Just like I promised, I’m back with part 2 of my dating story. I had the realization that I needed to date and moved onto how to meet people.

This was a tough one for me. I wasn’t a fan of going to the bars to meet someone, so that was out. All of the “cute” ways people met in movies seemed like too much of a chance. So, I settled on the next logical thing – online dating.

Online dating is a scary thing at first. There are so many websites to choose from. There is so little space to let people know who you are. There are so many chances you take when you put yourself out there for others to judge. It simply is a scary world.

I would equate online dating to window shopping. People look and look but they rarely make a selection. This is exactly what you do online – look and look but rarely message people. It’s a chance to look with no commitment.

For my first online experience, I went with OKcupid.  I’m not going to say much on the site and it’s setup. I’m sure it’s changed a lot since I last used it and I don’t want to give out false information.

I set up my profile – careful to pick a “cute” picture and include the “best” information. Then, I sat back and waited, thinking I’d let the guys pick me out. I discovered that I’m not a very patient person. After a couple days, I found myself messaging different guys. One eventually messaged back and seemed promising.

(Sitting waiting on people, I felt a bit like this monkey.)
 
We communicated on the site a little and then through instant messenger. After about a week of talking, we exchanged numbers and agreed to meet. Talk about scary! I had no idea what to expect! I hadn’t been on a date since high school and I was going to be meeting a complete stranger! 
 
It turned out fine – we walked around downtown talking and grabbed a cup of coffee.  We met up a couple more times in there and eventually communication on his end tapered off. I learned the hard way that guys don’t always tell you when they’re no longer interested. They simply drop communication and hope you figure it out.
 
I gave up on the online dating thing after that….well, until summer and boredom hit at least. Then, I took it back up to encounter a completely different experience…
 
You’ll have to wait until Saturday for that story, as I’ve got some other goodies in store for the blog from now until then!  (One of these goodies is a giveaway!)
 
In the meantime, share your story! What was your first encounter with online dating?