CHAT ROOMS

Online chat rooms are probably the easiest places to meet someone via computer. Chat rooms exist for almost every hobby, television show, and news headline. Some target specific age groups, geographical locations, nationalities, and just about any type of dating criteria people have. You can locate the chat room that interests you through specific Web servers, such as American Online, Yahoo, or Excite. Or, because these appear on many sites all over the Internet, you can simply spend some time surfing the Net exploring sites.

The ideal part about finding a chat room that appeals to you is that you'll meet other people who share your similar interests. From the initial chat room and discussion group, you can even enter a private room for a chat if you find someone who interests you. This fulfills my basic principle in dating: Much like going to a club you like, you can use a chat room to meet people with like interests and take advantage of an easy way to connect.

FORUM

Just as with chat rooms, hundreds of bulletin board services advertise new Web sites, upcoming Web events, and chat rooms. Thousands of people all over the country browse these sites. Use them to contact people, find out about new chat rooms, and make more personal connections. From these, you can contact people to make more personal connections, perhaps inviting them into a chat room.