I Actually Met Someone 'Normal' In An Online Dating Service ...

Oh man, it wasn't that long ago that you wouldn't dare mention to your friends that you were cruising the online dating services!  Just a few years ago, your friends and family would probably think you were pretty desperate if you resorted to looking for a date online (although maybe they were doing it in secret, too!). Besides the embarrassment factor, people were terrified of the online dating service scene.

Are Online Personal Ads Accurate?

For example, some folks thought that if you were a woman who posted a picture and description of yourself on the Internet, you would have 30 or 40 creepy, middle-aged guys staking you out within a week.  Or, you'd be meeting someone entirely different from what was portrayed in an online ad.  The best way to describe this is with a cartoon that was popular a couple of years ago.  It showed a picture of a fat, slovenly guy posting a picture of a movie star as his profile, and showed an overweight, gray-haired lady posting a photo of a 20-some-year-old model in her profile.  The perception was that anyone using an online dating service was so grotesque that it was the perfect hangout to meet people because no one really knew what you were like. 

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Because of this, I had a bit of a fear about going online to find a date. The old cliche is that "Looks aren't everything," but let's be honest.  I really am not looking for a 258 pound gal with acne, missing teeth and greasy hair.  Although it took me a while to work up the nerve, I posted my first online dating service ad a couple of months ago.  I had broken up with my girlfriend about a year or so ago and had been having trouble getting back into the dating scene.

The Bar Scene vs. Internet Dating

Before I posted that online dating service ad, I used to go to bars to try to pick up girls. The problem was that I was getting older, and the bar scene didn't really appeal to me as much as it used to. I wanted to use the dating service online so that I would have a way to get to know a little bit about the woman before meeting her. I have had too many dates that started out at the bar and ended up terrible. I wanted to use a more selective method of finding a date.

It turned out that the personal ads dating online worked wonderfully. I had been a little bit skeptical, and I ended up using one of the more protective online dating services. Basically, the online dating service that I used does not allow people to see your real name, your photograph, or any other potentially identifying personal information until you have approved of them. It made me feel protected, but it also made everything move a lot slower.

Conclusion:  Online Dating Is A Promising Alternative

When I finally had my first online dating service date, a whole month had passed since I posted my first ad. Nonetheless, the date went wonderfully. I am not sure yet how it will turn out, but so far I am quite impressed with the online dating service. It proved quite easy for me to meet someone who was a good match for me. Even if this relationship doesn't ultimately work, it is great to know that there is a better way to meet people than through the bar scene. I will use the online dating service for all of my future connections.

"I Actually Met Someone 'Normal' In An Online Dating Service ..." contributed by Craig Bellagio