At Long Last Love … Online

“Online dating was a fascinating process,” says Novato resident Suzanne Crawford. “For one thing, the people we encountered online before we found each other were far more delightful, intelligent and engaging than we ever would have imagined.” Suzanne, who met her husband, Joe, on Match.com, says the entire online dating process was very empowering. “We both got to pick and choose and really consider our choices more than we ever had in a relationship before. As a result, we wound up in a partnership that feels perfect for both of us. We’ve been together four years and got married a year ago, right in front of the Christmas tree. Joe keeps saying he’s only sorry that we didn’t meet when we were younger so we would have had more time! I just keep feeling grateful. Honestly, I say to myself, “Thank God for Joe” several times a day.

Breaking Up Online
Breaking up is hard to do, but perhaps even harder in the world of online social networking sites like Facebook or Myspace. Take it from one anonymous Marin resident who learned that lesson in a very public way. She says she had no idea that by changing her relationship status from “engaged” to “single” it would be broadcast out via the site’s news feed to her 300-plus list of friends. However, the embarrassing moment did have a silver lining. She did get a few dates because of her newly publicized single status. According to Simon Axton in Facebook’s privacy and public policy team, the best way to reflect a breakup on Facebook without notifying all of your friends is to uncheck the “Remove Relationship Box” in the “News Feed and Wall” section on the “Privacy Settings” page and then remove your relationship status from your profile entirely. This will ensure that no stories show up either on your wall or in your friends’ news feeds. You can then break the news to the appropriate people offline, and when ready, enter your new status on Facebook.

Your Ex Could be Someone’s Next
Okay, he wasn’t the perfect match for you, but your ex-flame could be someone else’s great catch — as long as you give the seal of approval. Elle advice columnist E. Jean’s new site greatboyfriends.com is a referral-based dating service, which only offers potential suitors that are preapproved through profiles written by a friend or even an ex. The site gets all the details including the person’s ring-buying potential, ego level and commitment readiness. Eligible men and women have to be recommended by a third party — and yes, the site even checks to see if the recommendation is real and true. Best part? Great Boyfriends is international and there are more than a few great options who live in Marin.

Find Your Niche
Sure, sites like eHarmony.com and Match.com are two of the most well-known and some say successful Internet dating sites, but singles looking to find a very specific date — say someone who practices the same religion —have options too. Take jdate.com, one of the leading Jewish singles sites, which has almost a dozen eligible Marin members of the faith just waiting to be connected. The Internet is booming with dating sites for only the ivy-league educated, Italians, those in the military, Catholics, and even a site dedicated to “nerds, geeks and those who love them.”