I had a previous boyfriend I met online so when I tell people they’re pretty much over the shock this time around. Also, since my boyfriend is a web developer and spends so much time online I don’t think his friends or family were shocked either. But when I tell new people I do find myself stammering quickly to hurry and explain it so we don’t seem like desperate dateless freaks. Thankfully the eHarmony and Match.com success and commercials has erased some of that stigma that all people online are old creepy pedophiles.

Another weird relation I get from older relatives is the “pen pal” aspect. I guess it used to be common for people to be assigned a pen pal in school that they would keep for years and years. I’ve had aunts and other relatives tell me about pen pals they wrote from elementary school through college and never made an effort to meet. They find a similarity in online communication, like with me and my boyfriend or me and the food blog and friends I make through there. I guess it is the same – learning through the person is through mainly written communication so they become a “true” friend that you really “know.”