RAISON JD'ATE-RE There are thousands of us out here, in the online netherworld, shopping for love and companionship over the Internet. And if we are dating online and we are Jewish, we are probably on JDate. We have experienced the joy of an email from someone we thought we found interesting, only to be disappointed in real life. We have encountered people who lied about their height and interests. We have chatted with people online who seem witty with the 10-20 second IM delay, and moved the relationship to the phone, only to find that their conversational skills are clearly lacking. We have wondered how to handle the delicate situations we encounter, and have sought advice from friends. Now, there's one more friend to consult. And then there's the technical joy of dealing with internet dating...We've been frustrated by the random disconnections by the JDate server, by new payment policies, by Big Brother JDate censors removing segments of our profiles. We all have our stories to tell. Of men and women who never called back. Of men and women who had no chemistry. Of men whose interest waned because of a date's few extra pounds, and women turned off by a date's legacy of student loans. We all have our areas of superficiality, but in order to overcome them, we must acknowledge them--with humor and in the embrace of a community of others. Though it sometimes seems impossible, there are those who have found love online--their stories are an inspiration, and will also be welcome here as a buoy of hope in the dating ocean. The goal of this blog is to record our experiences, good and bad, of men and women, serial JDaters and novices, from NYC to L.A. and everywhere in between. When the muse inspires, there will be features, rants and raves on related subjects. But this is your blog, your forum. Speak.