It's a common question that any men ask themselves when embarking on Internet dating. Why would good-looking women need to meet men online? It's a question that has probably put many men off looking through the hoards of online personals and Internet dating sites that populate the Internet. The reverse is also true, many women have already formed a picture before they even try to meet men online and so they tend to walk into it expecting to find the worst, if they bother at all.

Bad press surrounding chat sites and the stalkers and paedophiles who are apparently their only frequenters have put many people off visiting the sites. Horror stories of ugly men have meant that in the past only the loneliest women would try to meet men online. These stories simply aren't as commonplace as you believe. It's not the fault of the press, because these horror stories are true and have happened, but tightened Internet security and a greater awareness on the part of both dating sites and potential partners mean that they are becoming less frequent.

The papers don't have a need to report the stories with a happy ending, and newspapers wouldn't sell if the front page headline read 'Man finds happiness on Internet dating site. The fact is that horror stories sell so the papers and television reports will only ever tell you that the kind of women who try to meet men online are unsuccessful and less than attractive women who have no other choice than to hide behind a veil of misconception.

It's certainly true that you should use Internet dating sites with a certain degree of caution and common sense, but isn't this the case with all encounters? You never know who it is you're chatting to when you're having a drink at your local and you aren't really certain who you are talking to on the other end of the Internet.

In many ways, it's safer to frequent Internet chat sites looking to meet men online or meet women online because people only have the information you give them. You get an extended amount of time to get to know your potential partner before you even have to think about meeting them in person and by this time you should have a good idea of the type of person they are. Good-looking women look to meet men online for these reasons and more.

Attractive women who are looking to meet men online might feel more comfortable talking to en via email and instant messaging than by meeting them. They know that when they meet men online they only have to click a mouse to get away and in the fast paced modern age that we live in, the capacity to meet men online is probably one of very few ways that many women have to socialise with the opposite sex.

Next time you're chatting to a woman online and her picture paints her as a beautiful woman don't just assume that because she's come online to meet men that she's posted a picture of someone else. It could be the worst mistake you ever make.