“Now, a new survey of American households shows just how important this phenomenon has become: since 2005, a third of marriages were the result of online meetings, with nearly half of those coming through online dating services. The good news? Fewer relationships that started online ended up in divorce, and people were generally more satisfied with the ones that survived. The numbers come from a survey sponsored by eHarmony…
All told, about a third of the marriages that occurred during that period arose from relationships that started online. A total of 45 percent of these came from online dating sites, 20 percent occurred through social networks, and another 10 percent came from chat rooms. Things like e-mail, blogs, and instant messaging all accounted for less than five percent of the relationships (online gaming came in at 3.6 percent). The real world was even more heavily fragmented: work and mutual friends accounted for 20 percent each of the introductions; school and social gatherings came in at around 10 percent each.”
My oldest son met his second wife online, and thank Og for that. He divorced the bitch he was married to and returned to be part of the family instead of somebody we couldn’t recognize any more. He’s been married to #2 for ten years now. A smart, lovely British gal.
The wife and I met on a Buffy board. We’ve been together 11 years now. we were introduced to each other by a mutual (on-line) friend, just like what happens in meat space.
Hubby and I met in IRC, Callahans channel. Married 15 years and counting!
I guess we were ahead of the curve. We met online in 1995, in a local chat room on AOL.
My wife and I met on Match.com in 2006. It was the first and last LTR I had via meeting someone on the internet, and it worked out great for me. I like the more traditional approach, too, but online worked for me, as well. As far as wives go, it’s 1-for-1 (and hopefully, it stays that way.) 
But, seriously, I shoot wedding photos, and about 20% of my couples, maybe edging towards 25% met online, so this doesn’t really surprise me that much.
Met my husband via eHarmony in 2007. He was the fourth guy I met for coffee, I was the first woman he met for coffee. About six weeks active for me, two weeks active for him. I recommend it.
I get that online dating is perfectly normal in this day and age, and that it is successful in many cases. But I can’t get over the idea of looking back on how you first met and remembering that it was Match or Eharmony or any of the other sites. It just seems like the antithesis of romance.
You know what’s the antithesis of romance? Having met everybody within four degrees of your social circle, and they’re all gay or taken.
So you only hang around at florists, antique book shops and the top of the Empire State Building in hopes that you’ll meet “the one”?
True.
No. I admit it comes off offensive but it’s just the way I see things.
I suddenly feel so…mainstream. That never happens.
Not married, (financial/tax reasons) but happily cohabiting with someone I met 8 years ago on the old Yahoo Personals. I had actually quit the site in despair, but was still able to contact people; it was just that they couldn’t contact me back thru the site. I took a chance, he responded, and it’s been amazing. I adore him. And he lived within 3 miles of me and actually frequented the same watering hole as my late husband and I used to.
I thank Al Gore daily 
My theory is the higher satisfaction rate found in relationships that started online could indicate that a relationship that started with “that person said something interesting” has a better chance at long-term success than a relationship that started with “that person looks interesting”.
Could be that we are more honest when seeking someone on line. I know that I have spoken to a lot of potential partners and had a few short term romances but alas have not found my future second wife. But I know I probably have more chance as we are both going into it with our eyes a bit more wide open.
Maybe it’s different now, but back then when I met my husband, we talked without really knowing what the other looked like*. We became friends after a short time and finally met at a gathering of the on-line group.
I think the fact that we became friends first, helped the relationship move forward.
*I don’t know how people are now, but then, NO ONE looked like their discription.
Well, I did. I wasn’t looking for anything but friends, so, I told my real age, height and weight. I even said in my profile “I’m old and unattractive, but I’m pretty smart and maybe funny.”
I still had morains get weird because I wasn’t 5’10" and 100 lbs. :rolleyes:
Met my wife on Love@AOL. We were both looking for a movie buddy. Married 12 years this month.
Airman Doors and I met on this very board back in 2001. We also chatted in the old #straightdope IRC channel. We’ve been married 11 years, have had a kid, and are still pretty happy.
Way ahead of the curve here. I met my wife on a BBS in 1986 (although we didn’t get together until 91).