As well as Lulu, CC is another of Niuniu's friends who has got into the online dating game. So far, her experiences have not been fun. The first dilemma is whether or not to post your picture on the internet. If you do there's a chance that people you know will see them, and laugh at you for being so desperate that you are looking for a partner online. Sometimes, even if you are as bold as CC, who regularly updates her pictures on the internet, the men who respond to your ad will be looking for more and more from you. The second problem is the uncertainty of Internet dating. On the Net it is possible to fake everything, from name to location, and even gender. So CC tries to get as much information about the other person as possible, while at the same time giving away as little as possible about herself. CC has had many responses, and she finds the 'tell me about your life' process dull and boring. She has to repeat information about where she lives, what she does, what her hobbies are, and what she looks like many, many times, and then ask the same questions of the other person. In doing this, she realised she has trouble remembering names - she sent her reply for Bill to Mike's address. By getting confused about who was who she managed to upset them both. What CC dislikes most about Internet dating is the possibility of sexual harassment. Some men she made contact with started talking about sex after three or four messages. This normally starts with them asking about your body or what you are wearing. Then they quickly move on to what your favourite position is. If they ask you to accept their Web camera images, you could be exposed to a live porn show. These men are usually just seeking sexual adventure, such as a one-night stand, or alternative sex through personals. What they want is a lover rather than a potential spouse. There are a lot of these lonely souls who browse the personals every day, in the hope that they can get an easy lay that night. Because the Internet is a virtual world, it is difficult to build up trust online. Some people prefer to talk rather than type e-mails or messages. CC has been asked for her phone number many times, but she doesn't want to give it out too quickly because she knows there's a possibility the other person might be a criminal. Once she gave her mobile number to a guy, and then received junk messages every day for a month from people trying to sell her things. The most difficult part for CC is actually meeting an Internet date face to face. The first worry is the meeting place. If they live far away from each other the other party will always try to talk to her into coming over to his neighbourhood, so she must spend a lot of time on the road. CC doesn't mind driving, but she has other concerns. Say she makes the effort to get there, what if he stands her up? As for those she has actually met, 80 per cent of them look nothing like their pictures (which must have been taken at least 10 years earlier when they were cuter). At the same time, they are judging CC. In most of these cases, CC never heard from the other party again, or she just lost interest after such a long process. In short, online dating for CC is just a one-time thing. CC complains to Niuniu: 'Meeting men at a bar is not good because they often want a one-night stand. But I didn't think meeting men online could be so difficult as well.' 'Why don't you join clubs, like the tennis club or golf club, and meet men there?' asks Niuniu. 'Men play golf to get to know the right business contacts, and women play golf to meet men,' says CC. 'What's wrong with that?' Niuniu replies. arw@chineseculture.net