The key is, it's not really online dating, it's online MEETING. It's just a mechanism for meeting people that are available for a relationship, that's all. It has pros and cons. Cons are they aren't vetted by your friends (or in Andrew's case, his barber!). Pros are you can learn a bit about them beforehand that you might not know if you met them at a party (like incompatible political leanings, smoking habits, spelling ability, musical tastes) and that can help you eliminate some people that you know you wouldn't be a match with.
Honestly, at my age meeting "organically" just doesn't really happen. I've met a grand total of one date in 11 years that way - Mr Big Lots, who picked me up when shopping in Big Lots. And while he was (and still is!) extremely handsome, he was in most other ways not a match - and I probably would have picked that up even earlier if I had met him online.
