How to End an Online Romance

There are as many ways to end an online romance as there are to begin one, and there are as many wrong ways as right ways. In a lot of cases, it's easier to end an online relationship than a face-to-face one. For one thing, you're less likely to be used to spending time with your online date. But as with all things romantic, there's still the possibility of extreme drama.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

1. Evaluate the relationship to decide what measures you should take. Is your break-up likely to be amicable or a total melt-down? If the decision will cause a lot of fall-out, consider each element separately and try to come up with good solutions.
2. Don't use email to break up if you've already talked on the phone. If your relationship is "pure cyber" than it makes sense to end it that way. But if you graduated to voice over IP, an email breakup is rude. Face up to your level of involvement when you do the deed.
3. Inform all applicable friends and family. If he or she is your brother or sister's best friend, for example, talk to your sibling about the situation. Don't leave it for others to figure out for themselves. They may resent your negligence or end up on the wrong side of the fence when you start looking for support.
4. Try to let him/her down lightly. When it comes to ending relationships, generosity and mutual compassion is the name of the game, and if you don't think rude or cruel behavior will come back to bite you, you have a long road ahead. If your online partner is trying to take advantage of you, be firm, but if you're the dumper of a sensitive person, don't be irresponsible. Try to get your ex comfortable enough to move on, and you'll avoid all kinds of sticky situations involving left-over feelings.