How Technology Changed Online Dating
Author: Brian May

Technology changes and sometimes it is not just a specialized
group that benefits from it. Some technologies literally change
the society, which develops them. The internet is one such
technology. While more of a platform rather than a technology,
nevertheless, the Internet today has become the carrier for
various social customs including dating.

There are millions of individuals in America alone that are
resorting to online dating services to find their ideal match.
Online dating is ideal for the bold and the timid alike because
all it involves in creating a profile online that can be viewed
by anyone of the opposite sex while at the same time being able
to search for profiles based on very specific criteria,
permitting a kind of narrowing down of choices that is
impossible in real life.

The beauty of online dating is that it does not matter what you
are looking for in particular. It could be just someone you want
to be friends with, or maybe you are looking for a long term
(life long in fact) relationship with someone, whatever you
requirement, online dating has become the popular way for
people who prefer to solve their real life problems through
virtual solutions. There are obvious benefits to online dating
that have made it so popular today. For starters, it is
completely free and you do not have to pay a dime to meet new
people.

If you are into Internet dating then you should definitely sign
up with an online dating service because this is the cheapest
way to explore your chances of meeting someone who has the
highest compatibility with you. Some online dating services
make it their mission to help people meet no one else but women
from all walks of life. The good part is that their online
profile creation system works through matching your profile
with other female members and profile matches are already made
to work in a way that focus on greater compatibility than
anything else.

Online dating is different in that in real life dates the first
thing that impresses people are looks but in online dating it is
more about thoughts, ideas, and concepts on which people run
their lives. This permits couples to evaluate each other on
more than mere physical characteristics that may or may not
change over time, but rather by focusing more on the other
person's outlook and attitude. In short, the things that really
matter in the long run are forced into perspective at the very
beginning. For this reason, online dating is a much better
option and, at the same time, a very frustrating one because
there are very few assumptions on which a relationship can be
taken forward. It has become almost customary for people to
evaluate each other before meeting rather than meeting and then
trying to figure out their compatibility.

One of the biggest disadvantages of online dating is the
inability to convey emotions properly and adequately. Since
most communication takes place through the keyboard with very
little vocal intonation and almost no facial expression it can
lead to misunderstandings. While there have been some carry-ons
from the early days of the Internet in the shape of emoticons
(those faces that you see in instant messaging software like
MSN Messenger, Yahoo, ICQ etc.), even they are limited in their
scope. To counter this problem, some online dating services are
including voice chat instead of text chat, so that Internet
chatting can be as familiar as chatting over the telephone.
Some premium online dating services even offer video chatting
so that you can finally see the other person during live chat.
A webcam is required in order to avail this facility. It is
only fair that you let yourself be seen on video if you wish to
see others.

However, despite some obvious disadvantages, the fact remains
that online dating has made it possible for millions of people
to get in touch with an even number of the opposite sex in
order to find out their version of the ideal partner and minor
quibbles should be used to negate the benefits.

Online dating can be a very fun experience full of adventure
and high spirits when it is done right. The important thing is
to keep in mind that even if you do not find your ideal mate,
you can still make a lot of good friends through online dating.


About The Author: Brian Keith May writes articles on many
topics including Online dating, relationships, singles and
online dating. You can see more of his work at two of his
sites: http://www.openentrance.com or
http://openentrance.blogspot.com