Internet Relationships

Finding a lover offline can be difficult, especially if you're gay. Unless you go to pubs and clubs often, finding someone there can be hit-and-miss, but with the advent of Internet and Email, this has all been changed.

Here is a quick guide on how to find love on the Internet, and how to avoid getting heart-broken!

The birds and the... mice?

Internet dating is often laughed upon, and if you tell someone you are in an "Internet Relationship" they will probably tell you it'll never last. And it sometimes doesn't. But remember, although you met them on the Internet, having a relationship with someone from the 'net is not different than in person, except of course you can't be with them.

If someone asked me "Do you approve of Internet Dating?" I would have to say no. I believe the Internet is a great way to meet people, and possibly date them, but you would have to meet in person before deciding to go out with them. But that is just my opinion, everyone has their own.

If you need to translate your foreign friend's emails, try http://world.altavista.com !

Finding the girl/guy of your dreams

There are many ways to find people on the Internet. You may go into a chatroom [such as http://chat.yahoo.com or http://chat.msn.co.uk], a news group (such as http://www.egroups.com) or a IRC [Internet Relay Chat] chat room [http://www.mirc.co.uk]. There are also special dating newsgroups such as uk.singles and alt.romance.chat from usenet - how about checking out alt.personals.motss [Members of the same sex] if you're gay?

I'm sure you can find more sites that offer dating facilities, why not go to my Search page and type in "Dating, Relationships" ?

Warning: Not everyone is who they say they are!

You know what people are like for exaggerating, and while on the 'net its the perfect place to do it - somewhere where nobody knows what you're really like. So when she tells you she looks like Kelly Brook, she probably looks like Matthew Kelly. Try and get a picture of them before meeting, as you will need to know what they look like! A surprising number of 'women' online are actually men, and vice versa. Another thing that is almost impossible to verify is age; people often lie about their age in person, imagine what its like on the 'net? As I have experienced being lied to about age before (Danny, Neil) let me tell you, it isn't very nice!

Another thing to worry about are the kind of people who lie about everything. So that 18yr old fun-loving girl could turn out to be a 39yr old insane perverted bloke. You must be careful!!

Cybersex

Cybersex is completely different to ordinary sex. You could enjoy a moment of ecstasy whilst your partner is several thousand miles away. This isn't as sleazy as it sounds and books like the new Good Web Guide To Sex [http://www.goodwebguides.com] are useful for a balanced, non-sensationalised view of this frequently misunderstood subject.

The key to successful cybersex is being able to type fast, though if you're a really red-hot lover, do beware repetitive strain of the wrist. On the plus side, you could probably sue your boss for this, particularly if its your boss you're having cybersex with [which it may well be, even if he's claiming to be a 19yr old Californian surfer dude called Rock Hardman] The only other rule? Let your fantasies run wild - the last thing your long-distance lover wants to hear is what you're genuinely doing.

Try these emoticons to express your feelings! Turn your head 90 degrees to see most of them!

There are loads more.. hunt around!

So you're going to meet him/her..

All I can say is BE CAREFUL! Meet them in a public place and try not to go anywhere by their car as you will be very vulnerable for kidnapping. Remember, no matter how great he/she sounded on chat, some of the most 'normal' people turn out to be axe murderers!

Remember to tell someone where you are and who you're with! I don't want to sound like a nagging parent but it is vital you protect yourself from possible kidnapping!

Talking about protecting yourself, if you do decide to have sex on the first date [not recommended] remember to use protection! You really don't know this person, so when he/she tells you they don't have an STI [sexually transmitted infection], can you really trust them?

Also, you could come home with something more than a disease - for girl/boy relationships remember that not using a condom could result in you getting pregnant with a stranger's baby!

To Conclude..

Don't take internet relationships too seriously, you don't know what they're like until you meet them. When you do meet them, be extra careful [the kind of 'don't take sweets from strangers' thing], but more importantly, be safe!

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Page description: An article on Internet Dating / Relationships. Feel free to post information about this in the forum.
Last site update: Thursday, 24 May 2001

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