For the Love of Email

May 19, 2011

When I was 14, I was one of the few kids in the neighborhood to have a 56K modem and a computer (can you imagine that now?!). I have been addicted to the internet, and email, ever since.

The other day when some of you asked for me to talk about my hubs, I wondered if I should share the story of how we met. 10 years ago, meeting someone online was pretty radical, especially for someone in college. Yet here I sit, finally ready to admit that we met online. *audible gasp from my mother in law who doesn’t know this… not that she reads the blog*

One year prior to hubs sent me the shortest email ever, I had put a profile up online that I completely forgot about. Something about pulling an all-nighter with my dorm roommate seemed like the right time to find us some men. Low and behold, a year later and I got a three-sentence email from a guy who said he’d like to meet me. That, my friends, is how history is made.

One of the most ironic things about meeting through email was that hubs didn’t even have a computer. He used his Sega Dreamcast to get on the internet and type out an email using the controller! He’s also one of the most shy people I’ve ever met, so I’m eternally grateful he took the courage and time to send me a message. It’s hilarious looking back now because I have all of our email correspondence from back in 2001. I never would have guessed that one day I would marry that boy who sent me that poorly-punctuated email.

Isn’t it amazing how technology is changing the way we meet people and interact? Between this blog, email and social media networks, I have connected with hundreds of people that I never in a million years would have been able to before. Through email, I’ve had pen pals from Germany (through my German class), kept in touch with fat camp friends, and have met numerous bloggers and other awesome folks locally and around the world. My email inbox has become an essential part of my life.

Have you met people through email? Know people who met their partners online? Would love to hear your stories!

And how freaking cute is this video? I wish hubs used email more often, because it would be much easier to apologize to him after I go off on a PMS-related rant at him. ;)

Thank you to Yahoo! Mail for sponsoring this post about staying connected. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

Tagged as: email, sponsored, yahoo

  • http://www.downsized76.wordpress.com tina

    Love it! I met my boyfriend of 3.5 years through eHarmony and reconnected with high school friends and my middle school Danish pen pal (we’ve still never met) through Facebook. My boyfriend and I work different shifts (me 9-5, him 5-2), so we often communicate/reconnect via text at work. Phone dates with my friends are difficult–I hate the phone, they have kids–so e-mail is the way we keep in touch. And sometimes it’s more intimate that way. Like writing in a journal that you swap back and forth with your BFF.

  • Misu

    I’ve met many people – both friends and romantic partners, including my ex husband! – through online and through the use of email and other social media. Before facebook and twitter, there were things called message boards, where you would have your computer’s modem call in, and you would log in with a user name and password, and you would be connected to other people. They called them boards back then, because they usually had tons of discussion forums, but you could also chat with people live, like you could in AOL. I met a ton of really cool people that way when I was a teen.

    Now that I’m 35, I’m meeting people over facebook. I earned my MBA via my university’s online program – my university is physically located in Miami, and I don’t live anywhere near there, yet I was able to earn my degree from that school. Being a part of that program, I’ve met a ton of people as well. Some have remained “online friends” simply due to distance – others have actually been integrated into my “tangible life” :)

    As a result of the internet, my own social network is so much larger than it ever could have been prior to this. Sure, I’ve met some people who weren’t honest about who they were or what their intentions were, but I’ve found that for the most part, its pretty much the same as if you were to meet someone face-to-face. If a person is bad, they’ll be bad to your face.

    Great post Emmie. And I think it’s exciting to be part of this. This is really a turning point in human history, I think. It’s cool to be alive during this period, and to get to be a part of it.

  • http://www.biggirlbombshell.com Jules – Big Girl Bombshell

    My first *email* and *chat* meet ups were through Prodigy Blues Boards. I met a large group whom I conversed with on the subject of Blues music.. we all hooked up and met at the New Orleans blues fest.

    Hubby to be I met in person but email, IM chats, texting and FB has played a LARGE part in our relationship. Our friendship went to the next level from a text message Let’s Make a FairyTale and he proposed to me via Facebook.

  • Tammy

    What a beautiful wedding photo! I have just started venturing into the social media/networking stuff, but I’m on my email all day long and my boyfriend and I text throughout the day to stay in touch. What did we do before computers and cell phones??? LOL!!

