So please forgive my lack of a post count (I was bored waiting for a game to patch). Anyways, in my personal experience, I have met several people from dating sites and most of them were OK for what I was looking for. TBH I was just looking to hook up with someone for the 'benefits'. However, I met my now fiancee through real life connections (I was at work and she was visiting her friend, the neighbor to where I was working).

I commented to her friend that she was good-looking, and the neighbor put in a good word for me. Ironically it is one of the very few women I did not meet through dating sites, and we are still together after seven years.

Online dating is an individual experience; nobody can tell you what you're going to run in to until you try it. Just be careful if it is your first time and make sure you both agree to meet in a public place where there is plenty of surveillance and witnesses (in the worst case scenario is that the person you met is a psycho)

Ok for anyone who gets offended easily then sorry ahead of time I will try not to offend. I am for online dating because it is just another way to meet that special someone you want or for just a booty call. It's easier than going to a bunch of different places looking and way more variety to choose from. As long as you don't go into it expecting everything to be perfect ( because at least half the time you will be disappointed ) then it is a good way to go. I've seen the horror stories, the what the hell were you thinking ones, the fairy tale endings, etc... You wanted a personal opinion tho and I said I am for it because after a quite a few failed attempts I myself found my wife through online dating. We talked to each other for months before we actually met and started officially dating. Then a couple of years after that I moved over a thousand miles ( 15 hours or so ) away from my family and everything I knew to go be with her. Two years after that we got married. Have been married for 10+ years now and never regret it one bit. Plus I would also do it again in a heartbeat. So yeah go for it if that is what you plan on doing. Good luck. :O)

iiGrinchii :

Real life dating is more effective; people tend to fantasize more online and develop unrealistic expectations about the person. Some people are paranoid about stalkers but paranoia's never a good mindset.

I'd never use online dating to meet someone who lives in another state or country. But it's a nice way to network with other singles in your area, especially if you live in a smaller town without a lot of bars or other places for singles to meet up. I'd also never use online dating exclusively - if you do you'll develop a lack of confidence and be afraid of meeting someone face-to-face.

@ Ace102 Ok I take exception to your comment there Ace. Don't go with real life dating as if dating online is not actual dating. I know you saw my story and I'm happy to say it worked out great. Looking online is the same as looking anywhere else you could go to pick up someone. The only difference being that you are not right there face to face to begin with. It's no better or no worse than going out in person and looking for someone. It's all in the mindset you go into it with and going into it as oh this is online ... it's not the same. Whoever it is is just setting themselves up to fail from the get go. Majority of people use online dating because their lives are too busy or hectic to go out and look for themselves. Like I said there is no real distinction between offline and online dating. You still got to work at it and hope that person is the one for you. 

I don't see any problem. I even find it better since you can find people matching your interests more easily. Of course, there are scammers everywhere, but sometimes reputation precedes them.

I've never tried it, but I would certainly use it.

Online dating ends up bad. Always. No matter what. My first online relationship was with a 19 year old about 11 months ago? I dunno. I was 15, he was 19, and it didn't end well at all.
And I've always had a crush on this kid who didn't have any real feelings for me back via the onlines. 
My recommendation is to not get yourself involved with this type of stuff. Only commit to a person that you can see face to face

Honestly, I don't see online dating ever working for me. If I'm going to date someone, I'd need to do it face to face. Not from the internet.

I do not recommend online dating. It is far to easy to fall in love with the idea of someone rather than the real them. If you don't see them face to face, don't interact with them in person and learn what they are like in the "real world", then you have no basis for trust in the relationship.

I was in an online/phone/cam relationship for two years, from age 14-16. I was head over heels for this person, and we always talked about plans to meet up after high school, how much we were in love, and how long we would last. Well, it did last pretty long. But it was only after he dumped me to get with a girl in his own hometown and showed me his true colors that I realized I wasn't in love with the real him. I was in love with the version of him I fantasized about in my head because I had nothing real to fill the space with. Point is, strictly online relationships are dangerous ground. You never really know what you're getting into, and the temptation to cheat and mess around can be really great for either party, since there is no physical interaction to be had. Even if you yourself are really loyal and dedicated to making it work, there's just a huge chance that things will end up badly in one way or another. That's my two cents.

I'm actually for it. I had met my first serious boyfriend on the Internet. We had started out as friends, talk to each other each day, and about two years later, I met him in person because it turned out he was going to the same school that I had gotten transferred to since me and my family had moved. We had resumed things, and once we knew it, we fell in love and gotten into a relationship. We had been together for a year, but things ended when he had cheated on me. But, as time passed, I gotten better. But anyways, if you want an online relationship, I say go for it.

First, I will a few things clear. 

The world has changed a lot. Some people practically live online, their activities, their shopping, their socializing, is all online. It would make sense to me that suck people could use online dating to... date online. 

But do I really think it's "healthy". Not really. Sure if you will live and die online, I guess dating online is only normal, but I don't think it IS a good idea to live online. Usually, at some point in your life, having a "real" life will be needed. Or what if one day something happens that you no longer can use as much of the internet than you  thought? Not to mention the effects having little REAL contact can have on your mental health. 

So, in general, I think it's a good idea to live at least a little in the real world, and if you are living in the real world, do real dating. 

I'm highly against it. Mainly because you never know who you could actually be talking with.

