I've tried online dating and I liked it. It's one way to date outside of your social-circle/geographic region and meet folks you couldn't otherwise bump into. It's a great resource if you're not liking the kind of folks you've been meeting in public circles.
The greatest hurdle to face with online dating, especially the popular free ones, is that you have to accept that the odds ratio run completely against a single male. (For purposes of this discussion I will assume you're a cis-hetero male looking for a female) It's probably, like, 200 men for every female member browsing profiles. As they always say, with those odds, your profile has to seem interesting in some way or very specific about your interests so as to keep someone scanning your profile from skipping to the next guy. It's tough. The other thing is that your odds are best if you quickly contact folks with brand new profiles because a hetero female is going to get about 70 messages in their first week. Get in early. Also don't be overly focused on the photo or stats unless there are absolute deal-breakers - I will tell you that some folks don't photograph well or just posted a lousy picture but were quite attractive IRL. Accept the fact that you will have a low batting average and, of the folks you meet, there will be some complete lunatics. Contact a lot of folks - don't just place your bets on 1-3 profiles. And, if you send a message, don't simply send a standardized cover letter you crafted - those are obvious and get flushed fast. Make each message specific to the person you're contacting. Yes, it's a lot of work.
Then there are sights like eHarmony which are based on matching by personality quiz. These are definitely worth looking into because the secret of the "algorithm" based sites is that they even the playing field for men and women. Those sights benefit men over the meat market sites (=96% of sites). For some women it offers a safe way to delve into online dating without exposing their profile to a world of potential creeps. The folks you contact through this site are not likely to see you as a potential stalker right off the bat because you've been objectively "matched" by an independent body. Whereas with the common free sites you really have to work to gain someone's trust. The algorithm-based sites break the ice for you by being a screening tool. When I was still dating eHarmony got me dates with some really cool folks. All the crazies with bizarre baggage I ever dated were through the free sites.
