Online dating - Has anyone tried it?

[Master_Craig]

It's a dark and scary world, but has anyone ever tried online dating before?

I've shown this comic strip before in the art thread, but the strip pretty much sums up my experience in online dating.

Has anyone actually tried online dating before? If you have, did you have any success? Any fails? What's the best, or worst of online dating you've experienced?

For me, I tried online dating last year and I met a few girls, but of course nothing happened with any of 'em. Usually I either don't like them, they don't like me or the feeling is mutual. Recently, I thought I met someone awesome until I was told otherwise.

I do have some other really creepy stories (where I was victim) that surprisingly do not relate to online dating, but for now - what have you guys got?

 

[Icepick]

I wouldn't call it dating, but this topic is right up BBK's alley

 

[Mod-Chip]

I met my ex-girlfriend on OK Cupid while living in New York. It's by far the best service, insomuch as its completely free and allows you to message between users without any fees.

That being said, it did take me 8 dates to meet her, and I'll come back in a little while to tell the story of my first OkCupid date,...stay tuned.

 

[Mod-Chip]

Alright, here goes.

My first OkCupid date took place on the day of The Times Square OWS (Occupy Wall Street) protests. I had messaged, from what I perceived to be, a cute girl, and after a few polite exchanges about music and alcoholic drinks we decided that Saturday was a good day to meet up.

Prior to meeting her I met up with some college friends in Times Square to participate in the protest, which was a lot of fun. It was also during this time that she texted me the location of where we would meet (Bushwick) with one significant caveat…she would be there with her friends.

What the fuck? It’s one thing for two consenting adults to meet informally for the first time with the polite intention to see if romantic compatibility exists. It’s completely different to meet her AND HER FRIENDS. Not only does this disrupt the ambience of a cute romantic encounter, it forces me to interact/compete with her friends, who are all strangers. Mulling this over in my head I decided that the reason she would do this is for a sort of “back upâ€

 

[used44]

In July I'm going to the wedding of two friends who met online

 

[Sightless]

Related: http://www.gamerevolution.com/forum/vie ... hp?t=21447

That's a great story, Mod-Chip. I'll put it on my wall.

I don't really have any dating experiences to speak of. I've met two people I knew from the internet: one was odd and awkward, and I ran away at the end; the other was great, but we're pretty sure he's the father of some classmates, and he seemed to have some family drama going on, so that friendship kind of died off.

 

[Bretimus_v2]

From what I've heard WoW is the best online dating service for nerds.

 

[Sourdeez]

Ive used online dating. I met a nice girl down in Puerto Rico I chatted with on weekends. I got to see her when I went on vacation down there. She had just graduated medical school. Once I finish college I was thinking of maybe staying down there for awhile.


When I moved from Illinois to California, A person I had played Wow with for 6 years drove all the way to Illinois to pick me up and we drove all the way back. I lived with him for 2 years while I got acclimated to Chico California. When we would tell people the story of how I got there they looked at us like we were nuts. My Illinois friend thought he was going to kidnap me and rape me.

Nope, we made a lifelong friendship that started over the internet and had a amazing time.
Ive since then moved back to Illinois and into Missouri to finish college.

 

[Master_Craig]

Some pretty crazy stories...

Mod-Chip, wow. They thought you were gay? Oh man. Good story though. I haven't had that kind of uh, experience before. I remember once meeting one girl who seriously didn't look like her profile picture, and she just... wasn't anything at all like her profile. :/ Awkward.

Sourdeez - Yeah, I've made some great friends over the Internet, friends who I've actually yet to meet. I've known one fella who lives in England since I was fifteen years old, so ten years now. I haven't met him yet but I would seriously consider him one of my closest friends. He got married last year and invited me to his wedding, but uh... travelling from Australia to England for a wedding is a wee bit expensive.

 

[Sourdeez]

Are you talking about Mattay? I would party with Mattay any day of the week.

Plus his Super Nintendo looks all weird.

 

[Optimus-Crime]

once, or twice. each time a ridiculous result. Nothing professional either, like dating sites, more like a happenstance meeting online, then a get together. ridiculous result doesn't necessarily mean a bad result, just ridiculous.

 

[Master_Craig]

Are you talking about Mattay? I would party with Mattay any day of the week.

Plus his Super Nintendo looks all weird.

