Dating in a Digital Age

Dating is a whole different ball game for singles than it was years ago; welcome dating in the digital age. Personally I have always been very leery of meeting someone online. I mean really what do you know about them? Also how do you know they are telling the truth? Which people can also lie to you in person..... But then I realized that even though you may meet someone online does not mean that you don't know them. I mean take Phoebe for example (sorry to use you Phoebe but your the one I talk to most!), I don't really know her but because I am an avid reader of her blog and her of mine I feel as if I know her. I guess you could say we are online friends. :) But how do you feel about meeting a potential love interest online?

I know it does work for people, take one of my favorite bloggers The Date Girl Diaries (if you've never read her blog check it out) she met her current boyfriend thru match.com. And one of my dear friends Punk-Rock-Chick met her boyfriend of now two years on myspace. So I guess it can work...... Maybe I'm old fashioned...... Or overly cautious..... but the thought of giving a complete stranger information about me kinda freaks me out. I mean I guess you could compare it to a blind date but with a blind date the person is in front of you. Online how do you know the picture you see is really the person your talking to?


Why the delima? Well I've been withholding information...... A few weeks ago I received a message and friend request from a guy on myspace. My profile is private and I normally only add someone as a friend if I know them. Well this guy's profile showed he was from a neighboring college town (one where Concious and Vixen went to school) and I thought that he was someone I had met thru them so I added him and I replied to the message. Well when I received the next message and got to looking at this guy's pictures I realized I did not know him...... so I didn't reply to the email. Well Wednesday I thought what the heck, what do I have to lose! So after some proding from Punk-Rock-Chick and Blondie, I replied. The emails have gone back and forth a few times just the getting to know you things.

The over-anyalizer in me though questions this new form of digital dating. And I admit I have reservations about it. Will I ever be willing to put my self out there, so to speak, and really take the chance of getting to know a complete stranger? Or am I to old fashioned for the digital age?

PHOEBE, "So how's your date with your cyberchick going. Ooh, hey, what is all that."
CHANDLER, "Oh, it's a website, it's the, uh, the Guggenheim Museum. See, she likes art, and I like funny words."
PHOEBE, "What does she mean by HH?"
CHANDLER, "It means we're holding hands."
PHOEBE, "Are you the cutest?"
CHANDLER, "I'm afraid I might just be."
PHOEBE, "You know, what I think is so great that you are totally into this person and yet for all you know she could be like 90 years old, or have two heads, or. It could be a guy."
CHANDLER, "Okay, it's not a guy, all right, I know her."
PHOEBE, "It could be like a big giant guy."

~ Friends ~