs from just browsing the amount of nutty people.


I think good common sense is the way to go!

See this is how I normally think.When single friends used to say to me "Where can I meet a guyyyy" Id say stuff like "Just live your life and someone great will pop up at some point".Now that I'm actually single I see where shes coming from.

I also have really enjoyed being able to search for for really specific guys.ie: Men,21-32,6ft-6ft5,Anywhere in the world,With dogs....
opcorn:

I haven't really done any dating sights but hubby and i met online in a chat room. A few months later we met. He came to visit me a
Few times and soon after I moved down here with him and a year later we were married. 7 years so far and it is only geting better

But I wouldn't say that is typical lol

My best friend also met her boyfriend in one of her ex's gaming chat rooms LOL. She lives with him in VA now (moved from FL)

In a way, yes.

No.

"The internet", yes. Dating sites, no. I honestly don't like the idea of dating sites. I don't feel like you can ever truly get to know someone when they're on the internet, trying to put their best foot forward so they can get in the door for a relationship or sexy times. I don't even feel like you can get to know people that way on dates. It's just not how I work, personally, but I know it's worked for some people and that's great for them!

My boyfriend and I met on the internet, through world of warcraft (yeah we're THOSE people). We spent a ton of time playing video games and talking on skype; we both had a lot of free time and were both pretty lonely/reclusive. We were best friends for a couple of years, and started dating when I flew into Cleveland to visit in February this year.

By the time we actually met in person, we knew each other extremely well, had been present for each other during some pretty rough times, seen each other already etc, so there was really no massive surprise or "wow, you're nothing like I thought". I guess that's a boring story, but I tell it anyway because it's got a happy ending thus far, and isn't a horror story about omg you'll get raped if you meet people from the internet. I got blessed with a terrific boyfriend and through him, a terrific extended family.

I've met a few handfuls of people from 'the internet'. One out of all of them was a horrific experience and taught me to be extremely careful with who I trust, but it's something that could've happened had I never known this person over the internet, and only met them in real life. People are sleazy sometimes, it's not only on the internet.

Have you tried it? Yes.
Have you paid for it? Nope.
Have you met people off "the internet" or dating sites? Yes..more than I care to admit . It can be kind of addicting to roll the dice every weekend.
What experiences have you had/heard of...good or bad? Both. Only one I would consider really bad, a few normal people, a few that I wanted to make an exit after 5 minutes. I don't know how you can stress the fact that you are a huge dog person on your profile, and then that person tells you that they throw their dog across the room when it annoys them. The last guy I dated was actually really cool and I still like him, I saw him for about 4 months, but I felt he just wasn't for me/timing wasn't right/no spark..idk, just something off.
How dangerous is the infamous "stranger of the internet"? No more dangerous than going on a date with someone you met at the grocery store or the bar. Less dangerous than going home with someone from the bar. Meet in public, get a feel for him, and my personal rule, don't let him know where you live for a month or two .

I met my girlfriend of 4 years right here on Chaz, lol.

Have you tried it? I met my last bf online

Have you paid for it? No never used a dating site

Have you met people off "the internet" or dating sites? Met my bf online

What experiences have you had/heard of...good or bad? It was good at first until it turned out he was an insane control freak who was emotionally abusive. I didn't find out until way later because it was online and we had absolutely no near connections I could meet or could talk to me to warn me.

How dangerous is the infamous "stranger of the internet"? Ehh honestly probably not that dangerous. I've heard way more people get mugged/beat up/murdered going to the grocery store than actually meeting someone from online.

Yeah, that.

I think I met hubby before the internet. Or rather, before internet dating. So no.

But I have met people IRL that I only knew online. Lived to tell the tale so far anyway. Meet in public places. Bring a good dog. Don't throw a ball way out into a lake to make your good dog useless.

Erm, I may not always follow that last one

Really though I don't think it's that uncommon for people to meet online now, especially once you get out of school.

Dh and I met in middle school, but we reconnected over MySpace a few years ago, then everything from there is history.

My mom met her second husband in Health Lobby of Yahoo Chat. You know, back when that was popular.

Most of the friends I have, I met online, though. Either from writing forums or dog forums.

One of my friends went on a date with a guy through OKcupid. It was an epic disaster. He was a total creeper, and told her in the middle of dinner that he liked dating because he got to the "endgame" without having to pay a ho. She was like :yikes:.

and :yikes:

and :yikes: some more.

Especially when he started putting moves on her, and was just really creepy in general. And tried to follow her home.

That being said, she met her fiance through WoW, he was her guildmaster. Aww. lol