Introduction - From the Chat-Room to the Church

Do you think it's possible to find a long-term lover - even a life-partner - in the digital world?

I sure didn't.

I figured it was a great place to meet people for sex, for playing out romantic fantasies in a safe and non-committal environment. Quite frankly, I considered surfing on the Internet for love would be a big waste of time compared to trying to meet someone in relatively safe venues.

Let's just say that I spent a lot of walking through a park, shopping, or hanging out at a café waiting for Prince Charming to show up. I hung out at bars, joined special hobby groups and attended learning seminars in an attempt to meet someone who was like me.

How many people who threw themselves wholeheartedly into online dating sites have I called stupid over the years? I have lost count.
Tip! It is polite to introduce yourself to the others in the chat room. Just say “hi.

And then, after years of thinking that only married people wanting to cheat on their partners; desperate people who couldn't get a date; or psycho-stalkers haunted dating sites and chat rooms, I met the man who was to become my life partner…

From the Chat-Room to the Church

The two of us met in a psychic chat room. We both shared the same kind of interests in the occult, and this was a place that attracted people who were chatting about the tarot, psychics, and so on.

The first thing that really attracted me was his sense of humor, especially as he was studying to be a reverend. At first most of our conversation was kept on a friendship level.

Slowly, my topics of discussions focused on personal issues that I would only share with people I considered to be good friends. He heard a lot about my ex boyfriend who really had left me feeling empty inside about the whole relationship thing.
Tip! Have a discussion with your child to let them know the rules and then post the rules for using chat rooms and the internet. Make sure they understand and agree to all of the rules.

But one day he surprised me suddenly by saying "I'm eating a muffin here and I think I'm in love with you."

After more weeks of chatting, we decided to meet for real. He traveled to my city and stayed for two weeks. When we met in real life, we totally clicked on the first sight and there was no awkwardness.

We met on and off after that. And 15 months after first meeting online, we married. And I'm delighted to say, we're still happily married today!

Now you're probably wondering: was this just "dumb luck", or something more? And is Internet Dating a real option for finding true love, part of a growing trend?

Well, my story isn't the only one I know of. There seem to be a whole lot of people in my life lately who have met their mate online.
Tip! When you have a discussion board or chat room you can get free advertising by listing them in online community directories. You can also join web rings with similar discussion topics.

And it seems everyone has their own story to tell these days about finding love through the Internet.

However as Internet dating is still a relatively new concept, there just aren't many statistics available that tell us how well it actually ‘works'.

No big research institute seems to be keeping track of successes vs. failures or of the length of the relationship or marriage.
Tip! Educate yourself on chat room terminology so that you understand what others are saying.

Follow on to the next chapter in this ebook by going to Loveatadistance and find out more about online dating and long distance relationships.

Love at a Distance.com

Debbie Anderson has written a many articles on Dating, Long Distance Relationships,Online Dating,including a SERIES called Love At A Distance. These articles and many others on similar themes such as Romantic Ideas, Are You Ready For Love, and Self Help can be found at Loveatadistance