In the name of Love - Sarahelisebeth Brenham

Would you move to a new country for someone you have only known online? Is this idea dangerous? Could love like this last? Let's discuss this important topic.


Many of us want to find our prince or princess charming. Throughout the years, different ways and methods for finding your soul mate have been introduced. In the twenty-first century, the most popular way to find your forever love is on the internet. There are many ways to meet someone on the web. One such way is through a program called Second Life. SL is a platform that allows people to live out dreams that they thought could never come true. Being that Second Life has over a million members, it’s no shock that people can and have met the love of their SL and RL. But relationships that start online do come with special circumstances. Let’s explore what you challenges you might face and how to deal with them, if you just happen to meet your soul mate on the internet.



The most important piece of advice that I can give you is that when you and a person that you met on the web are in the getting-to-know you stage, be sure to not give out any personal information until trust has been established. If you release data about yourself before you feel that you can trust the individual that you’re giving it to, the results can be physically and/or emotionally damaging. 

But Sarah, how can I establish trust with someone that I came into contact online? One word: Communication!

When you meet someone on the internet that you feel has the potential to lead to an offline relationship, you will need to do is establish good communication with them. Regardless if you and your lover begin your courtship through text, voice/cam or a mixture of both, lines of communication must be put in place, because you are unable to be in the same physical space and trust can be put into jeopardy if a situation ever arises in where it’s questioned. 

Once healthy communication has been established, you will want to setup regular times for you and your partner to be online together. Depending on where you and your love meetup, whether it be on an instant messaging service or in a world, different activities can be enjoyed on both platforms.

Relationships that originate from the internet, can take a bit more work, as opposed to ones that start offline; I don’t think that this is a bad thing. It seems to me that many people whos relationships begin in Real Life, aren’t equipped to do so. The media has done a good job in telling people that  one night stands often lead to long term relationships and if you don’t find a partner quickly, you will end up to be an old mate.(Insert sarcastic snort here).

There are no guarantees that relationships will last forever, regardless of its origins. However, if you find yourself in an online relationship or wish to take its lessons from it, perhaps you will be one of the ones that has a love that lasts forever.