The Online Matchup – The Pros & Cons

The Online Matchup

The Pros & Cons

by Coco Diong

I have two friends who recently met the men of their dreams on the Internet.  One is currently in the process of picking out her wedding gown, while the other is in love and waiting to be asked.  I was so inspired by their success that I decided to try my luck one night at 2:00 in the morning when I couldn’t sleep. 

I joined this online dating service for Christian singles, and when I checked my email twelve hours later, I had forty responses.  There were men from all over the country who had sent photos and witty utterances in response to my profile.  I was impressed, but I didn’t see one face or read one profile that sparked my interest.

The next day, I received ten more responses, and this time I saw someone who piqued my interest.  However, when I responded to his email, he never answered.  After two days, I realized that I was beginning to feel rejected by someone I didn’t even know.  So I packed up my ego and came to the conclusion that I didn’t want to be judged on my beauty and my personality by a stranger who hadn’t had the benefit of meeting me.  In other words, I realized that my ego is too fragile for Internet dating.  So I’m out!  However, I decided to talk to some friends who have used the Internet, to get their opinions, and I found only one soulmate who shared my conclusion.

• Maggie: 30 – “After investing a lot of money on stunning clothes and bar-hopping in hopes of meeting a good man, to no avail, I decided to try the Internet as an alternative.  I filled out the questionnaires and waited.  I received 58 responses in six days, but I only answered twenty.  Out of the 20, I actually rendezvoused with 10.  Two were acceptable as potential friends.  Two were nice but nerdy.  One was a con-man looking for a victim.  Two didn’t like me.  The other three had great partner potential.  However, the one I favored most, turned out to be a fluke.  I decided to wait a couple of months and try again.”

 

• Paul: 33 – “When a close friend met a very special woman through the Internet, I gave it a try.  I received over 100 replies in one week.  I only answered those who didn’t seem starved for a relationship.  After a series of phone calls and meetings, I narrowed it down to one and we’re still seeing each other.  I think the Internet is a great place to meet the opposite sex without investing a lot of time and money.”

 

• Vern: 37 – “I did not have a good experience with my attempt on online dating.  I found that most of the twenty-seven guys I met were physically or socially inept.  And after seeing them, I understood why.  I disqualified most on the phone.  I talked to one guy several times who seemed interesting, but he turned out to be married.”

 

• John: 38 – “ I received over 70 responses in two days after putting my profile on a site, and I found most of the women to be of good caliber and sincere. I personally was tired of looking in all the traditional places and was ready to be involved seriously.  I responded to 25, met four in person, and eventually chose one woman I’m still seeing.”

 

• Tonya: 32 – “I personally feel that the Internet is a great place to meet interesting people without wearing yourself out.  The big problem is the caliber of guys I met were not acceptable as mates.  There may have been a prince in the bunch, but you have to interview too many frogs to find him. I didn’t have the patience.”

 

• Mari: 36 – “I tried at least three of the popular online dating sites and I discovered that my ego wasn’t strong enough to continue the search.  I had a number of guys to correspond with me for a minute, and then stop when they saw me in person.  One guy, I met online insisted on meeting me in person, but he never showed up at the restaurant where we agreed to meet, and he never called.”