Lifestyle Book Reviews

Book Review: I Love You, Let's Meet: Adventures in Online Dating by Virginia Vitzthum

By Sandy Amazeen Feb 6, 2007, 18:13 GMT

Vitzthum provides an in-depth, insiders view at the brave new world of on-line dating and the websites that cater to this diverse audience. While the author’s experiences using these services left her disillusioned, they make for entertaining reading as do the many interviews with other “people-shoppers” as they share the highs and lows that come with this latest trend in matchmaking. Vitzthum looks at the potential pitfalls of online dating beginning with the personal profile which frequently represents who a person would like to be, not necessarily the reality. Without visual clues, finding the real person behind the keyboard can be a disappointing reality check when meeting face to face for the first time.

What is arguably most eye opening is not so much that assorted slime balls intentionally misrepresent themselves but the degree of personal information voluntarily given by the users of these websites and who is looking at it. While some sites attempt to provide layers of security to block access by advertisers and spammers, information still gets out without the user’s knowledge and many sites are not that scrupulous. This is not so much a user’s guide as it is an amusing window on the world of internet dating services as seen through the eyes of those who have been there and done that.