  • Heather

    My husband and I met online through collegeclub back in 2002. It was so random, but I knew after our first date that he was the one…

  • http://alithinks.com Alison

    I’ve made a ton of friends online, and have met a lot of them in person. The best story is that I met my husband on Radio Paradise back when the forum there was a tiny, tiny place. He was here in Lexington and I was in France. Nearly seven years later, we are still going strong and have been married for almost three years. Oh, and I live in Lexington now too. :)

  • chris

    My husband and I also met on line through personals on hotmail.com back in 1999 when it was “taboo” as well. I had put a ad for a “penpal” and he answered it. We talked through e-mail for a few weeks, then started talking on the phone for about a month before meeting in person. Luckily we only lived 1 1/2 hours away so from the first time we met, we have been inseperable. I knew from the first time I met I would marry him. He was my first boyfriend. :)
    We never told our parents how we really met either. They would have been scared for my safety. :) The first time we met in person, I made my friend and her boyfriend take me to meet him just in case….We have been together for almost 12 years and are getting ready to celebrate our 9th wedding anniversary next month. :)

  • http://agirlwholovescupcakes.com A Girl Who Loves Cupcakes

    I met my husband 12 years ago on ICQ, he lived in NC and I lived in Ohio and we just chatted at first but then had a long distance relationship for 3 years before I moved to NC to be with him. One of my best friends lives in Finland who I met online through a book group and actually got to meet in person when she visited America. I’ve also met some really great friends locally from Twitter. Two of my bff’s I met on Twitter, so I am VERY thankful for social media. It’s definitely had a huge impact on my real life.

    I’ve also reconnected with lots of high school and college friends through facebook. It’s been really awesome seeing how everyone is, especially since I moved away from the area right after high school.

    Through my blog and twitter I have such an amazing support system for my weight loss journey. The people who always have a kind word and encouragement are priceless. I am so humble anytime I get a comment that I’ve inspired someone else, it just makes me want to cry!

    • http://www.110pounds.com Lisa

      ICQ!!! I remember that! I was on there too. hehehe

      • Tina

        me too! LOL

  • Amanda Brown

    That is so cute! My husband and I actually met on Myspace, kind of the same thing. I sent him like a 2 sentence message, he messaged me back and the rest is history! It’s so funny because like no one uses Myspace anymore!

  • http://www.jellybelly811.blogspot.com Jacqui

    I love stories like this! Your wedding picture is amazing!

    I met my husband in 2000 online. Way before it was cool. We happened to frequent the same chat room, and had a short conversation one night about melantonin and sleep. Lasted about 3 minutes. We gradually started talking more. He was in Toronto, me in Nebraska. After about 6 months of talking online and on the phone, He flew down to meet me.

    Neither of us were looking to meet anyone online, it just happened. In the fall of 2001 I moved to Niagara Falls, NY so we could spend more time together to see if it was going to work. It did. :) We will be married 7 years this year.

    When he came to meet me for the first time, I remember my entire family and friends were convinced he was going to be an internet killer, and they all tried to convince me not to meet him. So happy now that I never listened to them. :)

  • http://losinghalfmyweight.blogspot.com jayme @ losinghalfmyweight

    Jim and I met online. And your bit about hubs writing a short but poorly punctuated email sounds very much like my experience. I’m kind of a grammar/writing snob (i’m not proud of it!) and wouldn’t give much of a second glance to guys who would respond online with bad punctuation. Why I gave Jim a chance, I don’t know. We laugh about it now though. ;o)

    And of course, living overseas makes email, facebook, skype and all the other ways to stay connected all the more important!

  • http://www.anna-walker.blogspot.com Anna

    I met my husband online, on hotornot.com, actually…and before it was common to do so! Nowadays I’m not embarrassed to tell people that I met Scott on the internet.

  • http://www.110pounds.com Lisa

    Aw! That’s so cute. It was fate!

    I met my boyfriend Michael on Facebook. Totally cheesy but true. We found each other through a common interest group on there–nothing to do with dating. Neither of us were looking to date the other one, in fact I didn’t think he was my type. We became email buddies and chatted every day about our common interest. We were both chasing after other people and we’d ask each other for advice on the opposite sex. Who knew???

    After like 5 months of being chatting buddies we started flirting and then decided to meet — AS FRIENDS ONLY — and it was love at first sight. The rest is history and we’ve been together 3 years (living together for 2). :D

  • http://yapsaboutweightloss.blogspot.com/ Denise

    I also met my SO online back in 1994. It was in a chat room on IRC. We first met in person at a convention. Then he visited and in January of 1996 moved down to Kentucky. We have been together since.

    I have met many people online and then got to meet them in person. It is a great way, but can be very scary at times.

  • http://debbidoesdieting.blogspot.com/ Debbi Does Dinner Healthy

    Too cute! I met my hubs through the drive through. It took me awhile to get on the computer bandwagon, I still don’t know much about it. Isn’t it funny when you do the littlest thing and it changes your whole life. :-)

  • http://fitnhealthymama.com/ Lori

    I met my Husband online. We lived only TWO miles from each other & worked around the corner from each other – literally! It still amazes me to think we were so close, probably passed each other several times a day & yet it took the internet for us to meet. I will always be grateful for Match.com because of him!

