Chat Sites
I have been using Instant Messenger chat rooms for as long as I can remember, but I haven't really used them to enhance my love life before. Most of the chat sites I would frequent, after all, were dedicated to pretty specialized interests. I am a musician, and there are many different musician chat sites available for those who want to look for them. While your average chat site has little traffic and is frequented by bots, if you find the right one it can be a great place to network with other people.
The idea of going to a dating chat site, however, made me a little bit nervous. I only decided to go there, in fact because I was so desperate. It had been months since I had gone on a date, and I had been spending so much time on my own that I had practically forgotten how to socialize. I still kept in touch with my good friend, of course, but my normal anxiety with members of the opposite sex was worse than ever. A chat room seemed like a comfortable, easy way to break myself back into the routine. It certainly would be lower stress than the bar scene!
A lot of people avoid using a chat site because it seems too weird. After all, you know nothing about the people who you're talking to, save what they want you to know. If you are in an online chat, you can be anything you want. You can have a different age, different gender, a different appearance, and even a different career. This can be a little bit disorienting when you are looking for someone for love and romance.
Still, once you get used to it, this aspect of the chat site can be liberating. Because there is no pressure and complete anonymity, you can feel more free than usual to express yourself. You feel secure, knowing that anyone you meet that you don't want to stay in contact with is out of your life forever as soon as you close the window. This creates a kind of odd social dynamic. Chat site discussions are often frank and even graphic in nature. People feel very uninhibited because they are so safe. Nonetheless, although people act as if they know each other very well, it is a big jump between chatting online and meeting someone in the real world. Make sure you're ready before you try it.