I need a date. Of all the things I've done in my life, admitting to the world I could use some help in the dating department is probably one of the least enjoyable. Despite the fact I get paid to talk to people for a living, the process of communicating with women who are potential dates is an area in which I've never excelled - despite all my best efforts.

Throw in my status as one of the few single members of the CiN Weekly staff, and it should come as no surprise that my co-workers suggested I try a new course of action: Try going online for at least one week and see what happens. And being the hopeless romantic I am, I agreed.

Neil Wehneman, 24, is currently dating an Indianapolis woman named Laura he met earlier this summer on eHarmom, one of the Internet's top dating sites. The Milford resident says he went online after exhausting his opportunities at the three places he says people tend to meet - school, church and work. After getting his feet wet with a few trials on various sites, Wehneman got serious about online dating late in 2004 and met Laura several months later.

"It's gone from 'Oh, geeky loser can't get a date' to 'Oh, that's a viable option,' " Wehneman says. "You're able to share information with each other without having to come up with ways to look suave - yet not too suave - like (you must in) the bar scene."

Despite having many mutual friends, Jim and Peggy Farwig, both 30, first met on Match.com in December 2003. The Pleasant Ridge couple - who were married in May - were both attracted to online dating because of the sheer number of profiles and the ease of searching through them. The Farwigs both agree that while they may have eventually met off-line, going online proved to be a great way to meet.

For Peggy, the ability to browse profiles and check messages from anywhere was a draw to online dating. Plus, online rejection is easier. "You can exchange a couple of e-mails and if that's all that happens, there's not much invested and the rejection isn't face to face!" she says. "There was a little more security in that."

"Peggy told me this way back: I ended (my original message) saying 'I'm interested in getting to know you better; if you're interested, write me back,' " he says. "It was an action statement and a little assertive and said 'Hey, online dating, it's not a big deal.' "

"I like to exercise, but I'm never going to be Mr. Olympia. I'll watch Sex in the City re-runs with you, but would hope you'd want to come watch football with me ... I like my job, but I'm not so career-focused it dominates my life, my personality or my spare time. I'm the guy your friends will say is nice, but not the type who's so nice he's annoying or uninteresting after a month. In short, I'm the type of guy you probably wish you had ... And you know you want to find out now for yourself whether or not that's true."

Save for a few height (5-feet-3 to 6 feet), body type (slim/slender, athletic or average) and religious (some denomination of Christianity) specifications for my potential match, I leave everything open in hopes of attracting a wide range of potential dates.

Within a few hours, I get a response in both my Yahoo! and Match inboxes - neither of which I feel like pursuing. The first, a 20-something female from northern Cincinnati, has a cardinal sin (ALL CAPS ALERT) at the top of her profile, and the rest of it goes on to reveal way more than I wanted to know at first glance. My second potential match has a much better profile than the first, but I am just not attracted to her. I send out a few "winks" and "icebreakers" (the online equivalent of waving "hi") in hopes of better luck on day two.

I log on to my Match and Yahoo! accounts, only to find I have no new mail in my inboxes. Remembering the advice the Farwigs gave me, I decide to step my game up by e-mailing a few potential dates instead of waiting for them to contact me.

I have lunch with Cristin, a friend who signed up for Match the previous day. Attractive and smart, Cristin, 26, quickly shows me how great the world of online dating can be for women. Her profile has been viewed by more than 250 men: 35 of them winked and 11 e-mailed her in less than 24 hours. Realizing how many other single guys are online, I decide to change up my pictures and expand my search criteria.

My week comes to an uneventful end with no new messages. Cristin has had a much better run of luck; she has already set up two dates from the nearly 900 men who have viewed her profile.

First, online dating follows many of the same conventions of off-line dating. Men seem to be more likely to make the first move, but not all the time.

I also realized that profiles are important: one little thing could make all the difference. I can't help but wonder if anyone who viewed my original picture thought I looked cocky (like some of my co-workers said).

And just like in "regular" dating, a little patience and perseverance goes a long way. While some, like my friend Cristin, may find a match quickly online, others need a little more time. And until I find the one, I'll keep on checking my e-mail.

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