It's a good article. I've been in a few situations like this and it's very frustrating. Emailing, messaging, and texting is great at the beginning, but eventually it should lead to actually talking, to phone calls and people meeting and having a connection in real life, and being able to continue that. Unless it's an online friendship, I've got several of those, but those are usually with people who live far away or we both have crazy schedules where it's difficult to see each other. And some online connections have turned into friendships, where at least we both knew where this was where we stood. But if it's a potential relationship, it's just a waste of my time.

I'm sure there are varied motivations and reservations. So be it.

But I don't text - period. So within a mutually comfortable period of time - some email, that graduates to phone time, and then face-to-face. Or I'm outta there.

Because stranger danger?

The vast majority of the women here are just too far away to make meeting an option so I keep my expectations realistic and make the connections I can online. If it were do-able, there's at least a half dozen women here I'd ask out for a drink to meet and chat with in person.

Just not all at once.

"...if you're an intuitive person, you can tell a lot from a face..." made me think immediately of Ted Bundy.

In this article, I was quite alarmed as the author stated "you can tell a lot by a face" to defend meeting quickly.
Ted Bundy was a tall, blonde, blue-eyed good-looking practicing lawyer, who, after he raped& killed you & planted you in a shallow grave, came back every 6 weeks or so to touch up your makeup & have more "sex" with you. "Tell by a face,"........ nice way to find yourself chained in a basement, at best!

One thing I've felt is odd, is that some who have listed as seeking (men, women bi) whatever,
have a pic that is obviously not them.
Although there could be reasons for that I'm not aware of.

I've met (not from this site) a few people irl from a blog site that I used to belong to.
It's no longer active, and it wasn't a dating site, but still met some.
2 of them were not ANYTHING like they portrayed on line.
2 others got together and went on a road trip to meet a few people.
neither of those were in any romantic catagory, they were just great online friends.
That meeting was awesone, they were both exactly the people they seemed online.
even though that site is no more, we still keep in touch.

So you never know.

I actually didn't come to this site for meeting any one romantically, I was here for the community, which btw, is really great.
but I did change it to meeting friends.
But once again, one never knows, there just might be another that I am friends with that could lead towards something else. So I'm not really that active to pursuing any romance, but i do keep an opend mind.
Again, one never knows.

Another example that we humans are unable to be honest and respectful of each other..

I fell for this a couple times early in my "re-introduction" into the dating scene, but no longer. What sucks is that you make such a great connection, but only on paper, so to speak. I agree with the statement that it happens because it's a risk free enterprise for those not wanting to get hurt by rejection. But that's a chance you must take if you're serious about finding a partner. I don't expend much energy on those I know I will never meet.
I'm not even trying to date right now. Just livin my life....but I do know if "it" happens...it'll be in real face time.