Social Networks or Dating Networks

If you haven't heard of a social networks by now your living in a cave. There are plenty of websites where people can interact socially online. I'm not sure when or how it became popular to use those social networks to look for baby mommas/daddies, cut buddies, lovers, spouse, etc. I am old fashion, I am also extremely non trusting and feel like its too dangerous to meet someone online for a few hours then meet up with them in person shortly after. Chatting with a person sight unseen is too impersonal for me. Especially when I'm trying to make a determination if I'm going to be dating them or not. Apparently there are some of you that don't have any problems with that, in fact you embrace it like it was your last meal or something. Some of you have made it a hobby, some a profession, and some a lifestyle. I'm just wondering how far is too far. I personally think this is tooooo damn far but hey who am I to judge...... A friend of mine, and I use the word friend loosely, told me she had just got out of a bad relationship. I didn't really care or try to pretend to care, but that didn't stop her from continuing with the story. She told me that she met someone online, it started off with just a few nice words, chatting back and forth. After only a few days it became serious sexual conversation. Then after a few weeks they were making plans to meet. Well since they "only" lived 14 hours away from each other my friend decided to drive to meet up with this person. Now the whole time she is talking the look on my face has went from purely uninterested to straight disgusted. However my curiosity has taken over and I really want to here the details that led to this outcome. Anyway, she proceeds to say, she packed up a weeks worth of stuff and drove 14 hours away to meet a person she'd only seen pictures of online. When she got to her destination she tried to contact her new man as she called him, but for whatever reason he wasn't answering the phone or returning her calls. So she sat in the hotel wondering what was going on. For two whole days!!!! SMH. Then finally he called back, saying what's up. My immediate thought was he probably figured if she had really driven way up there to meet him then she was gone by now, but he was so wrong, LOL. He apparently didn't realize he had gotten involved with a seriously stupid female. She then went on to say she told him she was there, ready to meet, go to lunch, hang out for the rest of the week, and have fun doing all those things they spent all night chatting about. His conversation was sounding real different now. Nothing like before, with all that I wanna be with you mess he was talking before. He was way more apprehensive than before. WHY do you ask, hhhmmm, well one because he was about 7 years older than he said and he was way more married!!! Yea that makes a big difference! So my friend a.k.a. DESPERADO decided that since she was there she might as well hang out anyway. Why waste a trip?  She told him it was cool, so he came to the hotel. He looked nothing like his pics, he looked even older than the 7 added years he had just admitted to. He also smelled of cigarette smoke AND didn't even have money to pay for her food. SMH, so what did she do next? Hung out with him ALL day because her excuse was she didn't know anyone else there. And the next day she called him again to come back to her hotel. He never answered anymore of her calls AGAIN! She still stayed the rest of the week hoping he'd come back cause he ended up being "cool". She was disappointed when he didn't. So she drove home, but that didn't discourage her from contacting him again online when she got back and continuing the very sexual chats. SMDH....Now she is complaining about just getting out of a bad relationship. What warped mind do you have to have to think that's a relationship? For whatever reason they don't chat anymore, so she is saying she is done with him and its over, but I don't even see where it started. Really? Now with that said my point was hooking up with people online could be dangerous and you never know who you may get involved with. The person may be a straight loony tune. I was referring to her! Not him! Since this incident she has signed up with several online dating sites, paid and non paid. She also travels overseas to meet with men in hopes to find a husband! And I found out her sister has been married three, I repeat three times to men she has met on sites such as Facebook and Twitter!  SSSSSAAAADDDD!!!!!! Social networks are probably best for simple socializing.