The Distance Dilemma

The issue of how far to cast your net when dating online is interesting and can involve difficult choices. If you get involved with someone far away and want to get serious, there's the risk of having to uproot your life - leaving a job, family, and community to make a relationship work. On meeting-stories.org Kim tells an amazing story about meeting a guy living in Prague on match.com. They hit it off over email and decided to marry before meeting face-to-face (or talking on the phone)! When Kim arrived in Prague for the wedding there were a few surprises she didn't expect... Check out the story and photos here: http://www.meeting-stories.org/MeetingStories/story?sid=26 It all worked out for Kim and her husband, but uprooting your life for someone you meet online doesn't work for everyone. Do you have a story to share? What would you think if a friend or a family member said "yes" to marry someone they'd never met in person? Have an opinion about how far we should cast our nets when dating online? Comment here or go to our website: meeting-stories.org

The Love Coach: Search Engine Optimization for Your Online Dating Profile

It's a prize that any good Web master seeks -- a top ranking in Google search results. And search engine optimization (SEO) - a new buzzword among the Internet set - is the strategy that will get you there (maybe). But what about your online dating profile? Do you need an SEO expert for your online love life? Apparently thousands of people believe they do, and it has given rise to a new profession: the online dating coach or "Love Coach". How much will it set you back? One online dating coach says:

My regular fee for personal one-on-one coaching is typically at least $125/hour. Thousands of clients have paid this amount or more in all the years I've been in business as a coach.

As we're learning from stories we're receiving at Meeting Online, making a lasting connection with someone you meet online is certainly possible. And the big Internet dating sites like to tout their online dating success stories. So what about dating coaches, do they really work? Or is it just another scam? If you have an interesting online dating story, consider sharing it with us.

Seriously? A Dating website for Extra-Marital Affairs?

Is this true? Is this a joke? Well, it seems that it is. Please allow me to introduce you to IllicitEncounters.com, a "discreet and confidential extra-marital dating service for women and men".

Perhaps it's just my delicate sensibilities that are offended by this (or maybe my all-too-strict moral compass), but nevertheless it brings up interesting questions about online dating: How many online daters are cheaters? Is it better that these cheaters have a site of their own so that everyone knows what they're getting into?

Member ***46 was kind enough to share this testimonial:

"I have had quite a lot of luck on here, thankyou. I met one guy who I saw for 8 months, he was a really lovely guy, but his wife found out about us, so it got stopped. We are in contact by email still though. Recently I met another guy who I seem to get on with so far, we have only met the once, but have arranged to meet again, but, yes I'm very happy how things have gone for me."

HRMagaizine talks about their trouble finding a new CEO in their post Wanted: CEO to facilitate extra marital affairs on dating website. Seems like they've found some candidates, but their wives are getting in the way!

What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments below...

Also, don't forget to check out the Meeting Online site. Share your own story about meeting people online or pass it along to a friend who does.

Projects gets nod on RealityBlurred.com by Andy Dehnart

The word is getting out about our projects. Thanks to RealityBlurred.com for posting about it! Check it out: Potential TV show wants stories of people meeting online, and how we deal with death

Rejected!

We've been hearing stories about people who were "rejected" by one or another dating site because they were considered somehow incompatible by the site. Has that happened to you or someone you know? What happened?

And remember, you can also share your story on Meeting Online, our new website where we're collecting stories for a possible TV series about the good, the bad and the just plain weird of internet dating experiences.

Does Internet dating enhance marriage, or undermine it?

Hey there.

Today we're celebrating the launch of two new story-driven websites, Meeting Online and How We Die. They're part of a multimedia project which we hope will culminate in a new TV series unlike anything that's on the air right now.

We'll write a little more about the project in a future posting, but right now we want to commemorate the launch of the websites by kicking off a discussion that ties into the topic of one of the sites.

Does Internet dating enhance marriage, or undermine it? Some might say "enhance" because of all the marriages that have resulted from people meeting online. Others might argue that, by making it easier for people to meet casually, there's a lot more sleeping around and a lot less long-term relationship-building.

What do you think? And if you have any personal experiences -- or know other people who do, give us an example or two!