Is Mr Right Online? Modern Dating

So, what are the chances of finding Mr. Right online? Slim to none you may say. But hold on, hold on! Don't be quick to write this online dating thing off, sister...

The odds of uncovering some fantastic guys at an online dating site are, I think, a lot better than most people think. You'd have to be living under a rock not to have noticed the explosion of online dating sites over the last... oh, 10 years, I guess, right?

Your mum probably told you, too, that "You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find a prince" but hey, why waste your valuable time and efforts kissing frogs when you can sit at home in your jammies with a mudpack on working its magic and zip through the profiles of eligible hunks? (Okay, not all of 'em are hunks, sure, but you know what I'm saying!)

A lot less frog-kissing has gotta make every girl happy, eh?

If you're single and you haven't yet given online dating sites a whirl (for whatever reason), here are few points worth considering, I think:

1. Range

There is a much, much wider range of potential Mr Rights at any given dating site than in our regular social circles and work connections. Traditionally, a very high percentage of people (I can't remember the statistic I once heard, but it was pretty stark) meet their spouse through work or friends.

Seems logical, doesn't it?

But it's also kinda limiting. Which is, I guess, one of the reasons we do social activities. Apart from actually enjoying racketball, for example, we get to meet new people that we might not otherwise have had to opportunity to.

Well, the way I see online dating sites is just like that: They're just another avenue for people to meet other people they'd otherwise never have the opportunity to meet.

2. Lots of info up-front

Okay, okay, a man could always lie in his profile and tell you he's single when in fact he's married. Sure. But how's that different to meeting someone at a bar? It is different to meeting someone through work or friends because you can verify facts like that. But as far as I'm concerned, it's no different to meeting someone through the racketball club or on a bus or at a bar.

Anyway, the point I wanted to make here was that you can get a lot of info about a potential date from their profile and then if you contact him, you can email a little bit and learn more. (Note: Always, always, always use the site's internal messaging system, though, for your safety!)

3. You have "thinking time"

What I mean by this is that if you're even a little bit shy or you're more reserved and like to consider your words before you speak, then you have the freedom to do that online. You needn't feel the pressure of sitting face-to-face and getting all tongue-tied!

You can present yourself in your best light. Obviously I'm not saying to lie or the misrepresent yourself. I mean, how would you feel if a guy told you he was single, you met up, and he got a call from his wife midway through the meal or drink?

What I mean is that you have to time to think carefully about what you write in your profile, thereby putting your best foot forward.

4. Time (and frog) saver

As noted already, online dating saves you from the unpleasant advice our mothers gave us about smooching amphibians. But mostly it just saves us time!

You can check out 50 guys' profiles in a single evening and organise dates for the coming three weeks with the ones that look promising.

You'll still end up kissing some frogs when you meet in the real world, of course, but a whole lot less of 'em! If you're single and you haven't checked out any online dating sites, I encourage you to do so. Be safe, safe, safe, of course.

No longer do you have to confine yourself to the guys you meet essentially by chance. Get out there and make it happen!