Tabitha, 33, of Ann Arbor, Michigan is one of the lucky women who have found love online after her initial apprehension. Here, she shares her story of how she dealt with her reservations and skepticism about online dating.
“I remember getting annoyed whenever I saw ads for online dating sites littering the web pages I visited. I thought to myself, ‘yeah, finding love in the real world is hard but online it’s a breeze. It’s easy to get cozy with someone you haven’t seen and start making plans about the future. Pathetic. Dream on, people!’
“I had a boyfriend then and certainly wasn’t on the prowl for a love prospect so I guess it was easy to look down on people taking a chance with online dating. In 2007, however, Joe broke up with me and my world came crushing down like a pile of bricks. After six months of trying unsuccessfully to find suitable boyfriend material, my friends suggested that I try online dating.
“My first reaction was, ‘What? You gotta be kidding me!’ And then the unthinkable happened: My best friend Melody started seeing Dave whom she met through an online dating service. A year later they were still together and in the fall of 2009 they got married.
“I thought to myself, ‘Okay, here’s one girl who got lucky but she could just be an exception to the rule. To prove my point, I researched on the Internet (actually, looking back, I knew I was getting curious about online dating myself although I didn’t want to admit it). To my surprise, I read a lot of success stories on Internet dating. ‘Maybe I should try it? Well, why not? Nobody has to know anyway.’
“So I signed up with an online dating site with a fake name and a fake photo (well, not really. The woman in the photo was me but the picture was very grainy and my face too small I doubted if anyone who knew me would recognize the photo.
“Well, the first few months I used the service were forgettable. Terrible, in fact. In six months I only received messages from five men and they were not the type of people I would date even if they were the only available men on earth. I decided to be a little proactive and sent a few winks myself and found to my chagrin that most of them were basically unresponsive – what gives?”
“Feeling dejected and humiliated I started thinking that online dating wasn’t for me and was ready to throw in the towel. Damn it. I’m not an exceptional beauty but I’m definitely not ugly! My friends tell me my best assets are my blue-green eyes ringed by long, dark lashes, my lean figure, well-toned legs and sense of humor. If only these guys knew what they were missing!
“And then it hit me. I took a long, hard look at my profile and realized what was wrong. My profile was lifeless, the photo wasn’t any good. Why, I wouldn’t even date myself based on my profile!
“I cancelled my account and started from scratch. I used my real name this time and posted the clearest, most attractive photos I could find (including the one in which I was wearing denim shorts. I also made sure to make my profile as detailed as possible. Within days winks and messages started pouring in. There were so many of them it was practically mayhem!
“I met several of these men in person. Some dates were memorable ones and some were disasters, but you know what, by this time I was having the time of my life and enjoying a surge of confidence I never thought I had. I bid my time. Then, in the summer of 2010 I met Rick, a banker. I knew from the first moment I laid eyes on him and heard him talk that this was definitely the man I would like to get to know further.
“Fast forward to 2011 and Rick and I are already engaged. We have so much in common it’s unbelievable.
“To all the women and men out there who are having doubts about finding love through online dating, listen, just plunge right in wholeheartedly and be patient. And please, don’t use fake profiles!”
About the author: Tabitha writes for an Australian online publisher, Hookmeup Online. Tabitha writes about a variety of topics including free online dating reviews, social networking and free online dating recommendations for Australian singles.