Introduction
Do you think it’s possible to find a long-term lover - even
a life-partner - in the digital world?
I sure didn’t.
I figured it was a great place to meet people for sex, for playing
out romantic fantasies in a safe and non-committal environment.
Quite frankly, I considered surfing on the Internet for love would
be a big waste of time compared to trying to meet someone in relatively
safe venues.
Let's just say that I spent a lot of walking through a park, shopping,
or hanging out at a café waiting for Prince Charming to show
up. I hung out at bars, joined special hobby groups and attended
learning seminars in an attempt to meet someone who was like me.
How many people who threw themselves wholeheartedly into online
dating sites have I called stupid over the years? I have lost count.
And then, after years of thinking that only married people wanting
to cheat on their partners; desperate people who couldn’t
get a date; or psycho-stalkers haunted dating sites and chat rooms,
I met the man who was to become my life partner…
From the Chat-Room to the Church
The two of us met in a psychic chat room. We both shared the same
kind of interests in the occult, and this was a place that attracted
people who were chatting about the tarot, psychics, and so on.
The first thing that really attracted me was his sense of humor,
especially as he was studying to be a reverend. At first most of
our conversation was kept on a friendship level.
Slowly, my topics of discussions focused on personal issues that
I would only share with people I considered to be good friends.
He heard a lot about my ex boyfriend who really had left me feeling
empty inside about the whole relationship thing.
But one day he surprised me suddenly by saying “I’m
eating a muffin here and I think I’m in love with you.”
After more weeks of chatting, we decided to meet for real. He traveled
to my city and stayed for two weeks. When we met in real life, we
totally clicked on the first sight and there was no awkwardness.
We met on and off after that. And 15 months after first meeting
online, we married. And I’m delighted to say, we’re
still happily married today!
Now you’re probably wondering: was this just “dumb
luck”, or something more? And is Internet Dating a real option
for finding true love, part of a growing trend?
Well, my story isn’t the only one I know of. There seem to
be a whole lot of people in my life lately who have met their mate
online.
And it seems everyone has their own story to tell these days about
finding love through the Internet.
However as Internet dating is still a relatively new concept, there
just aren't many statistics available that tell us how well it actually
‘works’.
No big research institute seems to be keeping track of successes
vs. failures or of the length of the relationship or marriage.
However I did find some statistics that talk about… |