http://www.virtuallovelink.com/relationship/online/problems/ Online Relationship Problems can be a drag, especially if you are really looking for that special someone. It's not all bad news. There are ways to avoid online relationship problems without resigning yourself to being alone. en-us Tue, 22 Nov 2005 12:01:26 EST Tue, 22 Nov 2005 12:01:26 EST Weblog Editor 2.0 The subject of online relationship problems has become a catch phrase and industry within itself. With the popularity of the internet and its' added ability to reach a wider audience, your options are, for lack of a better word, endless. It's not all gloom and doom though. Take, for example, this testimonial of a woman who avoided online relationship problems by using common sense. "It all started in a chat room about spiders. I know it sounds funny, but, it's the truth. I'm arachnophobic and my therapist advised me that systematic desensitization was the first step in combating my unrealistic fear of spiders. Her first homework assignment for me was to go to a few websites and look at pictures of spiders. Even the thought of that was terrifying, but, I did what she said. That's where I met Jeff. There was a chat room linked to the website where people talked about different species of spiders. Jeff was a bug lover who loved spiders and was doing his dissertation on venomous varieties of North American arachnids. We made a strange couple, but, after chatting several times on the website, we decided to exchange email addresses. Things kind of blossomed from there. We took things slow and eventually started talking on the phone. After three months, we decided it was time to meet in person. That was over a year ago, and, I couldn't be happier. Jeff has been so supportive in my fear of arachnids. He even proposed to me with a plastic toy shaped like a spider. Looking back, I realize that going online to solve some of my other problems also helped me solve my online relationship problems. Jeff and I make the ideal couple and it all started with me looking for the two things that I was most afraid of, spiders and online relationship problems." It is possible to avoid online relationship problems if you begin with someone who shares common ideas and beliefs. A good foundation for success is paved in using your own likes and dislikes as sounding boards for what will work in your life. sf Tue, 22 Nov 2005 12:01:26 EST