So, after a long history of my romantic life getting screwed up by a thousand little things... [rant averted] I've decided that I'm going to stop relying purely on chance encounters and spacial relationships to bring romance into my life. So, I'm thinking about entering the exciting world of online dating... and I'm kinda nervous / unsure about what to do. Could any and all who are knowledgeable about this provide some information on:

• What to expect from what sites - what site(s) I should use
  
• How to set up a good profile on whatever site you're advising - pitfalls to avoid
  
• How to interpret stuff on these sites - how to make good selections
  
• How to navigate the transition from "We've encountered eachother on a website" to, y'know, dating
  
• How to not feel massively weird about this
  
• Anything else

Because it's relevant (especially for the first point): I'm an 18 year old white heterosixual human male geek with no strong faith associations, who lives near a major urban center and has access to a vast network of public transportation. I'd rather not get into the particulars of why I'm unsatisfied with my non-net-enhanced romantic life, but suffice it to say that it's nothing that should really effect this whole process - I'm a perfectly sociable and attractive young man, and a fair number of girls have jamo'd However, I am kinda nervous / uncomfortable / shy about the whole process of adding the online element. It's just really weird to me. Since... since I don't know how long (middle childhood), I've had my real life, and my online life, and the only place they've ever bled together is Facebook. This'll be totally new, and it's just human nature to fear the new.

One final complicating factor - as a highschool senior, I still live with my mom, which probably isn't something a whole lot of girls further along in life (college age and above) are going to be particularly impressed by . So... yeah, that's something I'll have to figure out how to handle.

That's a relief, since I haven't heard good reviews about MinotaurMatch.com.
From what I've heard, a lot of the sites are marginally sketchy and people are likely to treat you that way. Also, from what I've heard, you'll get a lot of action right when you join, but things slow down once you become a 'regular'. Use your instincts and be honest are the two real pieces of advice I can give, never having tried a site myself.

People that seem too good probably are. There seem to be lots of trolls on these kinds of sites.

I've tried OkCupid.com and a furry-specific dating site.

As for OKC, it has the big advantage of being free. However, I've gotten maybe... two / three responses on it over a 2-year period, and they consisted of mostly of messages sent to me, I replied, and they never got back to me after that (one lasted about a week and then she didn't get back to me).

I've had way, way, WAY more luck (well, until I met my current girlfriend ) with the furry-specific dating site (I didn't meet her on the site, however).

What that says, to me, is to find a more niche dating site (one devoted to geeks, furries, or whatever niche you happen to find yourself in). The niche dating sites have fewer users, which will mean you stand out more simply due to less "competition." And it also means that basically everyone else on the site also has at least one or two interests in common.

If all you want to do is flirt online, then join Secondlife, or Teenspot. I don't know about the ones where you take it into real life though. Never tried any.

You're 18 and have given up on meeting girls in a real life situation? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqyixwqiCag

I mean you're only 18 man...

Never use online dating.

I don't trust the internet, at a bar or a party you can meet the person before you date them. That works better.

This. Please. Just... don't.

I would reccommend Christian dating sites, unless they specifically state their for christians only.
Ladies like to think they can change a guy, and some denominations have their lady members use their 'feminine wiles' to get converts.
Got no advice about how to make your profile just be careful about how much info you give about yourself and be honest about what you do give.
When selecting a person that seems interesting when you talk to them I would watch out for inconsistencies,
I've met a few girls from online one was very cool we just had a pizza party and watched monty python and some anime it was fun. Another time I talked to this girl on the phone and she had this eerie quality from time to time her voice sounded exactly like someone I was close to along time ago so I ignored a few signs I shouldn't of. A lot of the stuff she said didn't exactly match up for one her photo when I finally did meet her she looked like she did in her photo except she was much much..larger, when I looked at the photo again I realized she just chose a really good angle to take it from.
She also lied about quite a bit of stuff which I won't go into but after I confronted her about it I told her I was not interested in her due to her lying and tried to avoid her, she then started to stalk me.
She did it online and over the phone constantly trying to contact me then when day she showed up in person when I was talking to 3 girls I had just met and proceeded to act crazy and scare them off. After that I kind of decided something needed to be done to resolve the issue so I introduced her to my friend. I warned him she was a bit off, but he handles crazy a lot better than I do and thankfully I haven't her from her since.

