A Review of Internet Romance

As many of you know, I've tried internet dating. I have had some success, and have dated a few people, but at press time I'm still single.
So, the question is, how effective is it? Is it good or bad? Does it help people find romance?
Well the answer, and this may be a bit disappointing, is that it is mixed. I have known people who have met, fallen in love, and have gotten married. I've known others who have met their share of freaks and weird people, or have had their heart broken.
Why this very mixed picture? Well, no matter how you sell it, it's still dating. Dating is subjective, selfish, complicated, and awkward. It can also be fun, surprising, intriguing, and can lead to something really amazing. So let's look at it in a bit more detail.
First, what is so troubling about it? Online dating gives you the ability to put up a profile and sorta sell yourself to potential mates. You list your likes and dislikes, what you do for fun, vital statistics, and of course you show a picture. Then, you can search for others by various combinations of these profile elements.
What's wrong with this? Well, it gives you the illusion of control. You believe you can pick and choose among various qualities and custom order your potential mate. So, if someone sends you a message, and they are too short, or they don't like sushi, or they actually voluntarily watch American idol, you don't respond. It's impossible to get to know someone from a profile, but because one or two of these elements doesn't mesh with you, don't give it a chance. Effectively, online dating can make people more superficial, because one sees people as a bunch of individual qualities, rather than a whole person.
In the non-online world, of course, you can be just a superficial. Looks are more apparent. But, you learn about them on your own time, not based on a quick read through a profile. And of course, you can't really pick and choose among various options; Not in the same way at least.
So what's good about online dating? Well, intent. In general, you can meet a whole group of people who are single (hopefully) and looking to date other people. You can find ones who live near you, and are hopefully willing to be open minded about who they meet. If this happens, then it can work great. You meet someone, and can begin to judge them on who they are, not how they come across in profile. You can also join dating sites with a theme: Midwest Jewish science geeks, for example (I wish).
So in sum, it's just an option. It has it's pluses and minuses. It requires you to use your instincts and good judgment as much as anything else. But it's possible, just possible, that it can lead to romance.