Online Matrimony - Good or bad?

Author: Jobi Varghese   Date: July 1, 2005

This is a brief look into the blossoming system of Internet matrimony or online matchmaking. This write-up comprises the following topics:

• What are the Internet and the World Wide Web?
• What all are the methods of matchmaking?
• What is online matrimony?
• What can be the disadvantages of online matrimony?
• What are the advantages of online matrimony?
• What is online matrimony best described as?
• How does online matchmaking become reliable?
• Conclusion

What are the Internet and the World Wide Web?

The Internet is a global network connecting millions of computers - small networks of hundreds of computers connected to one another to form a large, global network, a network similar to the telephone system except that computers are involved. The connections are made by telephone lines, fiber optic lines, satellites, or wireless connections.

The Internet offers several services such as the World Wide Web, E-mail, File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Gopher (the early text-only method for accessing internet documents, now largely taken over by the WWW), Telnet (remote login from one computer to another), Usenet (discussion groups), etc. Thus, the Internet encompasses various services that provide you with information, help you share ideas and make financial transactions, and enable you to conduct electronic commerce.

The World Wide Web is just one of the services that the Internet provides.

The World Wide Web is the most popular service of the Internet because the WWW includes text, graphics, sound, animation, and movies. It alone incorporates most of the Internet's services. The WWW comprises millions of web pages linked together and accessible from a computer connected to the Internet.

A website contains multiple web pages and may also contain photographs, databases, and programs.

The Internet links millions of computers enabling them to communicate one another. The WWW is the substance of this communication between the connected computers or computer networks; it is the ability of the Internet to display text, images, sound, and movies. Using the Internet, a person can access the web pages created and stored in a remote computer.

Methods of matchmaking

Broadly, there are two methods known to us: Love marriages and arranged marriages.

Different means of matchmaking associated with arranged marriages include:

• Advertising in print media
• Matrimonial bureaus
• Family/friend references
• Online matrimony
• Electronic media like TV and radio

What is online matrimony?

Let's first see what online matrimony is not: Online matrimony is where a computer selects and arranges marriages over the Internet! No. Online matrimony does not come any way near this definition. A computer cannot in any way select and arrange matrimonial matches, if the people involved are serious of finding a lasting matrimonial bond. What then is online matrimonial?

An online matrimony service helps prospective brides and grooms to select matching profiles from a database of eligible profiles. It is the same as selecting profiles from print media or matrimonial bureaus, although the search becomes a lot easier with the help of a computer. (Even some marriage bureaus use computers to shortlist profiles.) Along with the selected matches, a brief resume with contact details are supplied to the user - pretty much the same as any other matrimonial service.

We may therefore say that the Internet arranges or sets up the initial contact. This first connection is followed by direct contacts and meetings, just like any other matrimonial method.

Referring to online matrimony as virtual marriages is also just baseless as there is no such thing as a "virtual marriage".

Disadvantages of online matrimony

Is there any disadvantage of online matrimony?

There can be and there are. What detractors of online matrimony usually blame as a drawback is a spate of spurious profiles - those containing wrong and exaggerated information. However, this cannot be true because information provided by any other matrimonial system could also be wrong and inflated. Moreover, no marriage is made just on the basis of preliminary information provided by a matchmaking service.

The main disadvantage with online matrimony stems from free online profiles. Several profiles can be frivolous, and may lack seriousness and the required information. Usually, these silly profiles are created by individuals who are not serious of marriage but insert their profiles just because it is free. This happens mostly with free, non-monitored matrimonial websites.

However, with a paid and/or moderated profile system, the misuse can be restrained.

Advantages of online matrimony

An online matrimonial service can boast of several advantages.

• Ease of use: Posting a matrimonial profile is simple; so is searching for matching profiles. Besides, a photograph gives a face-lift to any profile. You have all the basic information you want to proceed, and in addition, the search options do save you some time.
• Fast: Be it posting your profile or searching for matching profiles, all is done fast; you can even contact the person directly right away.
• Economical: Online matrimonials, even the paid ones, are invariably cheaper than those through print media and other traditional means. Furthermore, there is no expense to follow.
• Focus: Some websites that offer matrimonials cater to special religions, communities, regions, or languages. This really is a catch, because all the above advantages are augmented by focused online matrimonials. When it comes to matrimony, it is now how many people see you is important, but how many prospective and matching people see you.
• Frank & Personal: Most of the online profiles are created by the brides and grooms themselves. Obviously, these profiles will be straightforward, frank, and spontaneous.
• Free from others' exaggerations: Online profiles may not carry any exaggeration or overstatement that may come from marriage bureaus.
• Useful alternative: With different means of matchmaking, online matrimony is a strong alternative.

What is online matrimony best described as?

How important are the above-mentioned advantages of Internet matrimony?

Focus, frankness, and freedom from exaggeration are no doubt real bonuses. Online matrimony will take off thanks to these extras that make it different from traditional marriage services.

However, most of the hype of online matrimony is associated with ease, speed, and money saving. For a bride or groom who is genuinely searching for a life partner, none of these might be vital. She or he will be willing to conduct a laborious search, spend hours reading profiles, and opt for advertisements in the print media, all in order to find her/his perfect match.

What then is the real role of online matchmaking?

The answer goes here: Online matrimony is a powerful alternative to traditional matrimonial systems. Online matrimony has caught on with the web-savvy generation, and is emerging fast as the most-preferred choice for arranged marriages. The traditional methods will be here to stay, but online matrimonial services serve as a competent, popular, and trendy choice. They may not make the traditional methods obsolete in the near future, but they are an effective and popular alternative.

How is it reliable?

The same way as any other marriage service such as print media matrimonials and matrimonial bureaus.

A customer of any of these traditional services makes a great deal of groundwork and inquiries before finalizing a marriage. Every user of online matrimony ought to do the same thing - Use the web only to search and pick out the matching profiles and to establish the initial contact; follow this with sound offline work that must include enquiries, references, face-to-face meetings, etc. You can match the family background, social status, check cultural differences if any, religious upbringing, and the like.

Conclusion

The myth that online matrimony is a tech craze and traditional methods are more reliable does not hold good because there is no difference between the two other than establishing the introduction and preliminary connection. Arranged marriages are arranged marriages regardless of whether the initial contact was set up online or offline. Lastly, no marriage will ever fail just because it was arranged online.

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