I have used online dating, I am 22 and I am now dating a 29 year old. I used match and okcupid. I used online dating because it's hard to meet people in my area (rural), I am very socially awkward or I attract the wrong type of guy (or maybe the setting of bars is bad as well). I was also looking for someone more serious, someone who also wanted a friendhsip that turned into a relationship (for me, friendship first to know what you are getting into).
The problem I found with online dating is that you have to really filter out your results and be active looking for someone. I haven't had personal postive things happen by waiting for some guy to message me. I messaged guys if I found something on their profile interesting. If they didn't answer, not a big deal, obviously I wouldn't take offense to be ignored: as I ignored some guys who I found unattractive profile wise or physically. I used match.com and I think it was better in the sense that people had to pay for their profile versus signing up and messaging any hot girl they see. BUT okcupid (free) had more people on it but quality over quantity in this case. Okcupid was filled with guys looking to just hook up and I was not interested, despite saying I was looking for something serious in my profile.
What I have personally found interesting about online dating is that, you should speak over the phone first before meeting. I hate talking on the phone BUT I met a guy and just texted him, it ended up he had a lisp and speech problem (which was not that reason I didn't like him) but we just had nothing in common. I think talking on the phone would have helped avoid that awkward situation. I spoke with my current boyfriend on the phone beforehand and we spoke 3 or 4 times before meeting which I think helped.
Another thing that I find interesting is that I don't think I would have had a problem meeting someone or had to use match.com if I had a facebook. I hated facebook and deleted 3 years ago and I then reactivated it for business reasons. People started adding me, whom I didn't know, they were cute, my age, had friends and hobbies in common, just on facebook. They would message me and ask me out or I would ask who they were and they will really tell me everything lol. I am very much surprised on how facebook could bring people to date and I thnk it would be a huge possibilty.
If you do try online dating, don't get too hung up on some people's profiles either or hung up on a particular trait. I was looking for someone into music (personally electronic genre). Anyone who didn't like my particular genre or who did like it, I would automatically group them as a no and yes group. If I did that with my current boyfriend, we wouldn't be together. I introduced him to my music and now it's something special for us, that brought us together. Our differences brought us together in way and now we both enjoy it. So give people a chance, there's more than a profile. I also said I wouldn't date older than 27...which could have hindered me. I realize I have more in common with older guys than I knew and I don't feel an age difference between us at all.
What I think really counts is messaging at first though. You can really tell if someone on there is trashy or not based on their messaging back and forth...so grammar (to me) matters as I value a good education and intelligence. I guess don't think too much about it: dive in, message as many people as you can, try and keep an open mind as well
