Second of five parts

        If you've got a computer, you can get a date. Chat for three minutes, meet the love of your life. If only it were that easy, you say. Well, maybe it is.

        Online dating has grown 29 percent since 9-11, according to online trend watcher Jupiter Media Metrix. Now, 18.6 million visitors go to Web matchmaking sites.

ABOUT THE SERIES

Monday: • Tristate's dating scene • Making small talk Tuesday: • Internet dating • Groups and dating services Wednesday: • How to flirt Thursday: • The first date Friday: A good match You are invited to respond to our series, note your experiences and offer tips for improving the single life for follow-up coverage. E-mail srhone@enquirer.com.

        Members of the Enquirer's singles panel were skeptical about looking for love on the Web.

        Sarah Hawkins, 30, of East Walnut Hills says it is too easy to disconnect with another person online.

        “It's much easier for one or both parties to miss important facts about each other,” she says. “There's no way to read tone, vocal nuances or body language over the Internet. Usually these signs tell us if we're on the right track with a date.”

        Jonathan Michael Cobb, 32, of Kennedy Heights says blind online matching cannot deliver a compatible date.

        “Younger people feel like they must go out face-to-face to meet people,” says Jon Cousins, chairman and co-founder of Cybersuitors.

        Cybersuitors — the newest online dating service to hit Cincinnati — launched last month.It tries to remove the uncertainty by connecting only those people who match in a survey of their viewpoints and moral codes.

        Cybersuiters asks participants to answer 25 questions which address specific areas of conflict within some relationships. For example, the test asks for opinions on pornography, smoking, political views and personal libido level. Instead of asking which denomination, the test asks “how religious would you say you are?”

        “You can get to know somebody faster this way than if you just met in bar or search” the never-ending list of personal ads, Mr. Cousins says.

WHAT SINGLES SAY

Tristate singles chatted online Monday night about the area's singles scene. Read the transcript at Cincinnati.com

        Cybersuitors (www.cybersuitors.com), which has offices in California and Great Britain, is waiving its $29.95-a-month enrollment fee for the next two months while it is in its start-up phase.

        Enquirer singles panelist Debbie Riggs of Fort Mitchell hasn't tried online dating yet, but she has seen it work.

        “I have a friend who has done a lot of online dating and she ended up marrying a guy she met on the Internet,” says Ms. Riggs. “They have been happily married for almost two years. I think you just have to be smart about it.”
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