Recently I've had a really good friend meeting people through the internet and going on dates. I've also known people that have met and actually gotten married after meeting in a forum not very different from this one. But these days there are all kinds of dating services and whatnot on the web.

Honestly, it's a little scary to me. I worry about my friend getting hurt or worse. I understand that it's her life and she needs to make her own decisions and there have been happy outcomes. I'm just not sure about the whole idea of meeting someone online.

What do you guys think?

If i was in your situation, i would first warn and then sit back and see what happens. if successful, you get to go to their wedding. if not, well there'll be a 4 hour phone call.

other then that, personally i would never do such a thing. it's just against all nature causes. i prefer the old fashion way of actually getting to know one another personally face to face.

Honestly, it's a little scary to me. I worry about my friend getting hurt or worse. I understand that it's her life and she needs to make her own decisions and there have been happy outcomes. I'm just not sure about the whole idea of meeting someone online

Well that's normal for a friend to act this way in a situation like this. That's how my friends where also when they found out that I had an online relationship.

So I basicly have nothing agianst it. I do however will say that you should def learn and trust that preson frist. I have acouple of online friends that I love just as much as the friends I have here. But you never know that person that your friends with can be her true love then marriage so on and so forth. So just support her through it. Be by her side and if she needs help or someone to talk to then be that preson.

Online dating... i'm not really into it but i also have nothing against it. though this is nice, there are also risks. for one, the person may not have commitment and for most men(i can say this because of some of my friends) only look for sex friends so you ladies have to be careful with the guys... or at least some of them. but i also have a friend who met his girlfriend via chat... and they are getting married next few months :) nice happy ending, i'd say...

I don't see the problem with meeting people online. It's not that different from meeting people face to face. The only real difference is that you don't know what the other person looks like (unless you've both got webcams), and this can actually work to your advantage, as more focus is put on the personality rather than looks, thus allowing you to meet people you'd otherwise not bother to get to know. Although you need to be rather openminded, and not too picky about looks. It also requires that you're both honest (but this doesn't just apply to the Internet).

Regarding meeting "bad" people, common sense still applies. As long as you can establish trust and make sure that they are who they say they are before meeting them for the first time, you're probably better off than meeting some random guy at a club. The only thing the Internet does is making it easier to lie about who you are. As long as you can work around that, there's no real different from it and meeting someone face to face.

Online dating is ok for me, but to get in love over the internett is yust stupid. For me to get in love means to Look at here eyes, see here in real life, get fysical contact. Not look at a picture or webcam. And if i was a girl i would be careful, there is to much assholes out there :(
But to have some nice conversations and say some nice words to each other is yust fine

First impressions on these webdating services for me is that they are crap fake and useless. I felt that people should meet eachother through interactions of daily life. But now I feel that it could be a good thing because it is a method to meeting your potential mate. The thing is that you realize nothing is definite in this world and you have to take it as it is sometimes. As far as judging others for using these services I feel that is not necessary. If you get some you get some ;) anyway thats what I think. Laterz!

I understand the stigma (as I also have it) against online dating, but really it's no different than personal ad's or being set-up on the "blind" date by friends. There are plenty of people in history that knew each other only through correspondence, and through that the desire to actually meet that person came through. The only real problem I've ever had is that a lot of unsavory types will use the annonimity to their advantage and try to take advantage of someone who is geniunely lonely and looking for a meaningful connection. For many people it's very hard to form meaningful connections through meeting people at night-clubs or bars, as they're not interested in the sort of people who frequent these places.
The fact that they want to meet only a certain kind of person isn't exactly anti-social, just means their picky...but of course it's always best to be cautious.

Online dating is ok for me, but to get in love over the internett is yust stupid.

How so?

For me to get in love means to Look at here eyes, see here in real life, get fysical contact. Not look at a picture or webcam.

I guess that's a matter of preference. Personally, as far as love is concerned, physical appearence doesn't mean a thing.

And if i was a girl i would be careful, there is to much assholes out there :(
But to have some nice conversations and say some nice words to each other is yust fine

Yeah, the same goes for "real life", although I forgot to mention that... I'd stay away from dating services. You'll probably have more of a chance to meet someone if you hang around in communities like this one (where people gather because they share an interest).

AirBorn - You know a lot more abaout a person by meeting that person, and you learn a lot more, seriously.
Feeling love over internett is yust not right, be in love with a picture. But ofcourse you can meen a different thing, but thats not real love for me. i NEED to see that person in real life, se how she acts when she meet me in real. A person can be much different over internett than in real life.

Well I think that the online dating thing is inenvitable as society progresses more and more and more people end up behind a screen. Either ways, most people won't like the idea of meeting new people on the street but instead through acquaintances instead. So I believe the internet thing does help bring people closer together. However, as some have mentioned, the lack of physical contact does bring a few key interest points: can you really love someone you've never seen, and if it indeed is, when you finally meet, and he/she is butt ugly then er...what would you do then? I know personality is key, but natural instincts do hone in on the physical aspects as an initial go-getter no? hmmph. Well I guess it all goes down to fate anyway. Or luck.

Online dating? I think its stupid. Who needs love anyways?

Heh i have done it... many times... really it can still affect somone the same as a distanced relationship... can be depressing but not depressing... heh idk exactly... i mean i have had anything from girls that said they were 13 but really 18... girls that were pretending to be single but actually have sexual active boyfriends... girls that lie about apperance and how many friends they have... and also girls that tell the truth...
i have also run RP rooms (roplaying) rooms on yahoo, back before they took away user rooms... and it was one of the most popular rooms... named Anime Roleplaying Room ... we had at least 40 people a day 30 being girls... and going all out to the little ammount of guys there... with the guys just acting cocky and godlike, but beside the point.. yahoo is filled with ... "slutty" typed girls... all over the room... trying to get budy budy with every guy in there... i had to start limiting the sex scenes... and other erotic things... so many manwhores too... *sigh*
but overall the online dating community isnt that bad... if you are close in ohter ways than online... because if its just online its prity jmuch like a penpal... whitch could work... just... idk meet someday... ROFL...

or something like that...
i have an online girlfriend... welll distanced... i talk to her online a lot... but yeh... i love her... ^_-

It seems to work for some people, but honestly the whole idea of it feels skewed to me. Dating is the kind of practice that really requires face-to-face, one-on-one meetings and conversations. Through these meetings, one can get to know the person both by what he or she says, but also by their gestures, their preferences, and all those other unsaid little things that occur or are done during dates. Something about anonymity and chatting steals that away.

AirBorn - You know a lot more abaout a person by meeting that person, and you learn a lot more, seriously.

The Internet offers limited communication, so it's quite obvious that meeting someone face to face will give you more impressions, for better or worse.

Feeling love over internett is yust not right, be in love with a picture.

Actually, I would prefer to not know what a person looks like before I get to know them. That's the whole benefit of meeting people online; Assuming they're honest and don't lie about themselves, you get to know a person for who they are, and not how they look. Appearances can be deceiving.

But ofcourse you can meen a different thing, but thats not real love for me. i NEED to see that person in real life, se how she acts when she meet me in real. A person can be much different over internett than in real life.

That is true. However, given that you're both honest and not trying to be someone else, the way you act online and offline should be fairly similar.

Of course, online dating should end up in an offline relationship. As I mentioned above, the added bonus of meeting someone online is that you get to know the person before you get to judge them by their looks, which theoretically increases the chances of a successful relationship.