Put aside for a moment your preconceptions about online dating and take a look at some of
advantages and disadvantages. You may decide to give it a try."I’ve had more potential partners through eharmony.com ( http:/ inyurl.com/2lyea ) than I ever did dating around my hometown,” says my client whom I’ll call Mary. She’s over 50, single, and interested in finding a life partner.
“I’ve always done better with some sort of introduction,” she says. “All near-misses were people I’d known before, or was introduced to. It works better to know something about other person. It saves a lot of time in long run.”
“Another big plus,” she says, “is you can terminate relationship easily without hurt feelings.”
Nobody looks forward to that rejection-point, and with online dating it’s as painless as it can be.
Most people find online dating is an easy and pressure-free way to meet people. It may take some getting used to if you aren’t an Internet person, but here are some points to consider.
COMPATIBILITY
Eharmony.com (http:/ inyurl.com/2lyea ) and other sites ask you to take a personality profile and then they match you with people who are already predictably compatible with you. Imagine how much time this saves.
CAN’T STAND, MUST HAVE
They also allow you to choose and state your “can’t stands” and “must haves.” These could come out in conversation, but are touchy areas to begin with, and I’ll admit when I took profile, they brought up some points I wouldn’t have thought of to ask myself. They range from attitudes, to beliefs, to appearance, to values.
PACING
The initial stages of getting to know other person can be by format, and then by personal email. This slows down things long enough for you to take a good look at other person and compatibility factor.
PARADISE FOR WOMEN
At this point, of 40 million people who access online dating every month, there are more men than women looking. This is reverse of what you will find in most towns and in other venues. This is particularly enticing for over 50 crowd. Online dating is one of fastest growing Internet adventures, and for good reason. Most singles are looking for a viable and loving partnership. Life goes better when you’re a couple!
TIME FACTOR
Online dating saves tons of time, and that’s what we have least of. As we run around all day and then try and find venue for meeting nice others in evening, we stretch a commodity that’s already in short supply. Moves complicate picture; we become new kid on block again.
You can choose people as rapidly as they respond, and eliminate them this way as well.
ADVANTAGES
Will this work best for you if you are comfortable on Internet and have computer skills? Yes, but it isn’t essential. My client Bill, who uses eharmony.com says he just uses their format to write his own things in there, usually saying “I’m a talk person, can we skip to phone stage?” He’s found many who are willing and eager to forego forms and email. It’s a matter of personal preference and there’s lots of leeway even though you may not see it at first.
