My opinion on online dating.
Since the advent of computers that allow many of us access to the whole wide world (WWW), people have had many more opportunities than they normally would.
Aside from business, information, learning etc, people have the chance to meet others from far off lands, or even next door. We can talk to each other with ever growing ease regardless of the thousands of miles between us.
Many sites have popped up that bring many of us closer together. Friend sites, pen pal sites, dating sites, you name it. I looked for some pen pal sites a few years ago, but didn't really find what i was looking for. I decided to join some dating sites because it seemed that all the people were there. I didn't need, nor was afforded, the time for a date, especially from a long distance away. Now that I have had some experience with dating sites and their members, I also have an opinion.
I have heard many people say, mostly from reading forums, that it is dangerous to meet someone online and that there are many scams also. Well, here my take on the first point: it is dangerous.
It can be dangerous to walk in a thunderstorm. It can be dangerous to walk on a slippery surface. It can be dangerous to drink too much wine. So yes, it can be dangerous to meet someone in person from online. This is common sense. However, it has been my experience that:
EVERYONE that i have met in person has not been dangerous.
85 percent of these people became my friends.
I am a better person because of these people.
If you think about it a second you may realize that most people have e-mail. Many of these people also enjoy something that others enjoy also like, sports, reading, hiking, language study etc. If you are in an online club or forum because of these interests, does that make YOU a dangerous person? Well, you are exactly the possible dangerous person that others talk about! Great! Now you have found your first non-dangerous person-YOU. This is my first point of clarity.
Second point.
I have experienced meeting many new friends. I did meet the first 2 by myself, I felt comfortable, it was in my city, it was in a public place and I had alot of talk time with them first. And so on it went. Next time there were more people added to the 3 of us. Many different backgrounds and cultures and life experiences. We all clicked because we all fit into point number 1.
On the other hand, i have received the usual spam and scam messages and e-mails from the what seems like overabundance of fake profiles. We are lucky because we KNOW these profiles are fake and useless.
There are the ones (mostly males) who are pervs. They are easily brought forth as such. They usually give it away immidiately with their words. With just a bit of common sense, these pervs can be avoided as well.
So, all in all, i'm saying that online dating is pretty safe. Let's use common sense before we actually meet in real time. Ask another friend if that guy or girl is cool. Many members know each other in that country or city. Only meet them with other trusted people there also. Meet only in public places. Tell someone beforehand who, when, why, where and how you're meeting this or these people.
Let's let the cyberworld be to our advantage for many things, including dating.
Here is a list of some free dating sites that you might wish to check out.
I belong to the ones with asterisks so you can come and say hello :)
Melindaspenpals (Filipino based)* Thailandfriends (Thai based)* Craigslist singlesnet Matchdoctor eCRUSH
myspace* Friendster* hi5* tagged*