Yes, my foray into online dating has paid off! After some emails and a long flirty IM last night, I now have his phone number and plans to get together this Sunday. I’m as excited as a pedophile at a Barney birthday party.
Congratulations! 
Eww.
Congratulations. I’m trying to say this without sounding too wet blanket, but you may meet a lot of guys before you meet Mr. Right, and that’s okay. It’s a process.
Awww… and I’m still crafting the perfect response to send to you on the plentyoffish.com website. Guess I wasn’t quick enough.
Best of luck! Online dating worked out really well for me* and I hope you will be able to say the same!
*It took several weeks of going out with men I wasn’t compatible with before I found my boyfriend. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t find someone right away, I promise they are out there!
Good luck! I’ve got a date next Tuesday with a woman I met through a culinary website where I post a lot. Hopefully this will turn out better than my online dating fiascoes, hell we’ve already fed each other dessert (in a group setting admittedly but fun anyways)
Huzzah!
(bolding mine)
blink
And there’s where being a Hot Doper Babe makes all the difference. 
Some people can search for years and not find anyone.
Amp, feel free to send me a message anyway, as everyone’s said, things might not work out with this guy. I’m apprehensive because he has a beard. This might be an issue (obviously not a huge issue, I just need to see that it’s well-groomed).
I just need to keep reminding myself not to be too disappointed if it doesn’t work out.
And real life dating fiascos too.
Seriously, you’re “She kept the flowers” story is one of my favorite posts ever on this board!
Well, I’m perfectly willing to sound like a wet blanket.
It’s not uncommon for internet dates to cancel at the last minute, and I’ve heard it’s also not uncommon for people just not to show up! Please try not to get your hopes up too much–even with regard to actually having the date. Sometimes people feel that they don’t have to give any consideration to someone they have only met online.
Also, if you haven’t spoken on the phone to him yet, keep in mind that a lot of people who are great on IM turn out to be not-so-great when you talk to them on the phone. As I explain inthis thread, I always make sure to speak with someone on the phone before agreeing to a date. You can get a much better “read” on a person that way. Of course you have to allow for the fact that some people are awkward on the phone, but awkward and creepy are two very different things. Most guys who are good on IM are in fact good on the phone, but I’ve occasionally gotten a “Danger, Will Robinson!” feeling from speaking to someone that I definitely didn’t get online.
You’ve already agreed to the date, so please make sure you have a substantive telephone conversation before you actually meet him. In the event that you get a negative vibe, then YOU can be the one to cancel at the last minute!! 
I assume you’re meeting in a public place and have confirmed that he doesn’t expect sexual favors from you on the first date and all that.
Wishing you luck and hoping for a new romance to spring from it!
Damn You! I had almost completely suppressed that memory:) I’ll tell you this, I’m never bringing flowers to a first date ever again.
I’m going into this one cautiously optimistic. I have a history of throwing myself into the “helpful friend” category and I’m working on being more aware of that tendency. The problem is, I love doing that for all my friends, not just those I’m romantically interested in so it’s hard to break from that pattern of behavior.
Wait, what’s wrong with beards?
And most of them won’t be Dressed Like A Dinosaur.
Good luck, and go out and have FUN !!
Cartooniverse
Nothing, if they’re short, trimmed regularly, and neat. Also soft.
Everything if they’re bushy, unkempt, and crawling halfway up your face.
The thought of a bearded/mustached guy with food stuck to, dripping from (as in cereal or soup) the hair is just…gross to me. The thought of same guy going down on me and coming up with a beard/mustache full of, well, me - is also gross. Girls think of these things. Just like a guy with any kind of length to his nails. Ick.
One of the guys I’ve dated longer-term - we had sex like rabbits right up until he decided to grow a goatee. It made my face itch, hurt, actually. Gave me rugburn and I couldn’t make out with him any more, much less sleep with him. The goat lasted about 2 weeks. Rabbit-like behavior resumed.
Ah, that makes sense. Objection withdrawn. I don’t understand why some guys think facial hair is an excuse to avoid basic hygiene.
Hell, I shampoo it with conditioner to avoid the rug-burn problem. =P
–Z (who usually has a neatly trimmed beard)
Regardless of where they’re putting that beard, beards smell (like head hair smells - not bad, just…human-y). Some people won’t mind, but others will.
If we’re going to be wet blankets, then I’ll also add that online dates sometimes don’t happen at all - the other party will cruise by, see you looking, and not come in then if they don’t like what they see. I had a date once, and happened on the guy’s ad the next day - he had amended it to say, “No fat chicks!” Well, it wasn’t like I had hid my extra poundage from him - some people are just jerks. I talked to one guy who seemed fine online, and then while talking to him on the phone in preparation to meeting, he spilled the beans that he hated women and expected all of us to be bitches. Okay, starting to see why you’re single. (We did not proceed to meeting - I promptly lost his phone number.) I’ve chatted and talked with absolutely great guys, and when I met them, eeeyewww. One guy looked like he hadn’t brushed his teeth in weeks. Mostly it was just a case of no spark, no magic, no future. Then I met my husband, and the rest is history.
So, we will of course be hearing updates shortly?
Well? Was the beard well-groomed or not?
If you two decide to go out, I’d be happy to chaperon.
My husband has a long beard and it’s very soft. It’s the guys who don’t shave every 4 hours that are a challenge to kiss sometimes. OUCH!