With an article title like this, one might assume that I am ready to tell you some extraordinary news about a new dating environment. Sure, the Internet has introduced one more way for people to meet, but does that actually change the dating scene?



Interestingly, a friend of mine met his current wife online, but not from across country, rather from across town. The two of them lived just five miles apart. Jokingly, we have talked about it from the standpoint of "you could have met, if only you had been willing to get out more." But it was not that easy. Sure, in theory they probably could have met when they were out and running around, but if you talk to both and ask them the places they go and the people they know, the chances of actually having met were entirely unlikely.



He is a Baptist and she is a Catholic. He is a blue-collar worker, and she works for a dentists' office. He goes to football games and hangs with his friends, and she used to go to the bar with the girls. Although they both lived in the same small town and graduated from the same high school, none of his friends had ever met her, and none of her friends had ever met him or his friends.



The two of them were so close, and yet so far apart from one another.



The Internet was instrumental in bringing the two together. They were introduced to one another through their respective personal profiles on dating websites. After a couple of exchanged emails, they turned first to Yahoo Chat, and then they orchestrated a personal meet for dinner at a local restaurant. I guess you can say the rest is history.



After a nine-month courtship, the two were married, and they have been married now for two years.



Lessons To Be Learned



Ah yes, I am one of the guys who write about online dating. So, I got the idea to start asking questions. I wanted to know what if anything could have impacted this hookup in a negative way. Now and again, I will ask a question and wish later that I had just kept my mouth shut. In a way, this was one of those situations, and you will see why in a minute.



Both indicated that a picture on a profile is absolutely essential. Neither was willing to talk to anyone who hid behind a computer on the Internet. Had either one not included a picture, neither would have responded to the others' email.



Both had been doing the online dating thing for a couple years. So, both had scars from the experience.



She said that one should never lie in a profile. She said that when she chatted guys online or met t