Internet romance?
A friend recently asked me whether it's possible to meet someone on the Internet and fall in love. I said, well, I think you have to meet in person first before you can tell whether the relationship has any potential of developing further.
I mean, I believe yeah, you might get along amazingly with emails and instant messaging, but speaking face-to-face is something totally different. What if you suddenly discover that this girl is the type to interrupt you every time you're in the middle of telling her something, and changes the topic abruptly whenever some stray thought crosses her mind? (I know people like this. I generally just let them talk, because that's what they want to do. I don't fight the flow coz I don't think I'd win :P)
Besides, there's the looks issue. Now, I KNOW we're not supposed to be appearance-oriented, and I'm generally not, but I'm not going to say that looks don't matter. As Dean Sherman said, if looks really don't matter, I wouldn't even own a mirror ;)
Basically, I'd say that you do have to find the person's looks appealing to you. It's not like she has to be drop-dead gorgeous -- but at the same time, there has to be some element of attraction. Come on, you're talking about waking up next to this person for maybe the next 60 years and facing them across the breakfast table. I am honest enough to say that at least, I have to find the person non-repulsive!!
Apart from this, I think knowing people on the Internet is different from knowing them "in person" because without spending a considerable amount of time with them, you just don't know what they are really like, or how they respond to various situations. When he is stressed out, how does he deal with it? Is he easily upset over minor matters, like when things don't go his way? Does he steam over things for days, or let it all out in an explosion and then forget about it after that? When angry or upset, will he take it out on the people around him? How does he handle conflict and differences of opinion? Is he obsessed with winning an argument? These are all things you just don't know if you don't get to see the person while he's in the particular situation.
Plus you won't know whether he has some disgusting habit like picking his nose in public or belching loudly after every meal ;P
I see the Internet as a place where one could meet people and make the initial connection with somebody. But I think eventually the relationship has to move away from there and into "real life". If all the communication is done through emails and chat programmes (or even over the phone), I wouldn't be getting the full picture of what the other person is like. That's why I don't set too much store on online dating sites -- as an avenue to meet more people and make friends, perhaps, but to find the love of your life? Pfah. 