Online dating has plenty of positives

NEWS that online dating scams reached a record high last year, with 3,889 victims handing over £39 million, is enough to put you off giving it a bash.

But anyone who thinks it’s a bad idea to enter the cyber world of romance should know that it has plenty going for it too.

Two pals can testify to that. I remember clearly the conversations I had with them only a year or so ago.

They were fed up with dating. Both had tried numerous websites and the traditional method (going out, drinking too much, mistaking him as Brad Pittesque) and drawn a blank.

Worse, they had some horror stories — normally associated with online dating.

Take Harriet (not her real name). She fell for one date big time. He was hot, funny and interesting and the second date couldn’t come fast enough.

Except that when it did, he told her he didn’t find her attractive (I’d like to point out that she is) and that there was no spark.

My other friend (let’s call her Suzi) decided it was time for a goodbye kiss after her third date with the same guy.

She said it was like being eaten by a wildebeest — and not in a nice way. Not surprisingly, there was no fourth date.

But here’s the thing. Both friends got to the stage where they rolled their eyes, sighed and decided to give the whole key-tapping search one more go.

Harriet was convinced that men would be put off by the fact that she was in her late thirties, and would regard her as some sort of egg-harvesting bunny boiler.

So she told her next date at their first meeting that she wanted to meet someone and have kids pretty soon.

Expecting him to run a mile, she was flabbergasted when he replied: “Me too.”

Two months later, they moved in together and now, a year on, she’s pregnant.

Suzi decided to give a well-known online dating firm one more go after several terrible experiences.

That last chance resulted in her falling in love with a broad-shouldered action man. They are now shacked up in a country cottage and she’s never been happier.

As long as you don’t part with cash and you meet in a safe, open area until you’re sure, online dating isn’t so scary.

Even the bad encounters make for great pub stories.

The snobbery surrounding online dating — you know, the ‘what’s wrong with old fashioned talking to people in a bar?’ view — is all but gone.

There may be some nutters and scammers online but guess what? There are a good few of them in our pubs too.

With one-in-three dates now being set up through a dating website, what’s clear is that a good many more are looking for love.