Do Dating Sites Fall Short When it Comes to Dating?

There is a large amount of controversy surrounding the success of dating sites, and even greater the amount of horror stories involving predators using the internet as a source of meeting their pray. However with correct usage, dating sites and social networking sites have helped millions of people meet new friends and potential partners. But do the successes really outweigh the failures?

With the modern lifestyle, most people are far too busy to be constantly socializing in the conventional manner. Also with the rising cost of living it is near impossible for the average person to be able to afford doing so. However with the use of a dating site (which many are now becoming free to join), the users opens themselves up too large quantities of other people in similar situations, who also share the same aim of finding a partner. The sites can also match people according to their hobbies and interests which instantly provide common ground and a subject of conversation.

Of course there is always the fear of people using fake identities when on a dating site. However by using common sense and a little self restraint you can keep yourself safe. Also, more modern dating sites have better moderation, and detecting people using fake photos or information has become far more efficient and reliable. You can keep yourself safe with simple things such as only giving out your first name, never revealing your address or phone number until you are fully sure the person you are chatting with is genuine. A person with a fake identity is usually pretty easy to detect when engaged in conversation as their stories will often not match up. By keeping slightly detached, using common sense and not becoming blinded by their display picture, you can keep yourself safe.

Dating and social networking sites do not limit themselves to the sole purpose of finding a partner. Many people find using the sites as a fantastic way of meeting new friends, be it after a move to a new area, or to just gain more in the area they are currently in. Dating and social networking sites have such large member bases that it is almost guaranteed that you can find somebody that you will get along with that is in your local area, or at least not too far away. You may not even wish to meet the person in you speak to, which is perfectly fine; there are many people who use these sites as a means for finding internet pen pals to chat with.

People are generally more confident when speaking over the internet than when face to face. This can be looked on as a good or a bad thing depending on your point of view. It could be argued that a person who seems outgoing and interesting over the internet could, when they meet a person over the internet and arrange to meet, end up being a complete bore and continually fail when it comes to the first date. However, with the nature of internet dating, the 'couple' will already have had plenty of discussions before they even meet face to face, this means that the two people already know the other fairly well and have a wide range of conversational topics to avoid awkward silences.

Most dating sites rely on the user's response to photos and brief 'about me' boxes. This can be viewed as giving less attractive people a reduced chance of meeting somebody. However, this is the way of the world and the same applies in a nightclub environment, or any other environment for that matter. With a dating site, users have the ability to write about themselves as well as post a picture, which allows other users to be able to judge the personality as well as the appearance; this is not possible in any other environment without engaging conversation.

To conclude in spite of the arguments against dating sites, I believe that the successes far outweigh them. Dating sites are an efficient and effective way of meeting people with similar mentality who share similar hobbies and interests. With heightened security and better moderation, dating sites are far safer than when they were first introduced therefore invalidating recent safety concerns. Dating sites lend themselves well to the modern lifestyle, as meeting people is fast and inexpensive; therefore dating sites are always going to play a big part in dating and socializing.

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