Finding Potential Partner in The Internet

The internet is awash with shameless proposals and embarrassing emails. One recent movie In Search of a Midnight Kiss capitalises on this trend.

In the film, 29-year-old Wilson places an ad on the website Craigslist on New Year's Eve. He ends up arranging to meet a woman who claims to weigh 180lb in her ad but
who in fact turns out to be a pretty young actress hell-bent on finding the right guy to be with at midnight. The film is a delightful examination of the embarrassing first date experience - here turned up to the nth degree with the added pressure of the midnight countdown. In the movie, the couple do eventually wind up falling in love, after, of course, going through a series of trials and obstacles, but in the end circumstances mean that they can't stay together.

But can you really find love on the net? Many are convinced that Internet dating is the last refuge of the sad, mad and dysfunctional. I'd heard horror stories of men who used a variety of dating sites to bolster their sex lives, going on a string of dates with multiple partners hoping to fall into bed with as many as possible.

I signed up out of curiosity, not a real wish to find a partner. At first all my preconceived ideas were proved right. Men who looked 70 claimed to be 30 years younger. Various men sent me messages. A couple were amusing - unintentionally. Some were enigmatic - but not enough for me to risk meeting them. One was so disarmingly honest, I liked him straight off. But then he sent a picture and all bets were off.

It's no wonder many people are switched off internet dating. People put their best foot forward, often posting the best (sometimes doctored) picture of themselves as well as the most interesting details about themselves. But in the flesh, they often turn out to be, well, disappointing.

With the number of single people set to rise, however, many still continue to use the net to find love. But a new generation of websites hope to eliminate the possibility of false representation. Websites such as singles online dating use web cam so people can't hide or pretend to be more attractive or younger than they really are. It also allows for more intimacy and immediacy, not to mention saving a good deal of time and effort.