Online Dating: Scene 1...Action

Good Morning Blessings!!! I hope that as you're reading this you have awaken to a day full of adventure and opportunity! Whew, I haven't written in a long time. Well, I am doing some research for the show on online dating. I am only about a week or so in and I'm feeling like I am going to burst if I don't get these initial thoughts out. Now, let me preface this by saying that I never thought of online dating as a means to the end I would be looking for anyway. However, I have heard some horror stories and some fairy tales so I decided to investigate... So, I signed up for Black People Meet. Much to my dismay, I could create a profile for free but had to pay if I wanted to actually communicate. And as I'm perusing various profiles, I'm thinking "These are the folks I meet on the streets everyday and you want me to pay for this?" So you already know after this first 30 days, my profile will be SHUT DOWN! But I digress. I tried to put a picture up that was somewhat vague and the first three photos I uploaded were denied. Interesting. My profile reads that I am interested in men, ages 35-45, athletic build and that I am looking for friends and serious relationships. But apparently, no one actually pays attention to that. We'll talk about that in further detail on another post. I wake this morning to about 35 emails from BlackPeopleMeet.com; alerts messages, flirts and views. So, after getting my little off to school and discovering how to disable email alerts, I decide to log on. One of the first messages I see is someone wanting to have a conversation, like right at that very moment? At 7am? Really? Uh, no. You have a little to much time on your hands. As I continue to look around, something hits me like a ton of bricks; that the common "I want everything to be easy for me" mentality is everywhere, even online dating. Everything is set up so folks don't even really have to put in work. Here's what I mean. On BlackPeopleMeet.com you can send a "Flirt" to someone. These are generic messages, like a quick-text on your phone that says "I'm driving", that someone can send you. But, they say things like, "You deserve flirt" or "Great Pic, Feel free to send a message". And I'm already seeing that this MAY BE an indication of the type of effort this person would or wouldn't put into courting me, let alone into a relationship. Now, you may feel like that is a little to deep of a thought, but is it really? Signs are always there, we just tend to ignore them. But later on down the line after all the "stuff" hits the fan, you'll be wondering how in the heck you missed the signs. But again, I digress. Needless to say, I will not be answering any "Flirts". You can put in a little more work than that, geesh! Now, let's talk about the usernames. ChocalataDice31 (and no I didn't make it up, yes he spelled it wrong), Blackuluscious, Ccocoisohsofine (says who?) Really????? I thought I said I was interested in MEN; grown men. Not boys with big, overgrown egos. Moving right along, your profile says you're looking for a serious relationship but your name has "The Slayer" in it. Uh, slayer of what? Hmmm, a dichotomy of sorts I would say. So in my curiosity, I sent a message and asked what the name meant. The response was "just a name." I beg to differ. There is always a motive, meaning or sentiment behind a name that your give to anyone or: anything from your children to yourself. Sigh...I find it very difficult to understand how any woman could even get past the profiles. Hey, but that's just me. Too each his or her own, right... Until next time, be blessed and be a blessing, Much Love, GodsGrownGirl