    Soon after I used the internet heavily to plan our wedding from a local bridal planning resource (where I now work!)
    Then onto the family planning website (sister site) to by a home & TTC!

    And now…the internet is my biggest tool in my weight loss journey – from WW online to reading blogs.

  • http://mylostbattle.blogspot.com/ Roxie

    I remember being 16 and sitting at my pc with my modem and AOL. lol!

    I met my husband through an online game called Everquest back in 2000. We chatted for a long time with my insistence that I would never do a long distance relationship again. (I went through a bad breakup while being a part of hubby’s guild.) Anyway, fast forward to 2004 and I moved to Michigan to be with him. We were married 3 years later and had our first child a year after that.

    I love that I found him, I don’t care how it was done.

  • http://katologism.blogspot.com Kate B

    Yup, I met my boyfriend on Craigslist 2.5 years ago. It was at the exact same time as “the Craigslist Killer” so we kept it pretty quiet for a while. Now everyone teases us about it. It was great for both of us because we’re relatively quiet people (I’m shy, he just doesn’t talk much) so the emailing we did for a few weeks before meeting really helped us get to know each other and open up a little. I still have all our emails, too. I used wordle.net to make a word cloud from them for a Christmas present this year!

  • Nikki

    I met my wonderful boyfriend of over a year on OKcupid. It was hard to tell my family because they are still old fashioned and even though they had met him and LOVED him, were still concerned he was some kind of serial killer. We never would have met if it weren’t for the internet, and I am thankful every day for the match made in heaven.

    By the way, your blog is awesome, I guess I’m a lurker, though. I can relate well to you because I too live in Lex, and we are just about the same size, although you are shrinking so fast!

  • Tina

    I met my husband 12 years ago (married 10), on accident in a Yahoo Chat! room!!

  • http://healthytasha.wordpress.com Tasha Lee

    “You’ve Got Mail” has been my favorite movie since I saw it for the first time in 1998. I’ve met a couple of guys on the internet but things didn’t really work out. However, I recently reconnected with an old guy friend from middle school and high school via google talk. We chat every day and I really like him. Hopefully we’ll be an email success story too.

  • http://musingsofmaia.blogspot.com Maia

    I remember how excited we were in middle school about email and I’m still the same way! I’m SO addicted to it! Unfortunately my online dating experience has not been as successful as yours! (Hello Phish Fan dude, I’m talking about you! And others that I will have to share those stories another time…)

    I hope you are having a blast a FitBloggin’!! I can’t wait to hear all about it!

  • S.

    I met my husband on ICQ 10 years ago. He messaged me and we got to talking and chatted for 6 months getting closer. Knew it was crazy to consider anything *real*, though, because he lived in Europe and me in Ky. About 14 months after our online meeting, we met in person and back and forth we went visiting (about every 6 months). It was rough! I took the leap and moved over here almost 8 years ago. We’re coming up on our 6 year wedding anniversary in September.

    I’ve met lots of friends and have a whole network of people over here. Many who met in similar fashion.

  • http://startlosingthefat.com Robin

    Great topic. Though I did not meet my husband on the internet, I have two family members that have. I always encourage it to all my single friends. Very cool way to meet. Congratulations to everyone that has met their husbands online or even some cool friends.

  • Lindsay

    I met my previous bf online in 1998 and it was pretty taboo. We didn’t tell many people either, though our parents knew. My current BF responded to a Yahoo! Personal ad I had in 2002 and we’ve been together ever since. Email is our primary way of corresponding since our schedules conflict as well. Kind of funny how it was taboo 10 years ago to meet on the net, but now it’s pretty common.

  • kwithme

    I met my husband online in 1991. It is always funny to tell the story because most people did not even have a modem then.

  • http://colormeuntypical.blogspot.com Untypically Jia

    While I didn’t meet my husband online I know several people who have and they have wonderful marriages. I also can say that I may have not met my true love online, but I did meet my kindred spirits online. I have several friends who are my heart and soul and I’ve known them since I was about thirteen years old. They are my best friends and I have never met them face to face.

  • http://mrshillruns.blogspot.com/ Jessica

    I met my husband online (sort of). I am a children’s librarian at a public library. My husband was taking a class at the local university and needed to get a library card. He sent and email inquiry though the library’s website and for some reason it went to my account. I emailed him back with what he needed to get the library card…and when he came in to get the card and a few books he stopped over to say hello and thank you. The rest is history :)

  • http://www.weightlosstherapy.blogspot.com Christine

    Email…. know what you mean, can’t do without it! I met my soon to be husband on “plenty of fish”… he sent me a mini email and he stole my heart! Of course what also help was that first kiss that made me dizzy….knew he was a keeper!

