I will always remember the first time I came across the idea of an online dating site, it was a number of years ago now and was suggested to me by a good friend. Id been on the singles market for quite a while, so to speak. My friend was trying to be helpful with what he thought was a gentle nudge in the right direction.

I remember it vividly, as at the time I was horrified by the idea of using a dating site. Me? I have no problem finding a date; it was natural to me, although when I thought about it at more length I had to admit that after many false starts, I was still hopelessly single. Even so, how could online dating possibly help me? Its full of people pretending to be people theyre not and fake photos, isnt it?

I continued with my usual routine that evening, I went home, had dinner and sat myself down in front of the television. Except that evening, I had a nagging thought in the back of my head; it would simply not go away. In the end, all I could think about was online dating and how I should at least take a look at it.

I pottered across to my PC and logged in, using my favourite search engine I nervously typed in the phrase online dating. My search was returned and I decided to click on the site that was at the top. I do not recall my first reaction, what I do remember is thinking how easy the site was to use and how well laid out it was.

All I had to do was set up an account, provide details of the type of person I was looking for and submit. As there was nothing to lose at this stage, I was more than happy to feed my inquisitive nature. You are only required to pay to join an online dating site when you are ready to submit your own details. I still had no intention of doing this, so browsing would not harm anyone.

When I next looked at the clock, I was surprised to realise how much time had passed. I had been at my PC for a long while, I had become engrossed. These were real people; they did have real photographs as well. I was utterly amazed at how many different people had submitted their profile and embraced online dating. Perhaps I has misjudged online dating, maybe I was missing out on the love of my life simply because I did not understand it?

Within an hour I had created my full online dating account, I had uploaded my description and photo. I felt excited about the prospect of a new beginning, also nervous. What happens if I do not get any responses, what if no body likes me?

I should not have worried; online dating was a fantastic experience which ultimately led me to my wife and new found family. Ill tell you about that story another day. Until then, what are you waiting for!?