Nah, it isn't MattAY. Although it should be, because I am confident that he would have a large collection of fine asian ladies.

once, or twice. each time a ridiculous result. Nothing professional either, like dating sites, more like a happenstance meeting online, then a get together. ridiculous result doesn't necessarily mean a bad result, just ridiculous.

Ridiculous results? Do tell.

 

[Dobby2244]

Yes online dating a few times but I end up meeting crazy psychos. Given up on dating in general now for a while anyways. I think it's a good idea to talk online and find out like interests, but I would prefer to meet someone in person.

 

[Master_Craig]

Yes online dating a few times but I end up meeting crazy psychos. Given up on dating in general now for a while anyways. I think it's a good idea to talk online and find out like interests, but I would prefer to meet someone in person.

Fair enough there, good call.

I gave up on dating for a while too, about six months before I thought I'd give it another go. I I met one girl recently who I thought was really cool, cute and super cuddly, then she kinda just told me she feels I'm not ready for a serious relationship. I was pretty bummed about that. I was very tempted to give up again until I met a girl at a party last weekend. Hit it off well so, we'll see how that goes.

With online dating what I like to do is talk to the person over the messaging service (whatever the site uses) and if I think the conversation is going well, I drop them my mobile number. Leave the ball in their court. If they text or something, I like to try and talk to them over the phone (when we're both free) one or two times to see how conversation goes... for me personally, it makes meeting them in person a lot easier and less nerve racking.

In regards to "psychos" I've met a few... they always seem to be friends of friends. I try to be nice, friendly and polite to just about everyone I encounter. I think it gives off the wrong idea? Oh man I won't get into that. >_<

 

[Dobby2244]

Yeah maybe that's my problem too. I'm just too polite to people and it gives them the wrong idea.
The first proper online date I did was last summer. Was a good looking Spanish guy living in London, good career. When we met up we went to Primerose hill, sounded like a good plan. To get some drinks and sit in the park. It was a beautiful day and everyone was out. As soon as I get out the station and turn I see him standing with his back to the wall, but really looked nothing like his photo and he must have put on about 15 stone. I had the urge to just turn and run back straight away but then he looked up and saw me and I smiled and walked over. Went to the shop and straight away he's speaking to me like his girlfriend and trying to hold my hand. He's that much taller than me that he keeps kissing my head and despite me being really distant and pushing him off he just kept on putting his arm around me. We walk up the hill and he's just about out of breath and took a breather before finding a place to sit. He then talks continuously for hours about himself. About how he's from gran canaria and its the best of the islands to visit and how he used to run a lot when he was younger and played football, but now he's busy with his job and gets lots of free food and drink with work promotional events, and how he sits at home and eats packets of biscuits and kitkats. He loves buying chocolate on sale. I didn't even get a chance to speak at all. I just sat there sipping my beer thinking how am I going to get out of this. Eventually I say I'm cold and we start walking and I say I really need to get home. He called me and messaged almost everyday and I tried to tell him in the nicest way possible that I'm not interested but he continued for a couple months. I decided to delete my dating profile for a while....

About 6 months later, Another guy I met up with, he was from Malaysia. It was good, decided to do a day trip to Windsor castle. I really had a good feeling about him. He was 29 and worked for the government, loved travelling. We spoke on the phone a few times and looked forward to meeting him. Throughout the day he did keep making bad comments about girls though. And how they just expect things. Mind, I paid my own way the whole day! I thought maybe he just had a bad relationship and thought I would like to continue talking to him anyways. We spoke everyday after, texting and calling. But when he would mention doing something and I would say, alright when? And he would go on about how he's doing this and that with his friends and family every Sunday so how about next week? And then next week would come around and it would be the next week. It was 3 weeks before I saw him again and he was only 3 stops away on the train. His lease was up on his house and moved to St. Albans for a little while til he found another place but that's missions away. Eventually I just got bored of waiting to meet up and him having no initiative

Just to share 2 stories of completely different personalities. And I agree with BBK, keep the dates to a week day. Weekends are too good to waste. Plus it keeps the date time to a minimum to just see if you are compatible first

 

[Master_Craig]

That's pretty crappy! Sorry to hear about those :/. I mean the first guy, wow. That sounds terrible. I've had experiences like that before when the person not only looks absolutely nothing like their profile picture, but just... talks about themselves for the entire time. It's honestly the worst feeling ever when you're on a date and you're thinking to yourself "How the hell can I escape?"

