How to Find Friendship and Romance Online

Online forums and special interest groups can put you in contact with like-minded people who may become your friends. One of them could be your soul mate.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Internet Access
• E-mail Accounts
• Computers

1. Join an established Internet service provider such as America Online, the Microsoft Network or EarthLink.

2. Browse slowly through the various online interest groups, looking for those with message boards that appeal to singles.

3. Choose a few forums that focus on matchmaking or on one of your interests. Visit them and read the messages (or "posts") on the message boards.

4. Find an area that appeals to you and go there regularly.

5. Post a message of your own after getting a sense of the interaction. Keep your posts brief and humble at first; soon you will be communicating with the regulars and forming friendships.

6. Let it be known that you're single and looking, along with your location and age.

7. Ask the regulars about any particular love interest you have found.

8. Use e-mail and chat sessions to get to know an appealing person better.

9. Attend a forum-hosted party in order to meet your potential sweetheart if it is possible or practical. If not, plan a real date in a public place.

Tips & Warnings

• Host a party yourself if your forum friends do not get together at parties, and meet some of those people you have been attracted to online.
• Pay close attention to the way your romantic partner interacts with other group members.
• Remember that common interests are great, but having a relationship with your mirror image would probably be boring.
• Avoid online feuds and battles. Personal attacks, also called "flaming," can get vicious in forums where strong feelings and beliefs are expressed.
• If you form a romantic attachment to someone in the group, do not announce this to the other members until after you have met your partner in person.
• Common philosophical or political views will not always get the two of you past the "chemistry test."

on 8/8/2006 Be careful when you meet someone in person. Pick a neutral place, and remember; 9 times out of 10 the person is not what you expected in person. So be very careful!

on 11/22/2005 Start with an online site that is free and practice your writing skills. Then you can see if you like online dating and take it the next step (if need be) by going to a paid site.

on 11/22/2005 Photo rating sites are great ice breakers. They're cheaper alternatives to full dating sites. One I love is free: CUTEMETER.com. You load up a picture of yourself and participate in the online community.

on 11/22/2005 Go to www.matchmaker.com. It's a very casual dating site that allows you to meet people. By "casual," I mean that it the profiles are fun to read, as opposed to being full of dry personal facts. And if you're under 18, here's the best part: you do NOT have to be 18 to post your profile (just 13).

on 11/22/2005 Be natural when you meet in reality. And be honest (of course you should be honest online, too!!).
Work on getting comfortable with each other and don't rush things!