Meeting online

 Here is an interesting article about online dating reviews of Psychologists (copied and pasted).  "Pretty much all of online dating works through profiles," a Psychologist comments.  "But you can spend a zillion hours studying profile after profile and, at the end of that Herculean effort, how much closer are you to knowing if there's a romantic spark?"

The abundance of profiles online also may make daters too picky and judgmental, the authors say. The sheer number of options can be overwhelming, and the ease with which people can sift through profiles -- and click on to the next one -- may lead them to "objectify" potential partners and compare them like so many pairs of shoes. Online dating creates a shopping mentality, and that is probably not a particularly good way to go about choosing a mate.  The shopping mindset may be efficient online, but when carried into face-to-face interactions it can make daters overly critical and discourage, fluid, spontaneous interaction in what is already a charged and potentially awkward situation. Communicating via email or instant message before meeting in person doesn't always cure this problem. Some online communication is a good thing, the researchers say, but too much of it can skew expectations and ultimately sabotage a match. People tend to read too much into emails and other online conversations, which increases the potential for misunderstandings and disappointment, they point out.   One Psychologist advises online daters to identify promising partners and move the conversation off-line as quickly as possible. "Don't assume that more time spent browsing profiles is going to improve the odds of meeting someone who is really compatible," he says. "Be as quick and haphazard as you want with that process, because it's not meaningful." Instead of poring over more profiles and comparing height, weight, occupation, and interests, send a note to a potential date suggesting you meet for coffee or lunch (in a public place), and use that time to get to know the other person. "Don't focus on evaluating that person," he says. "Can you laugh with that person? Can you feel simpatico with that person?"  He went on to say "There's probably never going to be a substitute for getting two minutes from another person across a cup of coffee.