That second guy, that sounds like a shame. He sounded like a pretty good fella. I find that strange that after the initial first date, you're still texting back and forth and stuff but he was making no effort to see you? That seems, I dunno, contradicting of himself, in a sense.

I'll try and nutshell my experiences of online dating.

-Met one girl who seemed really cool, but then never heard from her again. Sent her a text the next day to let her know I had fun, but yeah heard nothing so... I didn't persist. I wasn't quite sure what I did wrong there.

-Met this girl who was a little older than me (I'm twenty five, she was twenty nine). She was super nice, but I didn't see her as anything else. We kinda decided to stay friends but we've lost contact.

-Met one girl who... looked nothing like her profile picture and only talked about herself. Oh my God.

-This is the weird one. I never "met" this girl as on the day we were supposed to meet, she had to go down south for a family emergency. Almost every night she would call me. Hell, sometimes she'd call me while I was at work. Anyway, on the day she was supposed to come back, I never heard from her again. Weird huh?

-Pretty certain I met one girl who was a complete psycho... the date made me very uncomfortable as all she talked about where her ex's and stuff. It was... a little awkward.

And like you said in regards to being too polite, it's true. I know it's corny and cliche' to say but it's so true, politeness is so often mistaken nowadays as flirting. I try and be nice and polite to everyone and, well this is going to make me sound like a horrible human being - I've had some uh... very unappealing girls try and approach me, in a very forward manner. One time this one, super smelly and uh - unattractive lady literally tried to have her way with me after I had suffered a concussion and other minor injuries from a judo competition. I'll have to post that story another time... it's kinda funny but man it was not funny at the time.

 

[Dobby2244]

Story of my life haha

It's a shame when someone just stops talking to you though. I can't help but take it personally. One guy I was talking to just stopped talking one day after a couple months. I found out from the friend that set us up a couple weeks later that he got back with his ex and now moved in with her... I guess it's better off it things don't work out so when you find the right person it will be special. I think I'm still just a hopeless romantic hoping that one day ill just be minding my own business walking around town and I trip and a handsome passerby catches my fall and I look up and lights shinning down and music playing and I'm like yep he's the one, and so starts a blossoming love haha....

 

[Master_Craig]

Not to rip you off Dobby but that's a quote I use all the time too to sum up my dating life,

"Story of my life."

It is honestly a pain in the arse when people stop talking like that. Like you said, I also take it personally. I don't want to, I just do. Really, it'd be nice to just get a text message or something that says something like "I'm sorry I'm not interested but thanks anyway" or whatever. That would put my mind at ease. Like you said too, it's a kick in the balls when you've either been talking to them or hanging out for a while or something and then suddenly bam, you don't hear from 'em again.

That's what my friends tell me as well. It's probably better that it didn't work out, because that way you may find someone better for you that will work out and it'll make it the more special. In all honesty, I'm starting to think that won't happen for me and I'm thinking I should start buying an army of either cats or dogs, buy a walking stick and tell kids to get off my Goddamn lawn.

Lawl. I think most of us who are single try and picture just how we meet the "perfect person" for us. I don't have an idea or "image" and even if I did, I probably wouldn't realise it at the time because I am that oblivious when it comes to people trying to show interest in me.

...unless of course they literally try to jump on me and grope me while I am lying in a bed crippled and groggy. MUST USE ALL REMAINING STRENGTH TO FIGHT OFF THE BEAST.

 

[NickKmet]

Never tried online dating, but I'm still in college, so it never seemed like a necessary thing. I basically gave up on dating this year - I spent the first half of the year getting over my ex, and then spent the last half knowing I would be moving to NYC for grad school, and thus trying to have a relationship with someone at my undergrad (in Spokane, WA) was going to be a waste of time.

I'm definitely not the most social person in one on one situations - put me in a group of people and I'll be pretty outgoing, but as soon as I'm left by myself with a girl I don't know very well and am somewhat attracted to, I clam up. So really, I don't have high hopes for my dating future.

 

[Sourdeez]

Aww man don't think like that just because your moving. One of the best relationships I ever had was during the last 4 months before I moved to California. The girl was awesome and we both knew I was leaving soon. I do regret not continuing the relationship but it was one of the best parts of my life. Id choose to do it again knowing full well how I feel now.