Online Dating Success Look To Your Peers

Online Dating Success? Look To Your Peers.

It is largely understandable that many people remain skeptical about the ultimate effectiveness of online dating. After all, it is only fairly recently that the process has been accepted as part of the social mainstream. One notorious line in the film Cruel Intentions refers to the email format as the last bastion of “social recluses,” and numerous other media have lampooned the process of online dating at one time or another.

Needless to say, times have changed, and opinions on this subject have shifted dramatically. An ever-increasing number of Americans—and people the world over, for that matter—are beginning to view online dating as a legitimate option for romantic success. Part of this is due to the proliferation of internet access in the world today. A study by journalism.org reports that nearly 70 percent of Americans today utilize the internet in some facet. In terms of pure numbers, approximately 137 million Americans reported going online with some frequency during the last year. Of this vast sum, an increasing percentage has turned to the speed and reliability of broadband internet connections versus dial-up, thus streamlining and making more effective their time online.

What this means is that, while the number of people going online has plateaued in recent years, those that are connecting are spending more and more time online. Additionally, a greater number of people are using the internet to take care of their business in life. This increased reliance on the internet coupled with the large number of people connecting online has played a huge role in affecting people’s views of services such as online dating. Television and radio advertisements tout the ability of “serious” online dating sites and their respective personality profiles to effectively pair you up with a serious romantic interest. A steady stream of married couples point to one site or another as a primary reason for their relationship’s success.

It’s not in our nature to rely solely on advertisements to form our opinions, however, and ere you place too much stock in the trumpeting of one site or another, it is recommended that you look first to a closer, more reliable source. The large numbers of people both using the internet regularly and frequenting online dating services means that somebody in your life has probably had an experience or two that they can share with you. Perhaps a neighbor met their current spouse via an online service. Maybe a co-worker hooked up with a casual romantic fling in an internet chat room. Regardless of what form it takes, if you take the time to look around and ask a couple of questions, you are likely to find some feedback in regards to the reliability and success of online dating.

Online dating has continued to grow and evolve with the increased popularity of the internet. No matter what type of relationship you hope to find, chances are good that you will be able to find a potential romantic match online; the numbers are too vast to expect otherwise. No longer a maligned fringe affair, online dating has become a viable romantic avenue for today’s singles.

BONUS : Online Dating Success Stories

Dating can be terrifying for anyone: meeting new people, putting one’s heart (and ego!) on the line, investing time and energy into relationships you’re not even sure will work out. But it is especially difficult for those who have been hurt before.

“My ex-husband cheated on me several times before we finally got divorced,” recalls Emma, 28. “I was so afraid to trust someone again.” Through online dating, she was able to get to know men at a much slower, more comfortable pace. “We’d exchange emails, call each other, until I was personally ready to meet them face to face,” she said. “I didn’t feel rushed to make a decision. I had full control every step of the way.” It took her 3 months before she agreed to have lunch with Steve. They’ve been together for 2 years, and they’re already talking about getting married.

Cecille, 25, had never been comfortable about the traditional dating scene. She’s always been shy, and the whole routine of hanging out in the bar and waiting for someone to buy her drinks was never her thing. “Besides, I’m the kind of girl that prefers reading a book in a quiet coffee shop,” she said. Online dating allowed her to meet people in a way that suited her personality—at her laptop, while sipping a cappuccino—and she worded her profile so she’d meet the guys who shared her love for reading. In fact, when she read Ben (her current boyfriend)’s email, the first thing that caught her attention was that they liked the same authors. “You don’t get that kind of ‘precision matchmaking’ in a bar,” she laughs.

Greg, 35, enjoys online dating because it puts him on a level playing field. “You really get to know people for who they are,” he said. He feels in traditional dating the first few dates focus too much on impressing each other, saying the right things, wearing the right clothes. But when you email and chat, what you pay attention to is the person’s attitude and personality. “You don’t have to wait until the fourth or fifth date to discover if you think alike,” he said.

On the other hand, Tori, 32, chose online dating because she wanted a little adventure in her life. “I live in a small town where you’ve known everyone since you were a little girl. It’s hard to meet anyone new, and if you go on a date, it’s big gossip the next day.” While she’s not ready for anything serious, she’s enjoying talking to different kinds of people from all around the world. “One of the men I really clicked with lives in Spain!” she said. “He’s so different from anyone I’ve ever known, but at the same time, he understands me more than even my family does!” She’s planning to take a month off from work to visit him.