Though mass media has had something to do with the rise in popularity and gradual acceptance of online dating, the advantages to online dating have actually propelled it to the mainstream of the singles dating scene.

The More the Merrier

Online dating gives you a lot of potential dates and prospects. Dating sites have thousands of members (some even claim hundreds of millions of members) so you have got a lot of options. You can spend weeks browsing through member profiles looking for friend, chat mate, casual date, or long-time life partner. Now, give me one singles bar, event or grocery store that can give you this many choices?

Numbers help

Though online dating gives you a lot of choices, you don't have to pay an arm and a leg for the opportunity. Most sites have free profile options and you can wait for other members to contact you. If you want to be able to initiate contact, most dating sites will require you to pay a monthly membership fee.

This membership fee is nothing compared to the cost of going to various singles bars and singles events. You don't have to pay for tickets, for entrance fees, for drinks, for a new dress or hairdo, for a new pair of shoes, for a new tie, etc. You get thousands of opportunities and you only pay a fixed monthly fee. What more could you ask for?

A casual affair

In a singles bar, you'd have to be dressed to kill and be groomed at your best so that you will have at least a chance of catching another single's interest. In online dating, you can wear your pajamas and go on a date and nobody will care. All you need to do is browse over people's profile and find people you'd like to date over cyberspace. You can talk, you can flirt and you can have a wonderful time getting to know a lot of people.

If another person gives you the brush off, it's not the end of the world for you. Just shrug that off and find another date. You don't have to take online rejection as personally because the other person cannot see you and cannot gauge your reactions. You save face and you can move on, clear and simple. Online dating makes introductions truly easy and rejections relatively painless. For those with a fear of dating, the process is much easier and can end up connecting you with people you would have otherwise not met.

Please be Yourself

People complain about posers and players online. But guess what? There is also a positive flipside to the blank slate you have as you begin a new profile. You don't have to pretend to be someone you're not! In online dating, you can make your profile as truthful as it can be and then find people who'll like you just the way you are. You don't have to pretend that you're looking for meaningful relationships when you only want physical encounters. Just put what you'd like and who you want to meet in your profile and be with people who'd like the same things you do. It's that straightforward and simple.

There are a lot more advantages to online dating as somebody who's been at it for a while can attest. If you're a doubting Thomas, try it and find yourself a doubting Teresa!