In a previous post I talked about how to plan a Grand EyeBall for those looking to gather a bunch of people they met online to interact in a real life setting. Today, I’m going to talk about what exactly happens in EyeBalls (EBs), what to expect and what not to expect.

If you’ve been chatting for a while and joining a few or all of the free dating sites available in the web, you must know about online personalities. These are the “people” we project online, and while we are still who we are, our online personalities may not be understood or looked upon as accurately as we think, compared to our offline ones.

I am an advocate of the Keepin’-It-Real way of presenting my online personality, so that those who are avid readers of my blog will find that they can talk to me offline in the same way as they do here in this blog’s comment section. Why do I prefer this approach when I have been warned time and time again that while I may be sticking to the ‘real-me’ principle, others may not be?

This is because of one fact and one fact alone: I may have connected with these friends only over the internet, but I will do everything in my power to meet them in real life someday. And, when that happens, I don’t want them to feel cheated of the time they spent talking to a fake online personality.

Aherm. Now, let’s talk about The EB.

What to expect during a one-on-one EB, or what we call “The First Real Date”

• The other person may not be as talkative in real life as in chat. Some of us are more eloquent online, and for good reason. How else are we supposed to interact online, if we don’t type words on our keyboards? ‘Shyness’ online is tantamount to never chatting with anyone. I have observed in the past that the most gregarious people over the net are the most quiet offline. These people are more comfortable typing than actually talking, and you should adjust to that if you want a successful offline date.

• There could be SEX, particularly if you have been having cybersex or been behaving like a real couple, albeit online. For those who don’t know, cybersex is just a techie-fied version of ‘pleasuring one’s self while fantasizing about the other person’. It’s usually done through erotic language and/or naughty use of the webcam. Still think letting your minor roam the net is a good idea?

• Photos may not be accurate. While we’d like to believe that photographs reflect the truth, there are certain computer softwares created just to beautify photos that are normally bland. But at the same time, I do believe that beauty is always based on personality. The best thing about internet dating is you meet the personality first (provided you both believe in keeping everything real). One girl once told me “but he seemed so handsome online” and I gave her a bristling wake up call. If you judge a book by its cover, an online relationship (or any relationship at that) might not be for you.

• The flame could burn out. This isn’t unusual. The way you connected over the net may have been real, but after you meet offline, there’s that possibility of never thinking of each other romantically again. Why does this happen? Online interaction is basically just friendship, and going beyond that means you want something more than just friendship. Chemistry could happen or it could not, and there’s no assurance that clicking so well online will lead to a fruitful relationship.

Nonetheless, we can keep on chatting, searching and hoping that we will find the ‘one’ through this never never land called The Internet. After all, love does grow in the weirdest places.