By Janelle Burmaster

By Janelle Burmaster

I have been on something of a dating sabbatical for a few years now, but with the recent end of a long-term relationship, I’m finding there are so many different ways to meet someone these days. I used to think that if I didn’t meet someone through school or work I would be out of options – but that’s just not the case anymore.

Of course there are all the “Match.com” type sites and commercials hounding us with just how easy it is to meet the perfect partner. But is it any easier meeting someone online than in real life? For someone like me, who hasn’t gotten out much recently, online dating might be just what I need. I can look at pictures of people who think they look better than they do, and read self-loving descriptions on a person and decide if they’re worth talking to over the Web.

Now, online conversations are not always what they’re cracked up to be. I know from personal experience that it’s much easier to lie to someone over a computer screen than it is straight to their face. So how much honesty truly goes into an online dating profile? I mean, if my profile says I’m a 5-foot-6, 102 pound natural redhead who likes long walks on the beach, then what lies am I reading about someone else?

It was just recently though that the world of online dating suddenly intrigued me in a way I never thought it would. A lot of my friends, unbeknownst to me, have decided to post Web pages on MySpace.com. It is generally used as way for people to keep in touch with friends as their lives take them to new and exciting places. The beauty of using MySpace to date though is that there is a greater likelihood for a person to be themselves on their own webpage with their friends checking in daily, who can call them on their big fat lies.

I tested this theory and typed in a random name. There was Pleasecruise Mauldin, connected to his page were pictures of others I recognized and some I didn’t. Through the vast number of people connected by the six degrees of Kevin Bacon, I found my way to someone that actually struck my interest Now all I have to do send an IM or drop an email and we can strike up an online conversation that may prove to be more real life than any dating service could promise me or charge me to use.

I’ll keep you posted on my findings. If nothing else, at least I’ve put myself out there.