LONDON (Reuters) - Tech-savvy singletons take heart -- research shows
looking for love in cyberspace is one of the most successful ways to
find a partner.
Nearly all would-be Romeos and Juliets who used dating Web sites found
someone to hook up with, says Dr Jeff Gavin, an expert on cyber dating
who has conducted a poll into finding partners online.
"Ninety-four percent of those surveyed saw their 'e-partner' again
after first meeting them, and the relationships lasted for an average of at
least seven months," he said.
For 18 percent of the 229 people who took part in the survey, the
pairing lasted over a year or longer.
"It seems relationships that start online have a similar level of
success as ones formed in more conventional ways," he said. The findings
have been submitted to Britain's Journal of Personal and Social
Relationships.
Gavin, a psychology lecturer at the University of Bath said the
research threw up some other interesting pointers.
"Online chatting was, as one of the most successful means of
communicating, better even than e-mailing," he said, adding that simultaneous
online chatting in real-time allowed less chance of "impression
management" compared with e-mailing.
But for all the gadgets and wizardry available to cyber lovers there
was still a place for old-fashioned romancing.
"Exchanging gifts, writing letters and chatting on the telephone were
important in building a relationship," he said.
And for all those people who say looks are paramount, that does not
seem to be the case for online lovers. Only nine percent used Web cams.
"We found people are shying away from using Web cams because they feel
it's important not to see their partners for some time -- there is
something special about text-based relationships."
Gavin said the research also found that many lovers who began online
relationships would often celebrate their anniversaries by exchanging
sweet nothings on the Internet.
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