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Finding Love On-line

© Michele KayD

Can people meet, fall in love, build and nurture a relationship without even meeting? Twenty years ago such a question would earn a definite, "Get real!" response (and probably some seriously bizarre looks). Today, however, with the emergence of the Internet into all walks of life, it's not only highly possible, but it's actually becoming a common reality. There are many pros and cons, and lots of debate surrounding the issue of net romance. With proper precautions and a mature approach, however, love can truly blossom over computer screens.

It's wise to get a solid education on Net-relations before tackling this still-delicate topic. In fact, completing a course in Cyber Romance 101 should be a mandatory prerequisite for anyone on the verge of falling for someone over the Web. Author/on-line-romance expert, Lorilyn Bailey, addresses such concerns as: whether searching for relationships on-line is dangerous, if it's possible for people to meet their soulmates over the Internet, and what questions should be discussed between potential virtual couples. For those in such a state, Ms. Bailey's Little Book of Online Romance: How to Find it, How to Keep it provides helpful tips for top on-line matchmaking services, money-saving secrets, pointers for the first meeting, success stories, dictionary of Internet lingo, explanations of Cyberfatuation verses love, suggestions for maintaining long-distance love, and lists of romantic web sites.

An on-going discussion forum, generated by belief and disbelief in the phenomenon of love found on-line, produced some interesting replies. Here are a few I personally resonate with:

"The computer is simply the medium by which two people can have a loving relationship . . . . To me, the main difference between meeting someone on-line and meeting him in person is that you don't know what he looks like, and therefore base your opinion solely on the merit of his personality. I think that it's the purest way to meet someone: soul to soul . . . you take the same emotional chances on-line as you do in person . . . . The other part of love is trust."

"In bygone times people wrote to one another and many loves and lives were touched through the use of language. Case in point Elizabeth Barret Browning and her husband Robert Browning. These two lovers and poets of renown knew each other through the written word and in subsequent meetings came to love one another . . . . Coming to know someone on-line through their thoughts and feelings is far more enriching than the facade that we often put on to hide our inner most fears. Sometimes a face-to-face meeting produces love and sometimes it doesn't. If you don't put expectations on any meeting then you might just find love waiting within the email."

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