...on the Internet. It's rare to even get to know someone at all. Those brave souls who actually date, may eventually find love. This medium is tricky, made worse by all the saps that prey on you, or me. Nobody wants that. I can write to 10 or 12 people and not hear back from anyone, or maybe 1 or 2. That's a lot of hesitation. That's a lot of pre-judgement. You don't have to date a person, just because you respond in an email...and dating doesn't secure your man or your woman for marriage or wild magical love. It does take some reaching out, some effort, and some dissappointment. It does take courage and letting go of your fears.

You don't have to compromise on safety and be a victim, but you do have to take some baby steps forward. Seems there are those that dive in, and others that can't put a toe in the water. I think a lot of us would just like something more in-between, something that will lead to friendship, or even last, or could last, if we work on it.

What say ye "wordsmiths" and "hopeless romantics"????

I think we are one step away from "skype type" internet and dating, and when this happens a lot of the fear will be taken out of the equation.

Well you're eloquent at very least. If there are any smart women out there that read your post you may get a jingle;-)

Yes, ive always had a Crush on Mg1959 hes very handsome!

Am with you on that-he kinda looks like the old country gentleman......

Hoooooot!

But then,am a hopefully hopeless romantic!

Mmmmmm,i know what you mean!

But hey,a bit of patience and no fences,you'll find there are quite plenty of women on here.....
Otherwise,
Good luck to us all who trully do seek!

I am new to this.. I don't know if I would meet someone, right away, that I never met before. Maybe I read too many scary books?!
Although, I have been on 'pitbull' boards with people of the same interest and I have know many of them for 15 years, without meeting them in person.
my point is... for me, I have to get to know someone and run a backround check :o

Sorry you feel that way, but I can't afford to think like that about it. Without hope, there's nothing.

I wish I didn't think that way either... I don't have a problem finding a date. I have a problem with finding the RIGHT one.. all my men seem be losers..broke, in debt, drinks too much... am I looking in the wrong places? That's why I came on here..

Maybe I will take a chance. :)

I put my toe in the water, and met a few gentlemen in person off a secured Paid site. It worked out well, for some nice dates. They traveled here, so we communicated long and well, before any Meeting. I find some secured sites work better, than others on meeting trusted gentlemen.

The truth of the matter is that the bad have messed it up for the rest of us..the opportunity for liars to find people to lie to, and gameplayers to find people to play games on/with, have reduced this medium to near nothing as far as finding a real relationship. If you really stop to think about it, the internet is the perfect medium to allow the world population to connect and form the one unified voice of peace...but thanks to the diseased souls the opportunity is lost.."I'd like to teach the world to sing, in perfect harmony.." would have been possible and not just a song. I have learned that the "best of the best" people are "visible" even online, I am sure everyone knows what I mean, and thats all that I care to meet. If a "love" relationship comes from that then so be it, but knowing that I am not the only one who believes in goodness is enough for me today.

Sorry dear, that's just most men in general, they all follow the prefab stereotype of drinking and watching sports, and a portion of the ones that don't are gay or too broke to drink, lol.
I don't drink, but I'd be too broke to drink even if I did.

Imdwonb4u, well said!!

"You won't find love in the internet"

My answer to the above statement is "YES YOU WILL/CAN find love in due time"
Suppose our experiences are different. Some find love sooner when on others its a question of patience. I'm new in this site yet on my second day after i've joined I met a very special person. We connect & enjoy each others compony. We planning on meeting soon, so we can see how do we relate inperson. There won't be any fomuler or rule on our first date, the only rule that we've both decided to compile with is BEING OUR SELVES in all possible ways & let the conversation lead us. (when we don't even know what we gonna be talking about)

Love can be found online, the only thing I believe we should be concerned about its safety, since the names are not real, information provided could not be real & even the photos are not real.

One more thing I think we should be concerned about is finding ways of sustaining a long distance relationship without misunderstanding one onother during chatt conversations, cause relating online is far different from relating inperson. When talking inperson there's a lot to take from my body language, when online I may alway wonder how well you mean what you're saying, how's your facial expression in what is being said. There's more to be coutious of when chatting online.

Those are some AWESOME words my brother !
So wise and true
But take heart and don't give up !
Because LOVE and goodness DO exist ...
Be Blessed folks !
Be Loved...

KiK

A great OP!...Because I am both a wordsmith and a hopeless romantic, I got hung up on the word rare ...How well you get to know someone via internet communication depends on your primary reason for joining a "social networking" site and your willingness to communicate honestly...If you are here to find love, you must realize that every member is not here for that reason...People join for a myriad of reasons, finding love is just one of them...So when you send 10 or 12 emails and you get a 10% return on your investment your are actually garnering a good response...Also, of those not responding, all are not avoiding you because they are prejudging you or your motives...By not responding, they are responding "non" interest...If you stop and consider that for a moment you might conclude, as I did when I first joined, that no response is a pretty good way to receive a "no thanks"....You might consider it a blessing in disguise that has the potential to save you a lot of aggravation and wasted time....At the very least, consider it a perfect example of the type of person you are not looking for and move on...If you really want to find love and make friends, the internet is an excellent venue...Welcome to the fabulous Mingle forum community, the best place to begin your search!

I think it's probably best to keep the expectation level at 50/50. Promising yourself things before they happen was never going to be a good thing. A bit like celebrating christmas day, when christmas day hasn't really arrived yet. lol

Sounds an awful lot like dating, period...Online or real life it isn't much different and you're just trying to convince yourself otherwise if you don't agree, honestly. You put in work, kind of like asking for a number at the bar or whatever, once in awhile they don't respond...Arguably the same can be said if you don't get the number at the bar.

Internet or real life...Love is nothing more than an illusion. But in terms of how you lot view it, it isn't much different between the mediums.

Kinda like the Lottery, ya gotta be in it to win it.
(Redneck Wisdom)

lol...you are so right!!