It can be pretty challenging trying to locate and meet compatible dating partners that mesh with your personality, value system, and attraction needs. These difficulties can be compounded for gay singles. It’s not that easy to differentiate who is straight or gay at the local supermarket, let alone who is single and available. Or what if you’re not into the gay bar scene? What if you don’t have access to a gay community because you live in a rural area or if your lifestyle doesn’t place you in situations where you would have much exposure to other gay singles? It’s tough! Thankfully, the advent of the Internet has given singles yet another venue to access each other with the presence of personals and matchmaking sites. These are all not created equal, however! read more >>

Introduction

When you have an online dating personals ad, much of the initial communication and interaction that you will have with a potential dating prospect is primarily through the written word—mainly via e-mail or online chatting. As our society continues to embrace technology as a preferred mode of communication, the traditional “courtship” process has been forever altered when it comes to getting to know someone for potential dating. The lack of face-to-face contact in the very beginning and early stages of online dating can be advantageous as a relatively safe screening period to determine possible compatibility before moving ahead to the more vulnerable direct in-person contact. This can save a lot of time and energy and aids in boosting confidence about meeting someone new. However, it’s also a very impersonal mode of communication fraught with many missing elements that can make this screening process more challenging. For example, the inability to read body language is a major obstacle, as is the difficulty in being able to gauge whether any actual physical chemistry exists between the two people. read more >>