  • http://thestruggle2011.blogspot.com Susana

    I met my boyfriend online too :D . He was a friend of a friend on Facebook. 10 months later, I’m happily living in another country (portuguese girl in the UK) with my man and couldn’t be any better than this.

    Internet rules!! :D

    Susana*

  • http://tobakett.blogspot.com/ Kett

    I met my boyfriend (of now almost 4 years) through OkCupid, on accident. I had signed up years ago just to do the stupid quiz thingies, and for a time when I was 18 to find a guy, but soon got sick of the desperate pervs and meeting guys who had reactions of “woah…your profile picture doesn’t look like Shamu!” (yeah….actual quote, so wanted to punch that guy in a not nice place)

    So, i just used it for quizzes. One of my best friends had the password to my account so when she met a guy, she would start messaging him on my name to make sure his stories added up before agreeing to meet him in person. Well, my sweetie messaged me, and we started talking. I kinda disregarded him as a potential suitor since I had completely written off online dating, and dating in general. So one night I’m talking with my friend and asking her what bar we were going to and she was like “Are you inviting David?” and I tried to be all coy and like “who are you talking about” and she basically laid it out that she liked him for me and that if i didn’t invite him out she was going to go on my account and send him my phone number and/or address. Needless to say she won.

    Funny you should mention your mom in law still doesn’t know….my guy’s mom still doesn’t know what site we met on and it drives her nuts that we haven’t told her yet…..we’ve decided that if/when we get married, we’re just going to give her a card at the end of the reception that has the website written in it :)

  • http://hearts-disfigure.org Laura

    I have never had a boyfriend or a date that I didn’t meet online first. They all sucked, though.

    However, my best friend outside of my immediate family, I met the first night my family got the internet at home when I was 12. I made a post on an AOL Backstreet Boys message board, and she IMed me to chat after she read it–we were a five hour drive from each other and only six months apart in age. We see each other at least once a year in person and keep in touch with Facebook and texting now. I can’t imagine my life without her–we’re going to see Backstreet and NKOTB together this summer–our third BSB concert together!

  • http://jillsboringlife.blogspot.com Jill

    Love that you met your husband online!! I also met mine online around the same time you did. We met in an online game in 2000 and finally met in person in dec of that year. The next year we moved in together and 4 years after that we got married. Funny that I’m commenting on this today because today is our 6th wedding anniversary.

  • iBirgitta

    What a romantic story *sigh*

  • http://kclanderson.com/before-and-after KCLAnderson (Karen)

    Okay, I’m a little late but only because I, too, was at Fitbloggin, as you know (SO cool to meet you in person…I am blown away by your beauty) and was too distracted to read and/or reply to blog posts…

    But anyway…

    I met my husband online back in the old days of the internet: 1994 (back in the days of 2400 bps connections). I had purchased a home computer and decided to see what the whole AOL thing was about. I signed on and eventually decided to post a “personal ad” for a New Year’s Eve date on AOL’s Romance Connection. Long story short, out of the 250+ responses I got, I met the love of my life…Mr. Timothy M. Anderson. It was not love at first sight for either of us, but there was something there that grew into a powerful and lasting love. We’ll be celebrating 14 years of marriage and 17 years together this year!

  • http://www,theprosandconsofme.blogspot.com The Pros + Cons Gal

    Ha! How cool! My Mister and I met online, too, about the same time you and yours did. Such different times back then, right? We still have our emails from the beginning. It’s fun to read through them every now and then.

    Thanks for sharing and becoming my newest and best inspiration! :)

  • http://sydneyspeaks.wordpress.com/ Sydney

    Love your wedding photo :)

    I’m reading this as I’m facing an online dating dilemma! I met a guy recently on eharmony and he wants to meet, but I’m SO nervous. How did your first meeting go? other than emailing did you talk on the phone before meeting?

    • http://skinnyemmie.com Skinny Emmie

      Thanks! Yes, we talked on the phone for hours on end. Our first phone conversation was 7 hours long- no joke, pulled an all nighter. I say meet him ( in a public place) and just see what happens. Or you can see if he wants to talk on the phone… good luck!

  • Tammy

    Emmie,

    I just found your blog through another site. I had to comment as I read through your entries. I met my husband WAYYYYY back in 1998 on a chat site when I was in college :) We lived 800 miles apart. All these years later, and 2 beautiful daughters later, we still joke about ‘those dang internet meetings’ and how they NEVER work out. Glad to see you were another one early on to get into the net meeting thing!

  • Tammy

    Bahhh I meant we met online in 1996, married in 1998. Oops hope he doesn’t see THAT mistake ;) Our 4th meeting was when we married!

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