Internet Relationships

The growth and advent of internet dating means that even chronically shy people can find an outlet, enabling them to meet others with a large degree of anonymity. Indeed, they can even adopt new and different personas to present to the world, if they lack confidence in presenting their true self.

Young people especially find it easy to meet potential partners on the internet. When you are young, in school or at college, you're provided ample socializing opportunities without responsibilities, and this helps the young people to find partners who share similar interest and backgrounds.

As you get older however, these opportunities recede. The network of people one can meet becomes narrower.

Also, people of a particular age group can benefit from online dating. It is very hard to meet someone of your own age with similar interests, especially when you are a little older and have just come out of a long standing relationship yourself.

Chat rooms, online dating agencies, and social networking sites all provide new opportunities to broaden the network of potential partners, around the world.

Instant messaging, email, and webcams provide the means through which people can "date".

But can people fall in love without having even met?

It seems difficult, but perhaps many convince themselves that they are in love, meet up, and find that they are compatible after all, and there are stories of happy fulfilling relationships, even marriage, borne out of Internet dating.

But that's not always the case.

Getting to know someone and falling in love with them via the Internet cannot come close to an actual face to face meeting between two people.

On the Internet, a person communicates what they want to communicate to another person without the visual aids of body language, facial expression or intonation of the voice.

It's hard to build a full picture without all the fine nuances that are picked up in face-to-face meetings. Often, a fantasy version of what they want to tell you arrives in your inbox. It is up to you to find the reality, literally between the lines they have written. Any internet relationship needs more than just the fantasy presented to you by your internet "partner".

Care should be taken when entering into an Internet relationship, as you may not be receiving or presenting the whole truth - warts and all. (Even the fact that your Internet partner has a huge, hideous wart on the end of their nose can be disguised or hidden in an online relationship!)

If you're considering an online relationship, or are currently in one, there are a few things you need to look out for. While each situation is unique you need to be sure that your "date" is who they say they are.

There is now evidence that individuals are posing online with false identities. Having established a relationship, they ask for money to "rescue" them from an "emergency". So what are the warning signs and how can you avoid being scammed?