since when do you jump steps when meeting someone, whether its online or IRL because the point I was making in my post was, We met online, but then shortly after we met in real life and started our relationship from there, the online chat was merely the catalyst to get things going...there were no oppourtunities where I was at the time, and yes I was honest about myself, sent a picture that was not flattering in any way, I am about 60 pounds overweight, you cant hide that! If you are honest up front and do the traditional dating routines after meeting, then there is absolutley nothing wrong with meeting online for the first time, it lets you be alot more open and honest about things without the face to face meeting....I for one am shy around women and it allowed me to be myself and let her decide if she liked me or not....much easier to move on if it aint right at that stage than later on....but in my case it was a very good fit for both of us....almost 8 years later and I have NO regrets, other than not meeting her SOONER!