I personally have no problem with it. But I will say it's easier than ever for a sex offender to get their victims now. I'm sure a lot of dating sites have taken precautions to prevent this, but I still say to be safe. In terms of stories.....Um.....I'm 13....So I have no experience with dating.

I personally think the whole entire online dating mess isn't really much of a good idea, because the reason why is just like a couple of users said on here. You could be chatting with a hot female, but in reality, that person could be a big, fat, disgusting, male slob, and how weird does that sound, but hey, that is the internet for you.

If you really want to have a date, just go find someone irl and see the perfect person you want to be with, unless you want to live a wonderful life of being single just like me.

People makes up weird things online like you don't even want to know about, that is why dating sites sucks and forever will suck.

I'm old school. I believe more in the going out and finding a guy/girl you like by staying active and doing activities that you enjoy. It's always easier to find a nice GF/BF through friends, or at events for things that you like to do.

I guess I'm old fashioned that way. Seems like its easier to put up a front online than it is in person. I've never been the type to want to meet girls at the bar for meaningful relationships, so I kinda view Online dating in the same light.

Online dating is just another medium that appeared with the advancement of technology. It is easier this way so why not take advantage? That being said, I am against it. 

I have a personal story of my gf who went thru it before but I'll skip the drama and get to the point. 

A. Long distance means no physical activities. You cannot embrace your webcame nor make out with it to do the same with your partner. It just doesn't work.
B. Trust issues. I don't think I need to explain anymore here.
C. Communication is always an issue especially if the time zones are far apart. Also, this ties into trust. The second part of communication is more on the side of our downward trend in communication skills as technology progresses. For example, I'd rather hear my sister text me than talk to me now even if it isn't during a meeting but on my free time. How wrong is that? Online dating takes out the personal connection of being face to face. Webcams ARE NOT face to face. Reason is you are limited on what someone can do with you as opposed as when they are right next to you. Again, you cannot cutely, romantically put a strawberry into your gf's mouth using the webcam. 
D. The effort. Now this one is open ended because if you are willing to waste all that time and energy, who is to say it is wrong for you? As for myself, it is so much easier to go walk into Target, look for a cute chick and start opening and leading her. Online requires me to stress, trust, wonder, question, want to feel, etc. I can bypass that by having a relationship within 20 miles of my place of residence. I can even use my feet to wake her up and then troll her by putting double sided tape on the toilet seat. How awesome is that?

I am pretty negative about this as anyone can see but I have even more reasons than this. The one really good thing I know about online relationships is that usually, it is cheaper to maintain (no expensive dinners geez) and it can be easier (or harder actually) if you do not have a lot of time to go out and spend an hour meeting people every so often. Actually if you are that busy and have so little time for yourself, I recommend an adjustment in your obligations so you can be happier. Life is too short. If you are in high school there is no reason to just go and get rejected 9999 times before finding success. It is normal. One who fears rejection does not have enough going on in his/her life. If you are afraid of that 9 saying no to you because you think you're a 7.5, then just think of the poor kids in nairobi or bangladesh who asks for new shoes and gets a fat NO. Boy we got it good to be thinking of first world problems like this.

And yes I am in a relationship that is not long distance. She is about 5 inches from my elbow, snoring. I guess if you're in a long distance relationship you wouldn't have to hear your gf fart, snore, or s***. Or drool all over your pillow lol. 

I have to agree with Titanium Oxide. Internet dating is very iffy at best,and a freaking nightmare at most. I am against it for all kinds of reasons,but at TO said,how can you be close to a few words or a webcam? It is about trust and letting down your guard. That cute chick you are talking to on your IM might be a creep,person of the same gender,(unless you are into that sort of thing,then more power to you.),a catfish or all of the above.

I can't judge anyone else with how they find people as long as they're happy and the relationship works.

Online dating seems to be like any other way to meet people.  You figure out your tastes and preferences, you see if you match with someone, and if it works, you go out and meet them in real life and go from there.  That's viable and it's similar to going to a volunteer group, meeting people at a church or religious place, or going to the bar.

It goes as well as real life dating does and it can go as wrong as real life dating does.

I have a good friend from high school who met a girl on Hot or Not, they started dating, and years later they're happily married with a pair of kids.  It worked for them.

TitaniumOxide : "Trust issues, I don't think I need to explain any more here"

What are the trust issues that are different from online dating vs. real life dating?

I want to repost and say something different here as I know I have posted in this thread before. It actually depends. Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't. It only works for people who are mostly at home, and not being able to have social interactions with people in the outside world for reasons. But for those who are really social out there is no need for them to do this. You have to be careful if you do online dating though. I have seen on news that girls get raped because the person whom they are tend to date online are not who they appear to be. Reason why I don't go to online dating stuff whatsoever, and don't trust those sites. I wouldn't want that. And I am sure stuff like that still happens today. It makes me shiver to think of the thought of getting raped by some older person who is ugly....

It's easy to fake who you are online. But there are a few spots where people are genuine. In my opinion, I'm for it. As long as both people in the relationship are fine with it; I don't see a problem. It's just a different way of doing things. I know of people it's worked for.

I may be biased though. I am not the most social person. But everyone I know in real life is, well, unpleasant, to say the least. Although from what I hear, most "dating sites" aren't great either...Good thing I am not looking. I'd be doomed either way!