I have never been asked for my phone number at the supermarket, a concert or a trade show.And even if I were asked, I don’t know if I would readily provide it to a complete stranger.

Ten years ago, had anyone told you, “We met online”, you may have tried to stifle one or possibly all of the following: It was the equivalent of saying, “I’m desperate, and the ticking of my biological clock keeps me up at night.” However today, with the bombardment of television ads and word-of-mouth praise, online daters are coming out of the closet. I didn’t believe it until I began researching for this article.

There are a number of great reasons to try online dating.

First off, you can do it from the comfort of your own home. You don’t have to give out your name, your location or any personal information.

So if constructing a cleaned-up, generic version of our online selves is not the way to find love—then what is?

First of all you want to cast off the idea of creating a false identity based on what you think will appeal to others.