Internet Relationships

Really Nice
=P

I hope folks heed the advice here. I did not...and ended up on dates with more than a few homeless people and two bona fide alcoholics. I suggest meeting potential dates at bars. You are less likely to get stuck with a drunk that way.

\"There have been stories where people have been killed or they children killed by someone they met on-line. I do not mean to scare or alarm anyone: these are factual accountings!\"

Yes, there are indeed factual accounts of such happenings. However, don\'t forget that there are INFINITELY more examples of this happening between people who meet in the \'real world\'... I\'m not suggesting it isn\'t risky meeting people who you\'ve only spoken to over the internet. I for one know of far many more of my, particularly female, friends who have been abused by someone they\'ve met at a bar or club and gone home with, or built a relationship with only to find some time later that the person they thought they knew had been deceiving them all along....maybe had a wife and kids, etc?

\"In summary, ask yourself why you have to seek a relationship on-line rather than in person. Ask friends to introduce you to people they know; join organizations, talk to people at the health club; simply be more friendly if you want to meet friends.\"

There are many people to whom \'just simply being more friendly\', especially when it comes to interacting with new people, is a very difficult thing to do. People who are very nervous, shy or wary of new people. Can feel under pressure when faced with the task of meeting and greeting new people, becoming embarrassed, ackward, blushing or sweating with nerves, especially if its someone they find attractive. Generally, they find it difficult to \'just be themselves\'.

With internet relationships, emailing, etc, it adds a certain initial anonymity, and you have much more time to think of what you\'re saying as opposed to stammering and blushing and generally projecting a bad first impression - which can, and often does, last.

Tragic things have happened in these situations, granted, but its a medium still in its infancy, and people tend to be wary and suspicious of change.....however, change can often be very good. I personally have tired of trying to meet people in such superficial settings of bars, or night classes or through work. This suits the more outgoing among us, who don\'t feel much social anxiety, and will happily chat to most. But for myself, even friendships take a LONG time to build in these type of environments - but eventually develop strongly and tend to last.

I have always found that getting to know people through email first allows me to become much more confident and assured with them when it comes to actually meeting...as opposed to giving the general first impression of a nice but painfully shy \'friend-material\' type.

Basically, as with all traditional ways of meeting people, there are risks, but also easy ways to avoid misleading individuals or dangerous situations by being careful, and not misleading yourself by ignoring incongruant information you receive from potential matches.