This is the big
question for everyone involved in online dating. While there are some
disadvantages to Internet relationships, there are some good things as well.
Internet relationships can work if the couple is committed to making it work. An internet relationship is nearly identical to a long distance relationship and there are many couples whom are proof that love can overcome the distance. If you think you have found a great person online, the hardship of having an Internet relationship may be worth it.
How to Make Internet Relationship Work
There are a few things that couples can do to help their Internet
relationships succeed.
Communication
All relationships need communication in order to last. This is
especially true for Internet relationships. In fact, communication is all that
some Internet couples have since they are unable to spend time together
in-person like traditional couples.
The great thing about
this, however, is that the couple will quickly determine if they enjoy talking
together. On a normal date, you may be blind to the lack of intellectual and
emotional compatibility if you are physically attracted to your partner. When
all you can do with each other is talk, you'll know for certain if the two of
you share a connection.
This creates a
communication and emotional base to the relationship that can be lacking from
traditional relationships. If the two of you transition from Internet to
in-person couple, you'll have the potential to be a very emotionally connected
couple.
Use the Phone
Since Internet couples often start communicating by e-mail and
instant messages, there is a tendency to continue relying on these
communication methods. Writing to each other has its place, but you'll enjoy
the relationship more if you use the phone as well. Hearing each other's voice
just can't be replaced by typing emoticons.
To avoid long distance phone bills or to save your wireless
minutes, consider using Internet voice technologies. Services such as Skype allow you to talk over the Internet
using your high-speed connection. You can talk for hours without having to
worry about the bill.
Meet in Person
While the phone is an improvement over e-mail and instant
messaging, nothing can match spending time together in person. If you haven't
met each other yet, begin making plans to do so. Some couples don't consider
their relationship official until they verify in-person chemistry. Chances are
the chemistry you have on the Internet and over the phone will continue when
you meet, but you can't be absolutely sure until you are standing next to each
other.
After you meet for the
first time, begin making plans for a second visit, if the first meeting went
well. The time between visits can be hard to endure, especially if you are in
love. However, having an upcoming date on the calendar will give you something
tangible to hold onto and look forward to in-between visits.
Honesty
Everyone you date
deserves your honesty, but Internet relationships are overly dependent upon
honesty. An Internet relationship is not for everyone. If you find that you
can't endure the separation or are tired of being limited to phone and e-mail
conversations, be honest about it. There is no sense continuing any
relationship if your heart is not in it.
Trust
Along with honesty is
the need for trust. Since you are not physically near each other in an Internet
relationship, it can be difficult to know exactly what the other person is
doing with his or her spare time. This easily allows suspicion to enter the
relationship. If you can't trust that your Internet partner isn't also dating
someone else, then your Internet relationship is doomed to fail.
Internet Relationship Endgame
Assuming the goal of your Internet relationship is to eventually
have a traditional, in-person relationship, then at some point you'll need to
discuss how to make this happen. When to talk about this is a sensitive matter.
If you talk about it too soon, you may scare off the other person. If you wait
too long, your date may become anxious and want to end the relationship.
For every couple the
timing is different, but at some point, you need to discuss how, and possibly,
when, the two of you can finally be together.
Conclusion
Can Internet relationships work? Of course they can. For a couple that is
interested in each other and wants to see where the relationship goes, the
Internet should be seen as a means of
communication instead of the definition of their relationship.
Tips for making Internet Relationship Easier
1. Keep in touch, whether via phone, email, text/msg or Skype.
2. Be open and honest with each other. It wont be easy but this isn't the time
"Fake it until you make it"
3. Make time just for the two of you when you are together.
4. Remember to make kind gestures for each other.
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