I met my ex online..almost as soon as I posted my profile, his answer came back, answering all my picky requirements, from having a masters degree to having lived abroad. We eventually divorced but had fun while it lasted.

Two and a half years ago I was on Facebook and I said something that was obviously brilliant... LOL no but somebody from India messaged me and asked if I wanted to be friends. After about half a year we ended up entering into a relationship officially even though we knew the odds were not good. We recently broke up but we still care very much about each other and if there was any way possible to make it work, we would have. However before that I tried online dating for about 10 years and like you I found that it did diminish my self confidence and it was very depressing and people lied and there are so many people out there who aren't even single or they are just looking for a Band-Aid solution before they go back to their EX... It is definitely very difficult and I am gay which makes it about a hundred times more difficult. I'm also a single parent, and non-religious but living in the south so dating for me is a shit show. Honestly being single again, completely, is terrifying and I really don't anticipate ever dating anyone again but I think you just have to put yourself out there and let life take you for a ride because whether you believe in fate or happenstance, we really don't have a whole lot of control over who falls in love with us. We only have control over the choices we make. I choose to be happy even though I have slept alone for three years

I meet someone online and we was in a relationship like for 5 years.

I don't know how long any relationship will last, I do know people who have met on dating sites and have even married. I met one lady on a site and we dated for 2-3 years, moving in together killed it. wow, we split 14 years ago. Time flies.
hey, it's not your fault the right people are not there.

I can't give first hand positive experience information, but I know of two married couples who met through online dating sites.

My experiences have been, mixed.

This format makes it impossible for people to be real with each other. It is rather sad. I got full on scammed by someone online, and it was a woman i knew from childhood, we had been good friends and then one day she really swept me off my feet by being interested, and we started "dating" from afar.

Then we got together, it turned out she had been married three times and all she does is smoke, drink, and gamble and stalk her creepy ex husband. I ended up being robbed by her and her friends, nearly taken out to the desert, but the cat has claws.

I know one couple who met online and married, most are really bad matches. Either one lied to the other or they didn't take the time to become aquainted.

yes it can be very good on two counts (a) because you might never meet the person you are chatting too you most certainly not marry them. therefore yes a double wammy. they end up happy and you end up happy. James

As long as men and women are inovlved , probibly just a few . No matter how you meet , there will be those who adjust the trueth about who they really are and what they want , and what they plan to do in return , in order to attract another . But eventually , the trueth will come out .

I come from a generation that still finds it distasteful to use online dating.
A general sense of being desperate or pathetic. I'm betting the percentage of my age group that is digitally savvy is much lower than it is for the under 40 crowd

That whole online dating thing is crushing me too. Most women on there don’t respond to me and, those who do get bored of my political and philosophical talks.
You’re not alone!

Destroy your id and they can help.
Your long range happiness is now to be achieved through a series of encounters lasting anywhere from 10 minutes to a couple months, separated by ego-smashing, often inane messages between people you don't know at all. And smile.

my last partner, I found on the internet and I cared about her the most out of anybody I ever was with. her father had abused her and she took my trust for not caring and her daughter was a horrible little cow but my hands were tied so I threw the daughter out and obviously the mother went too. id keep an open mind really and not try too hard. we don't need partners, we just would really like one. I've been way more unhappy and lonely with the wrong person than I am on my own now. the trouble with online dating I think is people just say what the fuck they want or are after money or just taking the piss or its not even them in the pictures.

If the opinion of others affects your feeling of self worth you are listening to the wrong people.

How long is a peice of string?

Almost 4 years on and I am still convinced She is the best thing that ever happened to me. I did not meet Her through commercial dating sites. Those places are scams as far as I can tell. Get in online groups that encourage or allow dating, something you are interested in or passionate about. If you create a FB group, they will come. If you run it yourself you can keep out the wearisome dregs. Be as open and honest about who you are and what you want out of life, relationships, everything. It is not an instant process. I wish you the best!

Online dating is inherently shallow. I met someone pretty amazing through tinder, but I broke it off after a couple months. I’ll give it another go after the summer. Just too busy right now.

Many years ago I had an online dating experience, which, I am happy to say that never resulted in an acutal meeting. After chatting online with a woman for three consecutive days, she typed in the window: "I've got very expensive tastes." I replied: "I'm delighted to learn about your very expensive tastes, I hope you can afford them." Needless to say that was the end of communication with her.

I'm currently going through a divorce and signed up to some of the 'dating sites' to see what's out there for newly singles. Far from a veteran though and looking past my personal turn-offs(religious, heavy smokers, dumb,etc.) and no dates yet, it seems that the ones I find attractive don't feel the same, and vica versa. I've gotten a dozen hellos that are simply "Hey there", is that a required greeting or what? Heh. Anyway I'm still dabbling in it and avoiding the Jesus freaks, scammers and grifters. Note; Amazing the number of women with no pic of themselves, or a pic of their dog. Anyhoo, a newbies take, so far..

I met my girlfriend through someone I met on a online dating site does that count lol.

I haven't had any luck. There are a lot of freaks out there!

I don't know from a woman's perspective. I dated my ex for 5 years. I met her on POF. She had some weird dating experiences but mine were fine. I met some nice ladies. Some were a bit off and really not ready to date. I can imagine men can be a bit scary.

For me Yes, I’ve been with my man since May 2014, had to go thru a lot of crappy dates and conversations to find him.....

Dating online leaves a lot to the imagination
Imagine finding your 'soul mate' online.
You'll probably do it

I've had several relationships develop as a result of dating sites. Since I just started the online thing a couple of years ago, I can't speak to anything long-term, but there is much happiness in my life with these people.