With busy schedules and drug-induced dating scenes, people are having a more difficult time finding that special person. Many have turned to the world of online dating for their relationship needs. Unfortunately, many are still disappointed by the false promise that you are guaranteed to find your special other by some dating sites. The truth is if you have difficulties dating in “real” life you may or may not find it easier to date online.

For some people, it may be easier to initiate conversation online and give them the extra courage to talk to someone they otherwise wouldn’t be inclined to talk to. This is great but only happens if you have the courage, skills, and desire to push yourself to take this step. The truth is everything takes some level of effort and simply filling out an online dating profile won’t guarantee that you will instantly meet the perfect person.

With that being said, there are many pros to online dating.

One pro is that you have the ability to meet people in your own time. If you are a busy person this is great! Just remember, dating takes time and effort. Eventually, you will need to free up your schedule to make time for the other person. Another pros of online dating is that you gain exposure to many people you otherwise would never encounter. The dating pool becomes much deeper. The third pros of online dating is that you get to know someone before investing a lot of time and money dating. This can really come in handy, especially if you are a busy professional or have children living with you.

Online dating also has a few cons.

You have to be able to trust that the other person is being truthful about who they are and what they want. You also need to be able to handle rejection without taking it personally and understand that the person you eventually meet may not quite be who you pictured in your head. One of the biggest drawbacks to online dating is that we all form an opinion of someone and who they are. We see a picture of them and view a brief profile and we fill in the blanks with past experiences. We like to categorize people and things into what we know. Someone’s picture may look vaguely familiar to an ex-boyfriend and this may create positive or negative emotions. You need to be able to differentiate between reality and what you are imagining otherwise the person you eventually meet will never live up to your expectations. Going in with an open mind and few expectations is best.

Online dating can be an excellent way to meet people and I highly recommend it. Just be aware of the pro’s and con’s before diving into the deep end. By setting realistic expectations and ideas of who someone is or what they are like can be helpful for creating a successful online dating experience.