Online Matters

I did something this morning that took a lot of courage for me considering something I went through last September.  I met up for a play date with someone I’d never even clapped eyes on before - not even a picture.  Not only that but we’d only exchanged a couple of emails and a few text messages so hadn’t really built up a cyber-friendship.

The thing is, I actually met my husband, Matt, online 7 years ago.  When I used to tell people about this they were amazed but over the past few years it’s more or less become the norm to meet friends, lovers and spouses online – hell, with the birth of ancestry websites people are even meeting family online!

I think the world wide web opens just that up to us – the world.  People now understand the power of the Internet for forming new relationships although there are a handful of people who are still sceptical of this.  They think meeting online people involves a bunch of saddos or perves.  Granted, there are a few of these but that’s just the same as there is in the ‘real’ world.

For me, joining an online dating website wasn’t a big deal, (I had been married at the age of 22 and divorced before 28) I was 29 and living alone with my dog Betty (aka Dogface).  Most of my friends were married or in long-term relationships and some had children.  I wasn’t desperate to be with someone but I was sick and tired of going out with single friends and meeting idiots.   I wanted some fun without being leered at, lager dribbled on me and paying for drink, club entrance fees and taxis.

I signed up to the site just after Christmas and I actually enjoyed sifting through the messages to remove all the weirdos.   It was the 25^th of January when I noticed a guy who had added me to his ‘favourites’.  He ticked all the right boxes on his profile and his pictures looked good too.   We made contact via email and phone and on 31^st January he drove up to Chester from Derby to see me. We moved in together 6 months later and the rest is history.

The point I’m getting at – in a rather long-winded way, as usual – is that online matters to me.  I will always embrace the opportunities and relationships that the Internet can offer me.  I almost lost that confidence last year due to someone I met online but I can’t deny what the Internet has given me.  It’s given me a core handful of close friends, a few good friends and acquaintances but more importantly it’s given me my life – my husband and now my daughter.

Three cheers for the Internet!

p.s. The meet with my now new friend was superb.  She’s lovely – as are all the people I’ve met online who I now call my friends…you know who you are :-)


Photo by: graur razvan ionut