Online dating has been around for a while now. As I said in my new book, Love at First Site, I was actually a very early adopter of online dating, using JDate back in 2000 or 2001, before people really had any idea what it was all about. (JDate first launched in 1997.) My parents, naturally, flipped out, thinking I was going to meet some psycho-killer, or worse, someone who wasn’t worthy of their daughter! The worst that happened, of course, was a few bad dates with some socially awkward men… er… boys who were clueless as to what dating actually entailed. But why not try? I was technologically savvy. I mean, I did have a cell phone in college before anyone else did, even if it was this giant blue boxy thing that I didn’t want anyone to know I had. (It was very uncool to have a cell phone back then. My, how times have changed!)

I thought we’d take a stroll down memory lane and compare online dating in the early 2000s to online dating today.

Then

Person 1: Um… I’m going on a date with this guy Gerry.

Person 2: That’s great! Where did you meet him?

Person 1: Well, we haven’t actually “met” yet. I found him on JDate.

Person 2: What?!?! You’re not that desperate, are you? Geez—protect yourself! Tell me all the details. Let me know where you’ll be. I just hope you’ll be safe. You never know what psychos are hiding on those sites. Wow — I didn’t know anyone I knew would actually try online dating!

Now

Person 1: Um… I’m going on a date with this guy Gerry.

Person 2: That’s great! Where did you meet him?

Person 1: On JDate.

Person 2: Cool! My sister met her husband on JDate. Have fun!

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Then

OMG—I think that guy across the room at the dessert table looked at my profile on (whisper) JDate. I can’t even look at him. How embarrassing!

Now  

That guy looks familiar from JDate. I think I’ll go say hi! Maybe it’ll speed up the process of him asking me out. 😉

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Then

Which four pictures should I use for my JDate profile? I guess I’ll have to upload the pictures from my new digital camera to my computer to post them on the site. Or I guess I can scan some of the other ones I have. I hope it works.

Now

Which 12 pictures should I use for my JDate profile? Let me check out some pics on Facebook and my phone to see which ones I want to use. Actually, I think there’s a really good one on Instagram that someone tagged me in!

Side note: I still only recommend posting three to five photos.

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Then

Person: How did you two meet?

Couple: Um… well… haha… it’s a long story. (Look at each other embarrassingly.)

Now

Person: How did you two meet?

Couple (in unison): On JDate! I hear that if you have a JBaby, they actually send you a onesie if you let them know!

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The stigma is gone, and online dating is here to stay. Daily Mail UK predicts that in 20 years, half of all couples will meet online, and this number may rise to 70% by 2040. If you’re not already playing the online dating game, now’s the time to give it a whirl. Get recognized on JDate. Why not?