Why would anyone want to hook up with a girl like that?

Mhm.

What isn't appealing about a girl like that. People do change over time, what's wrong with a lady that wants to help you to be a better man?

If she's trying to convert me, she'd be trying to make me a lesser man.

Then try a different site, was merely a suggestion.

from personal experience.... it's rare to find someone who respond, and those who did ended up not being serious enough

worst experience for me, the only one to talk to me for at least a week ended up insulting me for not being incredibly rich, even though no where on their profile did it say they were looking for a sugar daddy or "client"

Hahaha.

I wouldnt use dating sites, they just creep me out for some reason.

I like when I use them and I chat up this super hot brunette with hazel eyes and a habit for getting involved in dirty sports...Turns out at our first date she used her substitute [Fat balding Jim], I left after he paid for the dinner.

For the record I don't use those sites and I wouldn't advise it either, unless you're really desperate

I filled out an OkCupid profile a while back, was completely honest in my profile and questionaire. Now, Im a really decent, easy going, and genuinely nice dude with a good sense of humor. Not one single reply. its because I have no money, have long hair and like unpopular forms of music, I think. Oh and because I have no muscles and am highly unlikely to beat or cheat on my partner.

Women, they have the worst taste in men.

Not to say that online-dating is a bad idea, but there was an incident not too long ago where a man threw a womans dog into the river and did some.. you know.. stuff with her. They had met through an online dating site iirc.

Just a little heads-up.

you won't find normal people on dating sites

I met my boyfriend on match.com and am totally normal...

obviously not

I've been on a few dates from an online site. Didn't meet my current guy there, but I have made some good friends. Here are my tips:

Don't mention past relationships. Like your very first sentence - don't put anything like that. Or things like "I'm sick of fake girls/cheaters/whatever". You might be, but you'll just come off as bitter and carrying round baggage.
Don't write a huge essay, but at the same time don't write something so short and vague that it could be about anybody.
Don't just stay chatting for ages - you need to meet up. It's really hard to push yourself to make the transition (especially the first time), but it's only a date and it's supposed to be fun. Worst thing that happens is you'll spend a few hours being bored and/or underwhelmed.
For a first date keep it short and sweet. Coffee is nice and simple. It also means that if it's going well you can extend the date for dinner/daytrip, or easily call it quits without it being awkward.
Put a picture. Nobody looks at profiles if it doesn't have a picture.
No pictures of you with an ex. If you happen to have a really good pic where you happen to be standing next to your sister/mate, make sure you put a caption pointing out it's just your sister/mate.
You probably will feel weird the first time you meet.
Don't expect many girls to message you. Most wait and hope for a message.
When you send a message, don't just write something like "Hi, how are you?". Chances are the girls get an awful lot of these, and usually they're from guys who have mass messaged anyone who looks nice without bothering to read the profile, so they get deleted.

As for living at home, you'll have to navigate it the same way you would in any other relationship. I've never seen it mentioned in a profile whether someone lives with parents or not, so I don't think it's necessary in a profile (it's hardly one of your defining characteristics). But obviously if she asks, you tell the truth, just like in any other conversation. If you've had relationships with girls your age before without this being a problem I don't see why it would turn into one just because you met on the net.

I know two couples that met online. One is celebrating their 5th anniversary and one is celebrating their kids' 1st birthday.

You're a high school senior, so around 18? I thought dating sites are for people that don't get around as much or are too busy to socialize, not people who are still in school and will meet alot of girls in the next 4 years of college.