It used to be that like-minded people from different countries had no way of meeting, unless one or both of the parties had enough money to travel internationally. With the invention of the internet, this method of communication has facilitated an environment where meeting a love interest from other parts of the world is not only possible, but highly likely. Many unions that started through online dating have resulted in marriages and happy families. Though the potential for finding a mate is great, there is also the possibility of dangerous situations- there are stories about online dating that point out negative situations that occurred when meeting someone the first time.