The Internet is many things to many people - a research tool, an entertainment avenue, a post office, and much more. But what about a matchmaker? Meet four couples who probably would have never met if it weren't for the Internet. Love online could be the next best thing to being there.


Marianne Revie and Bill Atwell
Marianne ("Mare") had no idea that her decision to use the free Web space that came with her MindSpring dialup account would allow her to meet her future husband. After struggling to come up with a theme for her site, she decided to create a jump site dedicated to her over-flowing bookmark folder.

About a month or so later, Mare began receiving awards for her site. She always thanked those who admired her work but one particular admirer became an email pal. Bill, whose "Pick of the Week" site was a regular part of his weekly Web site maintenance, requested Web nominations from his readers. Mare's site was nominated. He had already picked a winner for that particular week, and his rule was to throw out all nominations and start over with a clean slate the next week. Instead of trashing her nomination, he broke his own Pick of the Week rule and chose her site for the next week.

Neither was looking for a relationship, especially one online. But as love online stories go, they really got to know one another through email and chatting online. Five months after Bill and Mare's first contact, a phone call was made. An unusual request, but Mare wanted to hear his voice first, so she asked him to leave her a voicemail. Shortly after Bill left a message, she called him back, and they began chatting by phone as well as the Internet. One month later, Bill made a nine-hour drive to visit Mare. And although the visit was short, Bill knew they had something special between them. Bill has since moved to Atlanta with his 12-year-old daughter, Amanda, to join Mare. The two will be married this August 2, the anniversary of their first face-to-face meeting.
    Favorite Sites
    Hers: http://www.sandbox.net - Sandbox - Interactive Entertainment Network "I like this site for the free fantasy sports games offered. I am in a league with friends I have met online and it's quite fun to play against them. I try to play at least one sport a season."

    His: http://sysdoc.pair.com - Tom's Hardware Guide "This site is great because it keeps me informed on the latest computer hardware and helps me decide what toys are next on my list of things to purchase."


Jena and Byron Kennedy
Jena and Byron Kennedy were each going through a divorce. Like others, they were seeking advice to help them through the experience. Jena, who had never posted to a newsgroup, decided she would find it helpful. After only one posting to alt.support.divorce she began sharing emails with Byron, a minister from a small town in Georgia. The two emailed for only two weeks before Byron called Jena and engaged her in a 2½-hour conversation. Just two weeks later, the two met for the first time.

Although Byron lived 1 ½ hours away, the two continued to date. Just 15 months after meeting online, the two were married. Byron, Jena and their three children are a MindSpring blended family. "We're definitely two of your biggest fans, and MindSpring certainly holds a special place in our hearts, not to mention our PCs. You should see the amount of space it takes to save all those early emails to each other. But, it's really fun to go back and read them and see ourselves fall in love in bits and bytes," exclaims Jena
    Favorite Sites
    Hers: http://www.photostogo.com - "This is an interesting site that I've used on a recent project. It has lots of neat stock photos with the ability to search the photobank by topic and keyword."

    His: http://www.gopack.com - "I'm an NC State grad and this is where I go to hang out with other Wolfpack fans."


NormaJean Gottschalk and Glen Ferguson
Glen, the Texan, and NormaJean, the Georgia peach, were moderating an IRC room providing help to other people interested in using camera and videoconferencing software. Both were veteran chatters and never imagined that this discussion group would lead to a lifetime relationship. Because of their interest in and knowledge of videoconferencing software, the two began a dialog outside the formal discussion and developed a friendship. Glen and NormaJean chatted for five months online before actually meeting face to face, although they had seen each other through videoconferencing. Glen set up their first face-to-face meeting by leading NormaJean to believe he had to be in Atlanta for a meeting. His real intention for the trip was to meet her. He knew she was the one before they met.

Their first telephone conversation and their first face-to-face contact came on the same day. The two saw each other a couple more times and of course, continued to chat through email. Just eight months after their online introduction, Glen moved to Atlanta where they are, according to NormaJean, "working on a lifetime commitment." They consider themselves a romantic Internet success story.
    Favorite Sites
    Hers: MormaJean's Personal Page & Stock Point - "This is a great site for stock market information. It's the first site I check when I get home from work each day."

    His: Lockergnome - "This site is great! It's a Win95 newsletter loaded with information and great links to fonts, graphics and other cool stuff."


Patricia and Detlef Schade
Det, from his home town in Germany, decided to use a chat room to request English editing for his Web site http://royal.owl.de/~troll/english.html. Patricia, a second grade school teacher in Gainesville, Georgia, responded to his request and the two quickly became online friends. Det even became an email pal to one of Patricia's students. After five months of emailing and chatting online, the two spoke on the phone. Det soon made a visit to the United States to not only meet Patricia but also visit with her second grade class. The students were very excited to meet someone from another country, but maybe not quite as excited as Patricia.

Det's command of the English language was much better written than spoken, but that didn't stop them. After the visit, the two continued to converse through the Internet and by phone. Nine months after first meeting online, they were married. Patricia explains,"I know many people think that you can't get to really know someone online. My husband is exactly the way I knew him online - sweet, caring, and loving. As our two-year wedding anniversary approaches, I have to say that without the Internet and MindSpring, I would have never met and married the true love of my life."


The Internet has made the ways of the heart even more mysterious, and it has thrown another spin on how two people can meet and fall in love without ever laying eyes on one another. In each story above, one member of the couple was a MindSpringer when they met. Today they are all MindSpringers. Congratulations on finding true love. Although these Internet users' experiences were wonderful, it is always a good idea to take precaution. When meeting someone for the first time, in any situation, it is always best to meet in a public place.

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