Well, Coco's mama I took online dating the same way as I would meeting a guy normally, with a grain of salt. I found that when i would meet a guy in person first I would be so caught up in looks and usual nerviousness i would miss the subtle clues that he was not right for me. When I chatting online I could relax and really pay attention to his mind and what he had to say. My hubby & I spent the first week just instant messenging each other for about 3-5 hours a night & it was the most delightful and humorous time I had ever had with a man...and we were just typing!
As for my hubby he is a shy guy and tried to meet girls in social settings but he found that he could never be himself and open up cause of his introvert-ness. Plus he really wanted to meet a woman who he really could talk to, he was tired of meeting shallow people. We were both the first (and only) person to meet for a date from online but he has some funny stories about some freaky girls he chatted to online....ha ha it goes both ways.
The funniest thing i did was right before I posted my profile I did a search for man looking for woman in my age range just to check out my "competition" in the area. All I have to say is WOW, there were some women who seemed normal but... holy cow... there were some women who really scared me. I guess some guys might like a woman who threatens to beat them if they dont pay for dinner but that just seems odd to put on your profile.
My roommate & I had the funnest evening with a bottle of wine & a search engine that night
