Street Cents

Street Cents checks out the dating scene - online

Here's what you need to know:

So, you want to find a date. Maybe you're looking for a new hottie on the Internet.

It's a convenient place to meet people and you can do it from your bedroom over a latte in a cyber café. But if you decide to meet in person, be careful.

Street Cents spoke to Katie. She's one Canadian teen who found a date on the Internet - but things went horribly wrong. Here's what happened.

Katie's story:

Katie joined a few chat groups, one was called IRC - Internet Relay Chat. It's a virtual meeting place where people from all over the world can meet and talk and participate in group discussions or just talk in private. She also joined an online community called "makeoutclub.com"

Soon after logging on to makeoutclub.com, Katie began talking to one guy more frequently. They talked almost every day, mostly about their interests and the things they had in common. After about a year and a half, they decided to meet at a place near her house.

Katie took her best friend with her and her Internet date showed-up with a friend. As soon as they were on the highway headed to a party, Katie new she was in trouble.

When they got to the party there were just a few guys hanging out and everyone began drinking. Katie and her friend were getting very uncomfortable. Katie's Internet date began putting on the moves - trying to kiss her and force her to have sex.

Katie told him to back-off, and made it clear that she and her friend wanted to go home. After a couple more hours, one of his friends agreed to take them home - but he had been drinking as well. Katie didn't want to get in the car, but felt she had no other choice. So much for the Internet date - he was passed out in the backseat.

Katie had a bad experience with online dating - but she learned from this experience and wouldn't make the same mistakes again. She's still meeting people online, but she's more careful.

Safety Tips for online dating:

Don't place any contact info in your ad
Use a non-identifying e-mail address like a Hotmail one where you can change all your personal info or make-up fake ones
Make a different e-mail address for online dating so if you want to ditch the date, you won't have them harassing you on your primary e-mail account.
If you decide to meet in person - wait until you've had numerous phone calls, exchanged pictures and your comfort level is high.
Meet in daylight at a public place, possibly with a friend, for a defined time - 30 minutes is a good time limit.
If you are very nervous, meet in a restaurant and have a friend sit at another table to observe what's going on.
Be modest about the photograph you choose - a full body shot, fully clothed is best

How Does an Online Dating Site Work?

Most online dating sites want you to pay a small fee for the service
You can browse for free, but in order to make contact with anyone, you have to have a credit card
Some sites charge a monthly fee - others operate on a fee-per-use basis.
Most sites work with "credits." That means, you buy and use credits to talk to people. Depending on the site, it can cost you anywhere from $4US to $40US for 10 to 200 credits. § As a user, you create a "public identity." This profile includes your sex, age, locale, marital status, the type of relationship you want, sexual preferences and hobbies.
You can search for people by age, location, hobbies, etc…
More than a ¼ of the people who have looked for dates online admit to having misrepresented themselves.
The topic three areas for stretching the truth are age, appearance and marital status

Some Online Dating Facts:

According to the Love Online study conducted by MSN Microsoft in 2000, there were 2 men for every woman dating online - but now it's about equal.
When online dating first started, about five years ago, most people thought it was for the "Miss Lonely Hearts" - all of the stigmas that existed then have disappeared.
People on online dating sites don't often give accurate information about themselves.
A lot of teens go for online dating because it's quick and immediate. It also softens the blow if there is rejection.
The Love Online study also concluded that within another five years, 11 per cent of the population will have used an online dating service.

original air date: November 26, 2001

Back: to Episode 07

Online Dating Testimonials:

"Not much romance per se, just a lot of on-line flirting."

"Even though I do get replies, I never agree to meet the men in person or even really have a serious online conversation. I'm just not interested and just do not believe that dating online is a very good idea."

"I was on ICQ late one night and then out of nowhere I get a message from a guy who says I sound interesting. We talked for about two hours and made plans to see a movie. It ended up that I didn't find him at the theatre because I didn't know what he looked like. So I called him and he came over. He ended up going to Texas for the sumer and I kind of forgot about him, until he called me in early September. We met a few times as friends, then I asked him out, and viola! It's been seven great months."