Online dating - Your opinions?

[Mango]

Nice to see people have been getting in their viewpoints in an intellectual way.

I was hoping for people like Mooclan to get involved c:

 

[ImCeline]

RobinAgain
celinevanelden

We're not online dating We have a long distance relationship ;p

 

[Mooclan]

Nice to see people have been getting in their viewpoints in an intellectual way.

I was hoping for people like Mooclan to get involved c:

I did.

If you want, I can write some more when I get home later tonight, but unless I have more points to argue it would be pretty much the same message.

Figures, as soon as I log back on from no internet, this is the first thread I see.
FUN FACT: I READ APPROXIMATELY ONE FULL-LENGTH ROMANCE NOVEL A DAY, SOMETIMES TWO. I've already finished one today.
So yeah, call me sappy if you want to, but I've even shed a few tears during two or three But I'm actually a really emotionally sensitive person.
And thus, before I go into a huge essay thing, I want to say that I do approve of online dating, but I think that there are some precautions that should be taken, such as confirming the person's identity (explained below) before committing to a relationship.

As a person who is extremely shy and introverted in real life, I have escaped to the internet. Not only what was described in the OP is true for me, but I also have a childhood fear of girls (not older women or younger kids, just girls my age group) and thus I have forced myself to avoid interaction with the opposite gender in real life. On the internet, though, I'm different. I'm a confident, smart young teenager with what some people joke is a "smexy" voice and a kind personality around my friends, and a business attitude around people that I don't know. I feel like I'm the type of person that generally relies on online dating to meet a "person of interest". But first I would want to be mentally prepared, and I don't feel that at this age I should be dating. Maybe next year, unless I meet someone that "sparks a flame" blah blah blah

In general, there are some pros and cons to online "courting", and online dating services.

1. The identity of the opposite party. They might claim to be a "19, brown-haired, 6'4", blue-eyed male" and all that jazz, but really they could be a pedophile creeping on teenage females. Or, they might just lie about their appearance or exact age, etc.
2. The location of the person. They could be across the world, or maybe just the continent. It's pretty much just like a long-distance relationship, except you've never met the person, never had your first kiss with them, etc. so it's like you're less committed.
3. Sometimes, when you first meet them, you stop liking them. Maybe their nose is a bit bigger than you thought, or they're really gloomy all the time. People can fake their personality over the internet very easily - I do, too.
4. Either party can cheat on the other party very, very easily.
5. If you are used to using "sexy smirks" or your "great abs" to "pick up chicks", well, sorry but that won't work.
7. Did I mention parents? Nuff said.

On the other side, there's also some great benefits of online dating.

1. You don't have to commit to a relationship until you've met the person for a while. You can explain that you want to get to know them better before making sure that you're compatible or whatever, and the person is almost definitely going to agree, because they will probably realize it's just something that comes with online dating.
2. Shy, introverted, or socially awkward people avoid situations where their tendencies come into play, giving them a chance that they otherwise wouldn't have in real life.
3. You can meet people from all over the world, or just from your local area. I guess you could say there are a lot of "options".
4. There is a nearly equal ratio of males to females using online dating - something around 53% males to 47% females. Out of 50+ million users, that's good enough I think.
5. You can always meet someone new. If one person doesn't work out, just go for round 2, or take a break and do it some other time. If you've handled online dating right, IMO, that person shouldn't have anything to hurt you with.

I was going to post more but I think there's been a ton more posts that I want to read but can't because I'm typing this one.
Edit: oh, and I've been typing this for roughly 47 minutes.

TL;DR? Online dating is a good thing, in my personal opinion.

Oh boy, a post to debate with :> huehuehue

Now, I'm not the exact same as you, so we have differing viewpoints. I don't know how shy you were before, and obviously the same goes for the other way around. And I just want to say that I really respect your viewpoints, and your advice is very credible - for certain people, and unfortunately I'm just not one of them. What I'm about to say is just from my personal experiences, which are rather unusual.

But for a person like me who is shy to the extent that I have had panic attacks about certain social interactions, doing some of those things aren't so easy. I literally had one friend throughout all of Middle School, and I'm currently homeschooled for my Freshman year. Attending a new high school in the fall, with completely new people? That's going to be hell and back for me.
Certain people have depression related to their insecurities, and their self-esteem drops to the point where they are unsure if they can even talk.
When I was younger, I made a promise to my sisters that neither 3 of us would date until we were 17. When I grew up, I realized I would really, really regret that promise. But I held to it, and to make it easier on me, I gradually developed a fear of girls my age (as I previously stated) and I also avoided virtually all interaction with the opposite gender.
One of my largest insecurities is how I look. I used to get teased because my nose was "too flat and wide" (yeah, lol, i hinted this last post) or that I looked "Blasian" (Black/Asian, even though I'm Indian and Chinese. Get it rite scrubz.) And while I dealt with it temporarily by hurting the people who bullied me by getting into fights and eventually getting a rep as a brawler, it still left a long-lasting scar on my self-esteem.


Oh, heck, I have to go :< I wanna stay and type.

 

[Cat_On_A_Poptart]

Well, my thoughts, opinions on people in general don't really change a lot, whether it's online or in real life, maybe just because I go on the internet too much and talk to so many people, that they start to feel like real people after a while. I personally believe, that each human being has someone that they're meant to be with, and if you have to meet them through the internet, then that's perfectly fine, but if you're online dating because you're desperate and you don't actually have feelings for the person you're dating, then that's a bit sad :/ (it's not something I've ever seen though).
TL;DR, I'm perfectly fine with any online relationship

 

[Mango]

I did.

I know, that's why I said it. xD I said that meaning 'I was hoping he would and he did' kinda thing. Makes sense to me because I'm a mango.

 

[Tryhard_Batman]

I know, that's why I said it. xD I said that meaning 'I was hoping he would and he did' kinda thing. Makes sense to me because I'm a mango.

You go gurl

 

[Mango]

You go gurl

I must be so hard to understand sometimes ._.

 

[Yoobie]

For me I think it's a little odd, but I don't mind at all if other people do it.

 

[rcazilla23rocks]

If you date someone online, yeah, you gotta atleast me up with them, if they don't want too bunnies DAT Bunny Lover

 

[WilloWizard]

I wouldn't want to get stabbed in the back by some 40 yr-old male that is posing as a girl (or vice-versa for females), so it's really stupid. Considering you don't know who this person is, I think it's really risky.

 

[BadgerPig]

I feel everyone has made important points, but personally I f feel that an online relationship will only work depending on the people and how much they want it.

 

[TheRealAussie]

I wouldn't want to get stabbed in the back by some 40 yr-old male that is posing as a girl (or vice-versa for females), so it's really stupid. Considering you don't know who this person is, I think it's really risky.

You can talk to them on skype...