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 Love is Blind - Web Dating in the Faceless Future Your one true connection may be with AT&T! Ah the web - oceans of singles at your fingertips - intelligent, computer savvy, hip, adventurous, h-m-m-m-m. Before plunging headfirst into a cyber-ocean of possibilities, better fine tune your radar for the occasional shark. One Cincinnati woman, a self proclaimed "cyberbabe" admonishes skeptics, claiming "Cyber dating lets guys get to know the real me, without judging on superficial appearances. We connect mind-to-mind." Yeah, okay. So why the moniker "babe"? Web anonymity is a two-edged sword, providing a shield for the shy and a mask for the shyster. One Dallas widower who felt he'd made a "heart connection" loaned money to a cyberlove, only to be jilted in cyberspace, with no clue as to "Esmeralda's" true identify. So how can you establish trust before you tryst? Adopt the rule that's worked for years in business - - get it in writing. No, not a contract, a love letter will do just fine, advises San Francisco handwriting expert Ann Mahony. "Fax them, ask for a reply, do anything to get a snippet of their handwriting before you get in too deep." Why handwriting? According to Mahony, golddiging, dishonesty, lust, and more surface in a person's handwriting. A forgery expert and twenty-year veteran of the trade, Mahony helps headhunters searching for CEOs, attorneys evaluating juries, and yes, singles seeking a mate. She's analyzed everyone from Bill Clinton to Donald Trump, Robin Williams to Elizabeth Taylor, and is the author of Handwriting & Personality. "Net dating makes it supremely easy to send the same heartfelt response to dozens of women," cautions Mahony. "One client, a bank vice-president, received three hundred replies to her personal ad - doctors, attorneys, psychologists, a contractor, a musician, a caterer, a ski instructor, even a blacksmith. "I was amazed" said Mahony. " She asked me to 'weed out the weirdoes and sex crazies and help (her) find one good decent man'". Mahony's not surprised. For years she worked for a well known matchmaking service reviewing profiles and helping to pair compatible couples. In the process, she unearthed a few dishonest writings, which often belonged to married men. When exposed, they confessed they had hidden behind a dating service because they couldn't afford to be seen by their co-workers roaming the bars. Instead, they'd take a charming, unsuspecting woman to a romantic little restaurant off the beaten path. If only the lady had checked his handwriting first? "Handwriting springs from the gut level energy we cannot hide" explains Mahony. This same energy governs the gait of our walk, speed of our talk, style of eating, driving, and yes, handwriting. This energy is beyond our conscious control, like inhaling and exhaling, and records our true temperament and character. How can handwriting work for you? Let's say you exchange nods and smiles with a beautiful woman at the airport. She's smartly dressed, has The Wall Street Journal tucked under her arm, and is busy checking e-mail messages on her cell phone, but who is she? Haven't we all been misled by appearances? "I'm more interested in the doodle she absentmindedly sketches while on the phone, or the message she scribbles moments later, without the slightest thought as to who will see it. Give me that, and I'll tell you about the woman behind the St. John suit." Mahony claims we have three levels to our personality - who we think we are, who others see us as, and who we really are. "That's why personal ads are so deceptive. Even when a man presents a profile he swears is 'the real me', it's still the 'me' he sees in the mirror - minus the comb over, love handles and propensity for belching." What personality do you project for the public? What do you hide? Who might be your life partner if you could let down your guard? Who could make you truly happy? "Go ahead" prompts Mahony, "write about your dream date. We can tell you whether you're sincerely searching, or kidding yourself about what you really want." About Ann Mahony We offer this article on a non-exclusive basis. You may reprint or repost this material as long as Ann Mahony's name and contact information is included: ANN
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