Online Dating Fulfills The Destiny Of Two Singletons

It Was Meant To Be

A friend of mine is in love. She’s head over heels. She and her new man have recently come back from a romantic weekend away in Edinburgh. They’ve been going out for about six months now and everything is looking very rosy indeed. They met on an online dating site.

A year ago, Sarah was single and jobless. Her long term relationship with her over-bearing and sometimes abusive boyfriend had thankfully, albeit it painfully, come to an end. At around the same time, she was made redundant. She went through a short period of anxiety, grief and unhappiness, but, being a naturally very bubbly person, soon turned her situation into a positive – a whole new life beckoned; a chance to start again with who knew what exciting encounters around the corner.

Within a couple of months, she had secured a new job in London. Rather than commuting the hour to work, she decided to brave it and at the ripe age of 43, rented a room in a flat in Putney. She was branching out, trying new things, meeting new people. Never a fan of internet dating, her landlady, Debbie convinced her to join the site she was on and she went on a few dates. They were alright. No one special came through but at least now she realised that there were some nice people out there in cyber land. One night, Debbie had a date and all went well. She introduced him briefly to Sarah and she gave Debbie the thumbs up. Although Debbie was very keen, much to her disappointment, nothing came of the date with Simon, and Sarah thought no more of it.

A few weeks later, Sarah tried again to find a suitable match on the dating site. Her job was going well, she had great friends around her and her confidence was starting to shine through again. But there was just one thing missing, a relationship. She logged on and checked her messages. One profile stood out for her and she started communicating with him. They got on very well, seemed to share all the same interests, had the same sense of humour and banter. When she clicked on the photo, she thought she recognised him, but wasn’t quite sure and thought, ‘What the hell, he sounds good fun,’ and they arranged to meet.

When she got to the meeting place, a wine bar in Fulham, Sarah realised why his picture was familiar. It was Simon, Debbie’s previous internet date. It was him whose profile she had matched up with completely randomly and within a very short time, they fell madly in love. Sarah and Simon were amazed that of all the profiles that had attracted them, they ended up with someone they had already met – a sure sign that something special was about to happen. That was six months ago and after spending their first romantic weekend away together, they’re now planning their first long holiday. Sarah couldn’t be happier. There’s only one slight problem, how do they break the news to Debbie?

March 26, 2010 | Filed Under True Stories | Leave a Comment

ISO LTR? GSOH? Online Dating Abbreviations

If you are new to online dating, you have probably noticed many abbreviations sprinkled throughout people's profiles. These seemingly random combinations of letters can tell you a lot about an individual, but you need to figure out what they mean first. Here are a few of the most commonly used online dating abbreviations. Learn these abbreviations and you will be able to avoid those potential matches who are still LITPB (Living in their parents' basement!).

Ethnic Origins & Religious Beliefs

Many online daters indicate their race with an abbreviation. They use W for white, B for black, A for Asian, NA for Native American and H for Hispanic. Religious affiliation is indicated similarly. J stands for Jewish, LDS stands for Latter Day Saints or Mormon, and C stands for Christian.

Sexual Orientation

There are also abbreviations that explain sexual preference. BI means bi-sexual, and G means gay. Usually, straight individuals will not use any special abbreviations to let you know that they are heterosexual.

Status & Lifestyle

Sometimes, abbreviations can let you know a lot about someone's background and lifestyle. A D on a profile usually means divorced. If they occasionally indulge in recreational drugs, they will let you know by putting a 420 somewhere in their description. Social drinkers or light drinkers identify themselves with a SD or LD. If an individual does not smoke, they might let you know that fact by writing NS. Usually non-smokers indicate that they are seeking a fellow non-smoker.

Characteristics

In addition to letting you know a little bit about themselves, online daters use abbreviations to let you know what type of person they are looking for. HWP means Height Weight Proportional, indicating that they want someone who is reasonably in shape. SI means that they want someone with similar interests. GSOH means good sense of humor, something that is necessary in any relationship. ISO means in search of. So if a dater writes MISOWGHOH, that means he is looking for a woman with a good sense of humor.

Not everyone on a dating site is looking for a long term relationship. If they are looking for a long term relationship, they will indicate that by writing ISOLTR. Sometimes people just want a STR, or short term relationship. Others are looking for something even more serious. MM stands for marriage minded, so you should only contact that individual if you are ready for a very long term commitment.

Online daters even use abbreviations to let potential matches know what they like in the bedroom. BDSM or SM means that they are looking for some kinky sadomasochistic fun. One abbreviation that is showing up more frequently on dating sites is GGG. This abbreviation, coined by sex columnist Dan Savage, means Good, Giving, Game, meaning that you are willing to indulge a partner's fantasies, even if those fantasies might not be your exact cup of tea in the sack.

Think of these dating abbreviations like little clues that need to be deciphered. Your prize for figuring out the puzzle might just be finding the love of your life.

Here's a list we've managed to compile from profiles we've seen and on various places on the web. If you know of any more then please let us know using the Comments form below.