Dating and Romance on the Net 

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My life has been pretty colourful, however, I must confess, I have no experience when it comes to cyber-dating. But there are plenty of people who do. 

When it comes to romance, there are almost as many available technologies as there are derivations on the theme of love. You can meet in a chat room, an online service like AOL, CompuServe or Prodigy or you can find your love on an Internet relay chat (IRC) or one of many web sites set up for this purpose. Another option is to sign on to a private bulletin board dedicated to bringing people together. 

Within all of these options, there are many types of love connections. Some are down right PG rated. You'll find match making services keyed to most of the world's religions as well as some that are basically sex clubs. Of course, you'll find matching services for gays and straights as well as some that specialize in specific ethnic groups. 

I've heard a number of cyber-success stories including many folks who wound up marrying the mate they met online. But, like any other venue for meeting people, the Net also has plenty of horror stories. Technology, I'm afraid, can take you only so far. No matter how you wind up meeting your potential love, there is a certain chemistry that just can't be concocted on a computer. 

Before venturing into the world of cyber-romance, take some precautions. Unless you're using some type of audio or video technology, you generally can't see or even hear the people you meet online. People can – and often do -- claim anything they want about what they look like, their age or even their gender. And even if someone seems very nice online, there is no way to know for sure what type of person they really are. Keep this in mind before falling mouse over keyboard in love. And, if you ever decide to set up a face to face meeting with someone you've "met" online, be sure that it's in a safe public place like a restaurant or a library. For an even stronger safety net, bring someone along. And even though you're an adult, you might want to check out your old mama rule on child safety. Many of the rules designed to protect children from follies apply to adults as well. 

Match Making 
American Singles Network [http://www.as.org/] 
Authoritative Matchmaker [http://www.awarenet.com/amm]  
Computerized Matchmaking Online! [http://www.calweb.com/~swifty/match.html] 
Dating Network- The [http://www.datingnetwork.com/] 
Best of the Internet: For Gays and Lesbians...  [http://www.cyber-designs.com/pride/main.html] 
Yahoo Dating Listings [http://www.yahoo.com/Society_and_Culture/Relationships/Dating/]  
 
Chat
Blind Date [http://carrcom.com/date/] 
#lovechat [http://www.pernet.net/~domag1/lovechat/love.htm]  
 
More
Cyber Romance 101 [http://web2.airmail.net/walraven/romance.htm] 
Are You Ready for Virtual Love?: [http://web2.airmail.net/walraven/cosmo.html]  
A psychiatrist looks at cybersex by Avodah Offit Cyrano [http://www.nando.net/toys/cyrano.html] 
 
Online Books 
Links take you to the description/order page at Amazon.com
 
Love Bytes : The Online Dating Handbook 
[http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=1878739883/2154-3710193-891042] 
by David Fox 
Waite Group Press (Feb 1995) 
ISBN: 1878739883 
 
Love Online : A Practical Guide to Digital Dating 
[http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=1564142582/2154-3710193-891042]  
by Phyllis Phlegar (Addison-Wesley) 
ISBN: 0201409658 
 
Romancing the Net : A 'Tell-All' Guide to Love Online 
[http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0761503226/2154-3710193-891042] 
by Richard Booth , Marshall Jung 
Prima: January 1, 1996 
ISBN: 0761503226