Picture this. Your friend has decided that you need help with your social life. She sets you up a date with someone you have never met nor have any idea what they look like. You have just got yourself a blind date.

But wait. The real "fun" has barely begun. Simply described, a blind date is a date between people who have never met and know little or nothing about each other. Typically, it is set up by one person who knows both parties. Let's say you accept to go on the date.

Now there you are sitting in a Mexican restaurant eating heavily garnished Mexican food that you don't have the stomach for. You both look at each other, neither one knowing where to begin, or how to break the ice so to speak. The entree has not yet been served.

His idea of enlightened conversation, if he finds a way to start, is who will be in the final four. You don't really care. He knows the weekly TV schedule to the letter which tells you he has a bit too much time on his hands. You try to tell him about you.

About that marathon you are preparing for and your volunteer work. He says, "Volunteering is a waste of time because you can't help 'those people' anyway." You will have to end this pretty soon before one of you ends up in jail for killing the other. Granted, not all blind dates end in disaster. But the very "blindness" adds to the recipe.

Now imagine a date with someone you met through internet dating and have been chatting online and exchanging emails with for quite some time. First, you don't need to be introduced. You already "know" this him, his interests and hobbies. And he "knows" you too. You are sitting in an Italian restaurant enjoying a delightful meal because you both know that the other's favorite is Italian.

The conversation flows easily as you discuss common interests- after all this date is a result of a compatible match. He runs marathons and loves history just like you do. You happily discuss the volunteer work that each of you is involved in. You look at your watch and discover that it is late.

Very late (how time flies!) While not all online dates necessarily end up on a happy note, the scales are tipped heavily in favor of an internet date versus a blind date. Need I say more?.

David Kamau is webmaster of http://e-datecentral.com If you're looking for more dating information, then check out Online Dating Articles Updated regularly with the latest advice.