Online Dating Myths

Even long after online dating has gained significant popularity with the masses, it is still a mystery to me as to why some people insist on holding onto the old stigmas associated with online dating.

According to a 2010 survey conducted for Match.com, 1 in 5 singles have dated someone they met on an online dating site. So why do some people cling to the myths once associated with online dating? Many will even go so far as to rationalize that dating someone they've met on a social networking site such at Facebook or MySpace isn't online dating because they aren't specifically utilizing Internet dating sites.

Here are some other online dating myths:

1. Only losers and weirdos that want to cut you up and put your body parts into a trash bag use the Internet for online dating. I met my husband online. We know many "normal" people who have also dated, and some that have gone onto marry people, that they have met online. The truth is, if you are reading this article, you are utilizing the Internet. So it would stand to reason that if you are using the Internet, then there are many other "normal" people just like you who are also doing so.

2. Online dating is dangerous. It's true that dating people you meet online can be dangerous. However, it is no more dangerous than dating people you meet in a bar, club, on a blind date or other social situation that leads to dating. The good news is that a little common sense goes a long way.

3. People always lie when they use the Internet for online dating. Based on thousands of dates between my husband and me, combined with the feedback we've gotten over the past four years, there is no more lying going on in the virtual world of dating than there is in "real" dating.

4. Online Dating just doesn't work. That's just something that people who haven't had success with online dating tell themselves so they don't feel badly about the fact that online dating hasn't worked for them. If you haven't found a positive dating relationship online, that doesn't mean there is something wrong with you, or online dating, either. It just might mean that you haven't met the right person.

Statistics coupled with personal experience have demonstrated that the myths associated with online dating are outdated. If you want to cling to them, be my guest, but the only person who is missing out in the end is you... and all of the interesting people you could have benefited from meeting. Who knows? One of those people might just be "Mr./Ms. Right Now," or maybe even "Mr./Ms. Right."