Lets face it -the world as we know it has changed significantly, and depending on your own individual perspective - for the better or for the worse.  Let me explain from both perspectives and offer a few suggestions.

First, the positives of a virtual world:

For those of us savvy enough to leverage the technology that the world wide web and all of its virtual extensions provide us, meeting a life partner online might seem like an easy task.  You have at your disposal thousands if not hundreds of thousands of social networking forums in the way of blogs, message boards, chat rooms, dating services, personals and many others.  This can seem daunting and overwhelming to be sure, but look at the upside - you never have to leave the comfort of your home (or office) to contact someone.  Nor do you need to pick up the phone and have a live conversation to initially 'vet' people you meet online.  You can view pictures, watch videos and review personal commentary and generally get a sense of a person based on the information they provide in an online forum.  This in itself can save hours, weeks or months of 'in person' meetings which may or may not materialize into something serious.  Forget the amount of $$ involved in taking physical trips and days off work...

And now, the not so great...

There is certainly something to be said for the 'old fashioned' blind/semi-blind date concept.  there is always the 'butterflies' or pre-date 'jitters' which invoke emotion.  Additionally, the old addage about 'never judge a book by its cover' certainly applies here as well.  Not everyone has the 'gift of gab' or is 'smooth' in every interaction.  You could miss a gem if simply looking at a picture or a personal description and making a snap judgement based on that limited information.  The virtual world isn't always so neat and clean either - people often use the anonymity of the web to falsify information, pictures and history - just because they can.  This 'cloak' also allows many people to become emboldened and say or post things they might never say in person.  Its also difficult if not impossible to judge whether a person is being serious or is just a neophyte.  Dating and matrimonial sites often cite that they protect your privacy, but do they? How do you know that the profile you are browsing really is a person with like-minded interests and not someone playing the game?  The short and honest answer - you don't...

Some no-nonsense recommendations on how to get started and where to look...

• Explore sites which are new, fresh and are focused on what this generation of singles are looking for.  Look for sites which allow you to personally define the characteristics of your ideal mate - after all, it is you who is looking for love!
• Take a chance!  Know that 'bigger' is not always 'better.'  You can get lost in a sea of thousands in the larger sites.  Look for the smaller, newer sites which will offer you more visibility and will want to retain your business.  These sites often run promotions to attract new members!
• Ensure sites offer you the ability to 'block' unwanted communications.  No doubt you will get one sooner or later.
• Look for sites which offer chat - this is a excellent way to interact with someone quickly and efficiently.
• Look for sites which require photos for all profiles - these are few and far between and typically most of your 'spam' or unwanted communications comes from 'fake profiles' or profiles which have no picture associated with them
• Important characteristics are SSL certificates (should be on their homepage and/or on payment processing pages)
• Know that the old addage ' you get what you pay for' rings ever so true.  The sites which charge for services do this for a reason - because what they are selling is valuable.

A suggestion if you'd be willing to take it....

Check out .  This is a brand new site which was recently launched and is focused on this generation's interests.  All profiles require a photo.  Check it out and let me know what you think....