Dating Site Experience..became a PLAYER!!

Well after creating the blog I guess I should explain a little bit about my experience of Dating Sites and why I dipped my toe into the ever expanding pool of Dating Web sites.
So here it is a little bit about me...Having been in a couple of long term relationships, close friends married or in relationships, at 31 I found myself single! The first problem I encountered was how to meet a partner! In the past it was simple... school used to be my stomping ground, then University, then after that in my early years in the Rat Race I had my mates as Wing Men!! Going on "The Pull" was a regular Saturday night occurrence!
Now at 31 many of my close friends were in relationships of their own or even married with children! So getting my old Wing Men out was difficult if not rare!! In addition to this work was demanding more of my time!
My friends and their partners were very helpful at first, setting me up on various Blind Dates!! All of which could be the subject of a series of other Blogs! Nothing came of it!
I must explain at this point, I was not a desperate person..I was happy with my life and the freedom it allowed me. However I was now at a stage of my life where sharing it with a special someone would male things even more complete. So I decide to take matters into my own hands!! After stumbling into an ad for a dating site through Friends Reunited, I had a look at the quality of members and decided to take the plunge!! I paid my subscription for a month, wrote a brief description of myself ..hobbies, likes, dislike etc, and then adding a picture! Then sat back to see what the response would be!! I was shocked... and if honest pleasantly surprised!
I am not a great looking guy but I am not ugly. I would consider myself very normal..if not average! The shock came from the amount of responses! To say I was flattered would be a definite understatement!!
I began channels of communication with several girls. Taking my time to get to know them before going to the next phase of asking them out for a date! At this stage I was very green to the whole concept..and rather ashamed I had to resort to the Internet to meet people.. so I didn't tell any of my friends!
I started going out on dates ...sometimes several a week with different girls. My confidence was sky high. I was getting attention from girls/women of all ages and standards!!
As time wore on..and one months subscription turned into several.. I realised I was hooked!! I would rush home at the end of the day to see who had responded! I had created my own "patter" with these girls! Don't get me wrong.. I was honest with them.. almost too honest in some cases! But I was surprised just how desperate some of these girls were!! I was having more sex than any other time in my life!! Even more that the promiscuous student days!
My mates began to get suspicious of all my dating! I had become a bit of a "legend" between my male friends. My female friends even looked at me in a different way!! They were curious to my new found success with women! I enjoyed the attention it brought.. but still couldn't bring myself to telling them the truth ..that it had all been because of "Internet Dating!"!!
What this all boils down to was.... by far from solving my problem of finding a partner, these sites created a monster!!! I had become a "PLAYER". I was having loads of fun dating and getting all the sex I wanted! The idea of settling down had been erased! The only down side was managing my ever increasing "little black book!" I was living a fantasy! (let me clarify..these were normal dating web sites..not adult meeting sites or Swinging or Swingers sites!)
There is an argument to say I was doing nothing wrong!! Consenting adults of course.. but I began to question my actions! It was an empty , and believe me when I say this, but very lonely existence! I was playing a character almost!! My on-line persona on the web sites began to influence my real life character!! This then raised another question...how was I ever going to meet "the one"! if I was now playing a character and not myself!!! Looking back at some of the girls I dated over the years (yes months had turned into years!!) there were ones who I could have had a chance at a serious long term relationship! However I would sabotage these chances with my dating site addiction! The problem was..there was always a chance that a more attractive girl might have been in touch or clicked on my site..a new challenge!! For all the girls who read this...yes I had become a shallow, superficial w**ker!! I am sure it can't just be a male problem!!! Are there any girls out there who have found the same problem!!? Have these sites created an alternative reality and personality within you?
The conclusion I came to...(remember this is only my personal opinion!) was far from solving my single person issues...these sites actually perpetuated it!! Funnily enough over the years I used these sites...it was with regular occurrence I would come across the same faces!! So just how many people have actually found their "Perfect partner" through these sites??

Why I created this blog...

Internet dating sites are now reported to be the third most popular place to meet your future partner! The rapid growth in popularity over the last 5 years of these sites has been incredible. The stigma of using a dating site has almost diminished these days.
No longer the seedy web destination of the reclusive, desperate web surfer, these sites are now main stream, advertising on TV and in magazines etc. They even go as far a offering guarantees to meeting your perfect partner in a certain period of time, or your money back! The dating business has boomed in the last decade and has become increasingly competitive!! This competitive attitude has now been adopted by the "end user". Why not increase your chances of meeting that special someone but subscribing to more than one site!!!?
Ok..down to the point of the Blog...I would like to hear from people who have an opinion on the subject... have you used one of the sites and been successful?, Or not!
Do you find them addictive?
Have they changed your opinion of people in general?
Are they a good thing or bad thing?
Why have they become so popular?
Should there be an authority monitoring these sites?
Have they created more "PLAYERS" than serious daters?
Anything goes really I just want your opinions... even your success stories.
Hope you are all well
Regards

Ginger Prince