Momnesia

Blogging for Love

A local newspaper ran a cover story lately on finding love in online dating sites. The ads on the sites reflect a basic impulse in life. If you have not found love, then you are probably looking for it. And why not look online? Perceptions about this changed so much in the 1990s with the Internet boom.

“It’s gone way down,” Dr. Andrea Baker, the author of “Double Click: Romance and Commitment Among Online Couples” and a sociologist at Ohio University, said about the negative stigma.

And that's probably because they're highly effective ways to meet a mate. A recent study found that 12 percent of recently married or engaged couples met through an online relationship service. I think that's because people who are looking for a relationship are encouraged to be honest about it online, which establishes realistic expectations that are often absent from traditional methods.

But these sites they study - match.com, eharmony - are big business. If you want to communicate with other people using the service, the monthly subscription is usually somewhere around $29.99. I think it's stupid to have to pay to find your perfect date.

Unlike those other pay sites, like Yahoo Personals, JustSayHi.com is 100% free. Think about it: no monthly fees, sure; but also no bar tabs, wasted tickets to movies or the theater, no stilted dinners at hipster restaurants with crappy food that you chose just to impress someone. Now you can find someone who likes NASCAR, barbecue, Ford F-150s and fly-fishing - in New York City! Or find someone who wants to take ballroom dancing, eat sushi, watch indie films and paint - in Wichita! There is no end to the positives when it comes to online dating. It's fast, it's entertaining, it's safe, it can be as personal or as anonymous as you like. And what's to lose when it's free? Amazing.

I'm glad I met my mate already - or my match, depending on how you look at it - but if I hadn't, I would definitely give online dating a try. It's a no-brainer.