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Welcome to The Jaded Word where anything and everything is up for discussion. Respectful commentary and dialogue is always encouraged here. Remember, everyone is entitled to their opinion.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Online dating still scares me!

I recently saw a commercial from Match.com which astounded me. According to their research, 1 out of every 5 relationships were started through online dating-wow really??? I was amazed at this number as it really seems high (yes even at 20%) and if this is the case, is something wrong with our society.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not against online dating whatsoever for those who choose this path, I'm just wondering about the validity of the statistic itself. Since I have no real way of validating the data I guess my biggest question is what is the appeal of online dating? While I have friends who have had successful online relationships, some even leading to marriage, I am still a bit leery or maybe I'm just a bit old school. Here are my top 3 reasons why online dating wouldn't work for me:

  1. Looks aren't everything but I'm very visual in other aspects. I like to see how you carry yourself, how you dress, how you walk, your swagger, etc. Many of the things that make a man attractive to me can only be demonstrated in person.
  2. Stalkers are a reality and while not everyone you meet online has the potential to be crazy and deranged, you can rest assured the only way to really tell when someone is a nut is to meet them in person.
  3. Pictures are only worth a thousand words if they are recent. Again, looks aren't everything but I want to get to know the real you, not some made up persona. While I may like everything you say in IM or email and we may really jive, if you no longer look like the picture you posted in your profile, in my opinion, you have already started the relationship off with deception and I'm no longer interested.

I understand times have changed, the online dating nightmares I hear about are enough to scare me. So for those of you who have met and/or fell in love with someone online and have successful relationships, what was it that sent you down that avenue in the first place? Would you recommend online dating to your friends? This is just my opinion but it's my site right..LOL.