online dating?

[itsme2]

After a breakup with my last boyfriend of a few months (who has clearly moved on), I have decided it'll be time to put myself on the market soon.

My friend who set me up with the last one wanted to help me set up a profile online on a dating site. I have never tried this method of dating before and don't know what to think of it (I was set up with my last boyfriend because of our personalities, long term marriage, and dated couple of friends back in high school. Not much experience, lol. And no online experience)

Some people I know tell me this is the way to go because of matching personalities and having a better chance of finding love (One of them even met her husband that way). Others tell me I'd be nuts, and it could lead to meeting someone who's not what they say and extremely picky men that'll get bored, go online, and replace me.

Any advice on online dating from people who have actually done this? Including postitives and negatives with paid sites vs free sites (I'm not rich)

[Miss_winter]

The last 4 relationships I was in, started from an online dating sites. Respectively, they lasted for 3 years; 6 months; 2.5 years; and the last one 3.5 years. Was living together with the last two. I always use free sites. And I don't know whether I was just lucky, or online dating sites wasn't a bad idea after all. I personally choose to find love online because I don't have much time to go out and meet new people because of work. My advice is, try with the free sites first and see how it goes. Good luck.

[oldskool83]

I Have mixed feelings about it. online can lead to alot of burn out depening on the people but i will say the ones online want what they say they want, in person sumtimes people are unsure of their wants.

i havent use online as a tool to meet women since 2008. but its not somthing im ruling out either, just on fence about it right now.

[smackie9]

It's a hit or miss, there are no guarantees ever.

[Cerby]

I've had mixed success, my current relationship is from a free dating site and its going very well. I had paid for eharmony and it was a total bust, waste of 3 months.

Hits:
- Ability to meet a lot of people in a short period of time.
- You can customize what you're looking for
- Pick and choose who you meet and when

Misses:
- Lots of crazies, both male and female
- Can be frustrating at times

[oldskool83]

also there is the false advertistment...you see a photo and find out on your 1st date it was taken 5 years ago and they are 30lbs heavier, always a buzzkill.

[toshiba]

I met every women I have been with through online dating (except two, one was at school, the other was on vacation).

Eeharmony was a bust, the minimum mileage diameter is 30 miles, which suggested people from NYC, NJ, and CT (I live on Long Island... too far). The 6 or so people you get each day may be an advantage for men (women get a TON of emails daily on other sites) since you are limited to the number of people daily.

The questions and essays sucked, I learned NOTHING through them, only using them as a red flag watcher if anything came up, other than that the rest was garbage.

Match was my most successful, but it is a game of numbers. Again, women get dozens of emails a day (especially if you have good looking pics up... men are vultures), women have the pick-of-the litter and may eliminate people under a certain income level, etc.

I would sit down and fire off 20 emails and get maybe one reply back, every other reply may lead to a date. I gave up for a while, then someone emailed me, we have been dating for over a year, search for my other thread to see how that is going, lol. Not a fault of the dating site though.

Dating sites are the only way for me to go, I work from home and most of my friends are married (no single friends), not a fan of the bar scene.