Just something I was thinking about just now and I wanted to see what everyone else's view point is on this subject. I apologize if there is already a thread for this, I just don't feel like searching all day to find it. So here are my thoughts....



In my generation I remember dating being a term that wasn't used as loosely as it is now. Yes we had the internet but it wasn't so much in our lives like with the youth today. We didn't even have our own cell phones then, only parents used them. Anyway, to me, dating is something that is done in person. Even relationships, to me is something you have with someone you know in person. It's easier to know someone in person and have a relationship with them. Dating I feel now is just used very loosely. Some people like "dating" online, and hey if that works for you, great. For me, and I am not saying I am right, just this is how I PREFER it, I like to date someone in person. And yeah you can be attracted to someone you meet online, but not in the way you can in person. What I mean by that is, you can know them more in person than you can online. Online you can't see how they interact with other people, or how they are with their friends and family like you can in person.



I just think that the youth today, in the new generation use the term very loosely. Now I am not saying there is anything wrong with online dating. Live your life the way you want, but all I am saying is, you can know someone so much better if you know them in person.



So what are you opinions and thoughts on this topic?

I agree with you. I'll admit. I've tried online dating, but I wasn't too thrilled about it, because I can't meet the person in person, because there is no telling what that person's true nature behind the monitor of the computer. For all we know, that the person could be a predator, or murder. I have relationships before in person, but they always ends in failure, because of their snobby shallow attitudes. Today's generations feels it's safer to date online, because they don't have to worry about certain things that might happen to them from a real life relationship, but it's not good to date online, because you need physical interaction and I'm not talking about doing the "Deed" Having a relationship in person gives you the experience that online can't. 

Me personally quit dating because of the failed relationships I constantly have. I have had a total of two online dating scenario and when I've brought up the subject about meeting in person just so I can see how they truly are. It ends up that they don't want to date any longer. That tells me that they are either not who they say they are and they are predators. Or that they are underage and that could get me into trouble. So I'm extremely careful now if I decide to date online again or just give it up due to that reason. 

Natas : I definitely agree. You never know for sure who you are talking to online. And even if they are the person on the "photo" they send to you, they could be a psychopath or just a down right cruel person. At least when you know them in person you can see how they interact with the rest of the world.

Yeah, I completely agree with you on this one, even when you see a picture of the person in real life, you can't tell if the person behaves like you expect them to. Nobody can tell, that is why I do not do online dating, not now or possibly ever in the future.

I agree, the only way to have a truly serious, committed relationship is in person. I would not be romantically involved with someone online unless it was set in stone that we could meet in person, and that it would be worth our while to do so. Otherwise it will just be another strained, failed long distance relationship. Online dating can only offer intellectual connection and not physical. I believe both (not just one or the other) together are required for a true serious relationship.

Edit: To add to that, I don't just mean sexual intimacy, although that is part of what I meant. I also mean spending time together doing meaningful stuff, even just hugging or being in the same room is really important, otherwise both partners would start to feel deprived and it would fall apart.

Annette : I couldn't agree more. I think both emotional and physical connection needs to be involved for the relationship to work.

I do not think that it is legit. But if people like to be that way then by all means be that way but I just think that knowing them in real life is much better. Sometimes you forget they are people when it is online.

Well I personally think and feel that really for relationships to work, we need to have a head to head meeting.  Because you really do not know their actual intention and how serious or committed they are(can be pranksters/dangerous people).  Maybe it could work but I guess the probability is likely very less...Moreover I think people cannot use their emotions(what people feel when they meet in reality is not equivalent to online system ) in an online interaction, also we need an image at the back of our mind in order to visualize any relationship in view.

I personally see no reason an online relationship couldn't work as long as at some point the people involved could meet. I have been in a serious, committed online relationship for almost 9 months now. It is hard not being able to be together most of the time, but we have met in person and did plenty of things together. Even before I met her in person, I felt I really knew her, because we had spent (at the time) almost 8 months of talking on the phone, texting, messaging, ect pretty much all day every day. Yeah, like I said it gets hard at times not physically being together, but if you and the person truly love each other it can be made to work (visiting one another is an important part of making it work).

EDIT: sorry, the wireless net dropped and i accidentally double posted.

metal572 : Well I am happy to know that on rare occasions that online relationships can work. But I think a LOT of the majority end up being split up due to the distance. But I guess that's even true about face to face relationships if they end up moving apart from one another.



I just personally feel if I were to date someone, I would rather it be in person. But that's just me.

I don't put a whole lot of faith in online relationships. Unless you know the person face to face enough to gain real trust enough than I don't look to them.

I think that you really need to know them in person to date them. If you met them online but have met in real-life as well at least once, then I suppose that it is acceptable have an online relationship. I don't think that you can really have a real relationship though if you have never met the person in real-life and you only chat on the Internet. I would say that, If you cant meet them in real-life or if you just don't trust them enough to meet them in real-life, then you really should not be dating. Relationships are becoming looser and looser each generation sadly, but that's just how it is and if you can't come to terms with it, then you'll get left in the dust. But I don't think that purely online relationships will ever actually hold any real significance. This is all just my opinion of course.

I guess I'm the kind of person that has to have face to face contact with someone in order to know if I would even consider dating them. I'm not saying that online dating doesn't work for some people, just it's not for me personally.

metal572 : I am in a similar situation. I have been phoning, texting, skyping and IMing with a guy for about seven months now, talking every day. We are in an "online relationship", but what I prefer to call it is "long distance". We are planning to meet in two weeks. The meeting part is really important and if it couldn't happen then I wouldn't have taken it further.

Online dating, doesn't really work well. I've tried it, it lasted a week or so . The only real problem is that you probably will never be able to see that person in real life, and you are very likely to cheat on that person. --I never did--

I don't intend to date anyone online anymore...there's no real point in it .

Having zero dating experience but experience in love and online dating sites, I feel like it is much better to meet people in real life. It feels more natural, probably safer, and so forth.