relationship,” Saint-Elie says. Although Saint-Elie’s online courtship was one of the best experiences of her life, she acknowledges that there is a certain amount of danger when it comes to Internet relationships. “People sometimes have an Internet persona that is totally different from their real one,” Saint-Elie says. “You might not really know the person you’re talking to.” For these reasons, Jessica Williams, 26, a counseling and educational psychology major at the University of Western Georgia was initially wary of starting a relationship with a guy she me on Twitter. “I was worried about [starting a relationship] with him because it’s hard enough to date normally and now I have distance and the online thing working against me,” said Williams in reference to her long-distance relationship with her current boyfriend, Deeds, whom she’s been dating since August 2009. Williams says that the biggest disadvantage to online dating is the lack of reli-
sion if I want to date them,” said Marilu. “Plus, there’s so much room for lying and dishonesty.” In regards to lying, Foley argues, “There will always be people who are dishonest no matter where or how you find them.” Still, others like Zoë Blue, 30, who has had nothing but positive experiences with online dating, but has chosen to date in person rather than online. Blue, who maintains www.winkwinkwink.wordpress.com, a blog about her dating experiences both on-screen and off-screen, tried online dating for three months, but stopped because she was having difficulty balancing her work life and online-dating life. While Blue enjoyed the distance element of online dating, like not being “muddied by physical attraction,” she also missed those intangible elements of dating that can only be experienced in person, like “the way his hair smells or the crooked way he smiles.”
“In person it’s a bit harder to hide [the truth] because you can see them, hear them, drink them in nonverbally. Online you have to accept what they give you.” – jessica williams
Dating Veterans Zoe Blue Favorite Dating Sites: Match.com and Chemistry. com Favorite Free Dating Site: OkCupid.com Do: “Have fun; expect your date to be dating others.” Don’t: Stalk his profile, lie; date more than one person at a time. It will likely lead to heartbreak. For more online dating tips, visit FreeOnlineDatingTips.net or AskMarsVenus.com.
ability and the lying that can sometimes occur. “They get to paint their own picture of themselves online,” Williams says. In person it’s a bit harder to hide [the truth] because you can see them, hear them, drink them in nonverbally. Online you have to accept what they give you.” It’s this disconnection and vulnerability for deception that turns many people off to online-dating services. Marilu P., 25, a student at River Valley Community College in Claremont, NH tried online dating for a brief time, but ultimately found it to be more of a bother than it was worth. “With online dating, I felt like I could never really get to know a person through words and pictures, let alone make a deci-
While Blue admits she enjoys meeting potential dates organically rather than digitally, she isn’t ruling out online dating for the future. “I am not opposed to resuming online dating, but at this point, I am relishing dating beyond my profile,” Blue says. Whether you decide to date online, offline, or not at all, both Blue and others stress the importance of having fun and keeping an open mind. Only then will you be able to have your fairy tale ending and the prince of your dreams, whether your romantic trappings are a glass slipper, computer or bar. “Don’t focus on finding a relationship or marriage; focus on building a friendship with a man who intrigues you,” Blue says. ■