I met my ex online. It wasn't a dating website, but the fact that we got to chat online to get to know each other (and on the phone) really turned it into a close relationship. Of course, general rule of thumb is making sure you get to know him/her really well before you let them too far into your life. I wouldn't recommend meeting in a private place for the first few times, no matter how well you kick it off on the internet/phone.

But other than the obvious safety/creep filter issues, I think it's a great way to find a relationship that's based on personality compatibility (especially if you talk online and on the phone first, people are willing to get a lot closer emotionally if they have the safety of being at home).

I met my guy in a yahoo chat room. Haha...it's totally weird, actually. I was just bored. I don't usually go into chat rooms, he messaged me and we chatted, at the end of the convo he asked me if I'd like to have dinner the next day. Usually I definitely would not, I wasn't even super interested in him. I don't know why, but I agreed. After I got off work I drove to the restaurant and he met me there.

He's really amazing...seriously, it's like he has every quality I've ever wanted in a guy. He always jokes that it must have been fate. He is an engineer and works with computers all day long, so he seldom ever goes online at home...let alone into a chat room. It's really kind of odd when I think about it.

We don't tell people we met online though, I don't know why...I guess because of the stigma. Instead, we tell them we met at the Indian food restaurant. There was a Belly Dancer there and she came around and made all the women come up and dance with her. He tells people that's when he knew he liked me...when he saw me up there dancing horribly, but smiling. ...It's a true story. We just don't say that it was all due to the internet.

That being said, I've met tons of guys online... a few have turned out to be really great friends (purely platonic)...most of them have turned out to be complete perverts. Listen to your gut, really. Don't ignore the signs. There are lots of guys that go online to see how many girls they can meet and "get with". ...I knew my guy was different when it took him like 8 dates to even kiss me! ...I was sure he wasn't interested. Finally, it happened though.

i met my boyfriend on IAM.BMEZINE.com... it's a body modification journal site (sort of like myspace [only better] for tattooed and pierced people). we joined within three days of each other... i clicked on one of his friends' pages, and clicked through to Chad. i wrote on his wall thingy, and we started talking. i lived in New York City, and he lived in Iowa! we talked on the site for a while, then graduated to AIM, then graduated to the phone. we would talk for 5 hours a night.

then i moved to Vermont, and he made plans to come see me. he rode the bus for 24 hours (from Iowa City to Burlington). and he even surprised me by showing up 12 hours earlier than i thought he would!

a year later, i moved to iowa. three years after that, we moved to wisconsin. we have been together for almost 5 years.

bmezine is awesome

I met a really nice guy on OkCupid but I messed up and ruined it. I met one of my best guy friends on Facebook a little over 3 years ago. I have met some creepy people too though. You've gotta go through a bunch of profiles before you find a good one, but I think it works!

I met my boyfriend on an MMA(Mixed Martial Arts) forum.
Both of us were introduced to the site by friends and really knew nothing about MMA(fate is one cool lady)...we both had a crush on each other for about 2 years but never really talked because we're super shy kids and then one day he told one of my friends that I made him "melty" and then the gates of heaven opened up and he moved 2,000 miles to be with me and we've been together amazingly giddy for a year now.
So.
I think the internet is a pretty good place to find an amazing person.
But everything has to fit, if anything seems odd to you...don't pursue it.
^_^

I met my ex on the Internet last year and there were no issues other than we didn't really have chemistry. However, I recently met another guy through the Internet and he seems really nice.

I too signed up for Internet stuff because I'm overweight and I never meet any guys in real life who can see me as attractive. But this causes a problem because I feel like the guy would be really disappointed if we met irl.

Ah, dating will be so much easier once I'm thin.

I met my Mack back in 1996 on American Singles, when internet dating was unheard of. It started out as long distance and quickly became something more. February 1st we will celebrate our 12th wedding anniversary. I have never been happier, I am more in love with him today then those first intense lustful years. One of the huge advantages for us was talking for hours on the phone early on; it established the foundation for the communication that we share to this day.... we talk about EVERYTHING.

As the others have said just be careful. Always meet in a public place and call a friend with his information (including tag#).

i met my bf 7 years ago through chat online.
And we're still together till now, and will get married after i graduate from school.

Internet is a very good way to meet people. You just have to know how to protect yourself from it. And yes, u have to dig through many fake diamonds to find a real one, but it's worth to try. I also met many guy friends which turn to be my important friends through internet.

I met the love of my life on Match.com when I was 19-Just a couple weeks after signing up! We were married 2 1/2 years later, in August '07

I met my bf online through lavalife a couple years ago. My parents don't know that though lol. If was completely by accident, I was searching for people within 25km of me and found his profile, except I put in the wrong postal code and he was waaay farther away. I met him and his friend by dragging my friend along to a record store. At the time I wasn't attracted to him at all but we chatted here and there. Then a complicated year and a half or stupid boys later we started talking more, and I would go and visit. Anyway, he moved here and we're still together. Although now I think he's waay more attractive. Funny how a person can change in less than 2 years.

I met my boyfriend of three years on Lavalife. I also met a few ex's through online dating. There's nothing wrong with it. You just need to be prepared for a few things:

1) People rarely look like their picture.
More like, when you see a picture of someone you get an idea in your mind of what they look like, and when you meet them they usually don't look like that. Then after you get to know them, you re-look at the picture and realize they look exactly like their picture!!!

2) Always be completely honest about yourself, what you look like, your weight, etc.
My boyfriend said that his biggest pet peeve was when girls were not honest about their weight or pictures. They would put up pictures from ten years back or lie about their weight. It really just wastes everyone's time.

3) Be prepared to go through 5-10 losers before you meet one decent guy.
I'd say the ratio is about 5:1 if you're lucky LOL. It's just the way it works online.

4) Meet in a public place.
Enough said.

5) If you hit it off over email/phone, try to meet as soon as possible.
There's nothing worse than getting emotionally invested in someone and then meeting them and you just don't click.

6) Be totally up front about what YOU want on your profile. For example, if you are totally against smoking, state it in your profile. If you eventually want to get married, have kids, state it in your profile. If you are worried that less people will approach you because of it -- think of it this way -- you don't want them anyway!!! Any guy who is afraid to talk to someone who says "eventually I would love to be married" is a guy you don't want to get involved with ANYWAY! Right?

I think that's about it. Just have fun, be honest, you can never go wrong with being honest.

~CGH~

There have been good stories on here! I find my inner faith rising slightly.

I met my fiancee online while he lived in England and he moved here a year ago and we have been together a year and 1/2

I agree with choirgirl completely.

I just met a pretty neat guy off line, we've been hitting it off fantastically since we first met up a few weeks ago.

Be honest - that way - if you meet someone and there's a mutual interest - there is nothing to be nervous bout when you meet.

Also - don't put anyone on a pedestal. Don't go into a date hoping you'll impress him. BIG NO! He better impress you!!! Always remember that, don't change for him - be yourself, and if it works it works - if it doesn't - it doesn't nothing lost!