Mistake #3:

Shattered Dreams

While the odds of finding a "Dream Date" online are not known, they seem very small in comparison to the amount of effort it takes to find one. People who place personal ads, in particular, women, think that the process is easy. However, they soon learn just how much work is involved in sorting through and answering the constant influx of e-mails -- many of which come from guys just looking for sex.

However, people do not pay attention to the poor odds here any more than they do to the odds of winning the lottery. As long as somebody "wins" by finding their true love on the Internet, people will continue to play.

As they would in buying a lottery ticket, people view the Internet as a low-cost way to pursue their dream. They are willing to put up with having to tell their life story over and over again in their e-mail responses. They are also willing to put up with having seemingly promising relationships end without warning when the other party stops writing. Many people do not exhibit the same courtesies online that they would in real life.

If they do find someone willing to stick around long enough to start an ongoing relationship, they are often sorely disappointed when they finally meet their perfect match in person. 

When two people meet online and begin conversing, their perception of the other person is based more on their own set of needs and expectations than on the other person's characteristics (which they never see). The differences between perception and reality are revealed only after people meet and get to know one another in person. 

For the lucky few, these differences are minor. For the rest, the differences can range anywhere from "mildly disappointing" to the worst-case scenario of an Internet stalker, "highly dangerous."

"The #3 Mistake of the Internet is when people think that their perfect match is somewhere in the world waiting to be found and that the Internet is the best place to find them.

Playing the Internet dating game can often be a "bad bet."