The news is good, people! The stigma of online dating has mostly disappeared and more and more people are meeting their significant others online. In part 1 of this 2-part interview, we take a look at some folks who’ve found lasting love among the 0’s and 1’s.

Interviewee # 1
38/female
straight/poly

How long had you been dating online before you met your boyfriend? 

Welll…. it all depends on what you count as online dating… I was online dating before they had sites specifically dedicated to that. But if you mean how long had I been using online dating sites regularly before I met my partner, it was just about a year.

Do you remember any first impressions of your boyfriend’s  profile from before you first met him? 

Yes – his profile name was “hotspringshiker” and I was like “oh man, another skeezy Northern Californian dude who likes touching strangers without consent under murky water”.  Seriously though, I was annoyed with him because instead of being his own person he tied his whole identity into this outdoorsy Northern California thing.  Also, something like half of his profile was made up of some reading that he’d had… I can’t at this point remember whether it was astrology, name reading… no, it was a FACIAL reading. Hippie.

How did that first date go?

It went well. He met me at my place. He moved in.

We corresponded online for weeks before we met, which I never do because of the way it can add extra weight and meaning to a connection before it’s even a connection. He was out of town and in the process of moving to my city, and despite that I’d just had someone move in after a week of knowing them and it exploded in my face, I took the chance again. Sort of. It was a gradual process of him just failing to find another place to live and me not really caring.

How many dates did you go on before you knew this was probably going to be a serious thing?

I’m actually not sure. We broke up and got back together, so it was probably over a year or two before I knew it was going to be a serious thing. We dated for a very long time as a casual thing.

Interviewee # 2
65/male
straight

How long had you been dating online before you met your wife? 

3 years.

Do you remember any first impressions of your wife’s profile from before you first met her? 

Hair color & body type & profession.

How did that first date go?

Ok… no particular chemistry…just good conversation continuing prior email & phone exchanges. Interrupted lunch by a crisis with my daughter

How many dates did you go on before you knew this was probably going to be a serious thing?

2 months… maybe 4 or 5 dates.

Interviewee # 3
30/female
straight

How long had you been dating online before you met your fiance? 

I think I had been online dating for about 2 years before I met my fiance. I had tried every online dating service there was at the time.

Do you remember any first impressions of your fiance’s profile from before you first met him? 

He found my profile intriguing, the only thing I remember about his is that the site said we were not a good match percentage, which is kind of amusing now since I think we are perfect for each other.

How did that first date go?

It went surprisingly well. We had Thai food at Republic in Union Square and the date went well so we continued to chocolate fondue at Max Brenner’s. It was a little awkward as all first dates tend to be, but it definitely warranted a second date.

How many dates did you go on before you knew this was probably going to be a serious thing?

After our second date I went away to China for two weeks. Facebook, Twitter and all forms of communication but email are basically blocked. He sent me the most well written and romantic emails that I would come back to the hotel wifi and read after my adventurous day. I knew as soon as I came back from that trip it would be serious.

Interviewee # 4
35/female
straight

How long had you been dating online before you met your husband? 

I went on one date with two other guys that I met online before I met my husband.

Do you remember any first impressions of your husband’s profile from before you first met him? 

He had a friendly smile. He wasn’t doing anything to show off, it was just a normal picture. I liked that I could see he had a college degree, a full time job, and did not smoke. I’m sure there was more, but that’s what still sticks with me today about his profile information.

How did that first date go?

The first date was awesome. We talked for hours which hooked me. He had great stories, but not a show off. He seemed interested in what I had to say, but wasn’t looking at me like a piece of meat all night. He was humble and he was a gentleman.

How many dates did you go on before you knew this was probably going to be a serious thing?

We hung out a second time that same weekend and I knew that we would be seeing a lot of each other.