Megan Myer

I’ve been dating my boyfriend for what will be a year this summer.
Quite often, one question always seems to come up: “So, how did you guys meet?” I tend to have a mixed reaction of humor and self consciousness to this because the answer is simply: “We met online.” From here, I often get a surprised and drawn-back reply: “Oh, well, that’s nice.”
There are many benefits to finding a love life via Web sites. First of all, you can say upfront what kind of a person you are and what kind of a person you are looking for. If you don’t like a person, you can just continue to the next profile that catches your eye. You do not have to go on several dates to find someone you are actually interested in; you simply have to read his or her profile and chat via IM.
Another amazing aspect of soul searching online is that you can do it in your pajamas. That’s right.: You don’t have to get all dolled up to make a positive first impression. That’s what your profile picture(s) and your biography-of-sorts are for.
There are a variety of sites out there for people to try. My boyfriend and I met through the online dating site OkCupid.com. While I did try other sites such as eHarmony and Chemistry, I found OkCupid to have the most freedom to express yourself, and it was free.
I was first drawn to the site in November 2007, simply because I enjoyed taking online quizzes. I wasn’t even aware that it was a dating site at the time. It didn’t take long for me to lose interest and dismiss it.
During the summer of ’08, I found my old account after discovering it was a dating site. I figured, “What the heck, I can always look.”
I found several people who I started talking to. Some conversations started off well and others poorly. After a while, only one stood out. I had to meet him in person.
As with any situation, safety should come first.
Now, as with any sort of first date, it is important to meet in a public place. This is especially emphasized for those who have met online. Also, it is important to let people know where you are going and when to expect you back.
When it comes to online dating, people used to be skeptical. Granted, many still are, but the numbers are dramatically decreasing.
What many people don’t realize is that online dating sites are just updated versions of what has always been around. Parents, friends, matchmakers and many others have always tried to get people together.
When a friend says to you, “Hey, I met this really cool guy, I think you would like him,” they are doing exactly what these Web sites do.
I have an uncle who also tried online dating. He was on all sorts of sites meeting people. I remember when he started to fall for someone he met online. He didn’t expect to, and it caught him off-guard. They were together for a little while, but they eventually parted ways.
Later, he met a girl in a store after bumping into her and spilling coffee on her slacks. She worked there. This turned out to be the beginning of a wonderful love story.
In the end, my uncle found someone right under his nose in his everyday life. For me, I found someone from another state.
Online dating may not work for everyone, but it is always an excellent option to try.