So maybe it's not poetic. Maybe it's not boy meets girl, boyfalls in love with girl and boy and girl get married and have abunch of kids. For most people, storybook romances are for thestorybooks.
In 21st century computer based living, online match making is asteadily growing trend. Maybe meeting someone through a personal adcan lead to happily ever after.
Glenda Downs of Mississippi, 50, was not a likely candidate forlooking for romance online, but things changed after her husbandpassed away in December 2001.
"I used to think anybody who had to go online to meet someonehad something wrong with them," Downs said.
Downs said earlier this year a friend showed her the matchmaking website american singles.com and encouraged her to send inher profile for free and see what the computer came up with. Downssaid she thought she'd give it a try but was skeptical.
"I told my friend I'd never find anyone online," Downs said.
She said when you put a profile on without signing up you cansee responses and matches to your profile but you cannot respond toany matches.
For many, meeting people is not that easy and online personalsare a preferred choice. Some positive aspects of Internet datingare a person can get to know someone first before any pre-judgmenton looks occurs. Some people just aren't comfortable going out tobars or being in the singles scene. Match making web sites pose asa new alternative. Not only do people get to look for others in acatalog sort of way, but these web sites generate possible matchesbased on the information and interests provided in a profile.
"I like online match making, because you don't have to tell themyour name, number and address-- you get to know them first," Downssaid.
Downs works out of her home and said she only went to church andhorse shows, which didn't have many singles her age. She searcheddifferent sites after trying american singles.com and decided toput profiles on match.com and kiss.com.
"I wanted to meet someone but I wanted to make friends too,"Downs said. "I've made friends who I communicate with throughe-mails."
There are many personal ad websites currently on the net.Udate.com claims to have 6,000 new sign-ups a day and itsaffiliate, kiss.com, claims 50,000 new sign-ups a week. One of thebiggest and most popular sites around, match.com boasts having 8million profiles with 5 million of them being viewed every day. Inaddition, match.com offers a full website with tips on dating,success stories, articles and the site sponsors events and travelpackages where singles can meet.
According to an article in The Observer in June 2002, onlinepersonal ads were one of the first booming markets on the net.Until now they've had a "sad, geeky reputation" but statisticssuggest that in 3 years, more than 50 percent of singles will meettheir partners online.
Senior history major Andrew Reese said he stays away frommeeting people online because you just don't know what kind ofpeople are on there, but he said he thinks online dating is a lotmore acceptable than it used to be.
"I don't look down on people who do it," Reese said. "It'sanother outlet for meeting people, for those who don't feelcomfortable going out (to bars) to meet people."
Reese said he thought that older people were probably more opento online dating because it's usually easier for younger singles tomeet others and they are more willing to go out to do so. He saidit's easier for college students to meet new people.
"I'd rather do it the old fashioned way-- go to bars, meetpeople at school," Reese said.
Match making sites offer suggestions on how to place ads, safetytips and how to go about meeting someone in person after getting toknow them online.
Sage-hearts.com suggests that all users proceed with caution. Itadvises users to remain anonymous during early correspondence anddon't give in to anyone pressuring for information. A helpful tipis to check with your ISP server and make sure your online profiledoesn't contain personal information you don't want to give outlike an address or phone number.
Most sights tell people to trust their instincts when it comesto safety. If it feels like a scam or if people feel uneasy aboutwhom they're communicating with, chances are they're right aboutit.
Memphis City School teacher Yalaunda Taylor said she thinksolder adults probably don't want to go out to bars and find theinternet an alternative to going out to meet people, but shepersonally would not go online to meet people.
"In my opinion, it's impersonal," Taylor said. "You don't knowwhat you're going to get-- you have to go with what they tellyou."
Taylor did mention, however, that she has a friend who met a manonline. After two years they met and hit it off. Her friend movedto his home state and got married and the couple had a baby and isplanning on having another.
Downs said that on April 25 kiss.com generated a match for her.Her friend encouraged her to send the fellow an e-mail.
"I said he was cute but what do I say?" Downs said.
His name is Dave and she sent him an e-mail saying she wouldlike to communicate and he responded saying he would like to also.They hit it off right away and began talking on the phone and afteralmost a month, they decided to meet. Dave lives in Texas, so theymet halfway the first time. Since then they have met twice-- hecame to see her and she came to him. She said since the beginningthey have clicked and she has found no reason not to trust him.
"I've tried to find something wrong with him, but I justcouldn't," Downs said. "It just feels right."
Downs said they felt comfortable talking to each other rightaway and both of them opened up and spoke from the heart. Downssaid she is confident this relationship is going somewhere.
So it doesn't read like a storybook. Maybe it reads like amovie. Maybe it can be like Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks in "You've GotMail." Some people are finding happily ever after online. So thestorybook romance moves to the computer screen.
