I assume this is what she meant.

*smacks head* DUH! that's what I was thinking!


SO getting back on topic so the thread doesn't go into the Top Drawer and get eaten alive, then locked in a highly guarded security prison with Attack bears fully clothed in armor and armed with laserbeam guns…

When going through an online breakup how do you do it? Do you just email the person and then ignore them? what about when you are dumped online? does it hurt more or less then a real life break up? What are tips on getting over it?

My tip, Get as drunk as possible to knull some pain…kids stay in school and don't drink until your 21.

Wouldn't advise it. If the relationship is completely online, long distance, then that's just silly. If you are meeting people online and then dating in real life, then that's basically the same thing as the classified dating ads in the newspaper, which seems to attract married guys, people in jail, and crazy people. I'll take my chances in the real world.

Glarg
But the question is, Is Online dating a good thing?

It's a crapshoot.

Whats your opinion on it?

My opinion is negative. But I suck at it. The last time I tried it, I was lonely, living in Hong Kong, 3 thousand miles away from my closest friends. That's probably why I have such a bleak opinion of it.

Do they never workout?

Nah. They sometimes work out. About as much as any other method that I've seen.

Is it just a fad?

This is why I really responded. No, unfortunately, it's not a fad. It might have been labelled a fad 10 years ago. But it no longer is. When movies like “You've Got Mail” are now OLD movies, it's no longer a fad. Must Love Dogs … Because I Said So … movies like that are treating it like it's a normal thing. That means there's an audience that accepts it as normal. And you've got the eharmony and match.com ad campaigns. That legitimizes it in the public consciousness.

Do only NERDS do it because they cant get a girlfriend in reallife so they have to result to cyberspace?

We're well past the stage that only nerds hook up online. When Paris Hilton's blackberry is getting hacked … and when Lindsay Lohan is getting caught snorting coke in a bathroom having it posted on YOUTUBE … yeah, the online culture is definitely mainstream now. All that chatter … all that IMing and texting and PMing, etc, etc, etc. It's just part of how people interact now.

Is it a bit romantic that two lovers who never met eachoher in real life meet on the internet?

It can be. It can also be frustrating.

So, Long distance relationships, what are your views on them?

I'm still down on the whole thing. But Superchum, the Bastion of Brotherhood, and Friend to the Friendless has made me make this statement for him … “Making friends online is just as powerful a tool as meeting them face to face and shaking their hand! The Paths of Chumliness stretch in Cyberspace as well!”

What do I know? I'm just the cranky artist. Superchum's probably right. I'm probably wrong.

I've never had a Long-Distance relationship, but I have had some experience with meeting up through Online Dating. I think online is just another effective way to for people to find each other. It has it's strengths and weaknesses. it's easier to chat and share your thoughts, but harder to get an idea of the physical attractiveness. Pheromones matter!
My first serious boyfriend I met online. The hardest part was how he initially describe himself. He said he was black, short hair with a mustache, but that still leaves a lot leeway to the imagination. (this was before pics). When we met up, I was hoping for Denzil Washington, but I got a black version of Garrison Kellor.
Then, my second serious boyfriend, that I have been with for the last 13 years, we met in the traditional way. He picked me up at a bar beer bust.
So, whatever works.

I think there's two questions here: meeting people online and long distance dating.

Long distance dating sucks. It hardly ever works out and you just end up getting hurt by someone you're never around. I'm sure if you, gentle reader, are in this situation you are the exception. So don't fret.

Meeting people online is about the same as in real life, people craft some pretty nice personae that may or may not be even close to who they really are.

I suppose it might work for some people, there are all sorts of ways to meet others. Maybe going to a site solely dedicated to that purpose helps those with social anxiety disorders or whom don't really like the internet.

I had a very serious on-line relationship before I got married. It didn't work out (But, the sex was fantastic when we finally met.) My little brother just married some chick he met through some on-line game; So, it's possible. Love smacks you in the head at the oddest of moments. Just be open to it, but keep allllll your options open…seems silly to commit to someone who's not there. (Unless, you are already married or seriously dating and then they have to move, that I can understand.)

Everybody's gotta' love somebody.

I agree with MaritalBliss - Love is odd and does what it wants. But you have to be open to it.

I dated a guy online. Then we had a long distance relationship for a month or two. Then we seriously dated. And then we got married.

So I think it's just like all love - it depends on the relationship, the people and those people's ability to commit.

Although I missed the whole on-line dating trend, met my wife before it became more mainstream, I don't think it is a great way to find the love of your life. Love is based on chemistry. I don't necessarily mean physical or sexual chemistry, although that is part of the equation. When you meet the right person you just CLICK.

My friends who have done the on-line thing talk so much via e-mail and IM that the chemistry is artificial and somewhat forced. You know too much about the person that when you meet them in person so much of that wonderful discovery period is gone.

I am not saying it cannot work, surely it does, but I do not think it is nearly as effective as meeting someone in person.

maritalbliss
My little brother just married some chick he met through some on-line game;

If you don't mind me asking … which game?

I've played a lot of MMORPGs. And a friend of mine met his most recent girlfriend through one of them (city of heroes). So hearing about folks who met through games is kind of fascinating.