Our webmaster, site designer, writer, proof reader, editor, publisher, graphics and animation artist, site reviewer, 'feature sites' judge and jury, marketing specialist, traffic analyst; chief cook, bottle washer and keyboard duster all welcome you to our little corner of the World Wide Web.

Ummm...OK, I confess.. I, Rosalind, am 'us'...and did I mention 'site update facilitator'?

This project began on New Year's Eve 1997. After working late, I went home, popped the top on something fizzy, and went to share a toast to 1998 with the online crowd. I'd met nice folks on gardening forums and aviation discussion groups, but had yet to experience the 'joys' of online chat.

Was I in for a treat! Before I could dip my in toe into Yahoo's virtual hot tub, I was bombarded me with a volley of personal questions. "What's your real name?", "how old are you?" and "where do you live?"

With not enough time to respond, "Wanda, 10178, Andromeda Galaxy", I was swept into a private room for an unwanted, 'steamy' encounter. 'Live and learn', I thought, as I hastily ESCaped the chatroom.

It was then that I learned that the odds for meeting singles online were largely in womens' favor ... IF she wanted to meet a men behaving badly.

Could I get to know someone through a chatroom meeting? I doubted it. I wanted to know some basic details before making contact, and avoid wasting my and someone else's time. So I set off in search of 'matchmaking' venues.

My search led me to many varieties on the theme.

Some sites proclaimed only the dangers of internet dating, telling stories which would cause the bravest of seekers to run and hide from their internet connections in fear. Others neglected to mention the simplest precautions to take when interacting with strangers online.

From that research, I saw the need for an informative site with a balanced view of internet dating. So, Sage-Hearts.com was born.

I researched, reviewed and listed Internet dating services I considered superior. I also developed a guide to internet dating safety, tips for writing effective personal ads, and a romance bookstore. By early 2002, the Singles eScene newsletter has 70,000+ subscribers.

Sage-Hearts.com has received many accolades and awards. The site is featured in the book "Virtual Strangers - A Woman's Guide to Love and Sex on the Internet". The author, Elizabeth Blackstone, informed me that Sage Hearts was 'one of less than 150 sites chosen from among the thousands of sites visited while looking for the best adult introduction sites on the Web'.

The most rewarding and fun aspect of this venture has been meeting the Sage-Hearts.com visitors! I've heard tales of loves lost and found, and shared a few of my own online experiences with them in return.

I've met dating site webmasters who, like me, derive enormous pleasure from offering the possibility of happiness to singles in search of partners. Many of the 'success stories' we've read have brought happy tears to our eyes!!

Through these connections, I've made many friends online, and am endlessly grateful to all of them for their generous sharing. Thank you all!!

Cheers and Happy Searching!

Rosalind
LOVIN' THE WEB

P.S. For those of you who might be interested in starting up your own dating site, click here.