Met My Wife on AOL Instant Messenger
Posted by Ok-Lifeguard-2956@reddit | Xennials | View on Reddit | 112 comments
The "original" online dating app.
This was in 2000, I was a Junior in College and she was a Senior in High School. (Although she did fib to me about her age initially)
I told this to friends at a party recently, and they were asking how you even met someone in the same city online back then.
I don't remember exactly how it worked, but I do remember there being "Chat Rooms" and you could DM someone you wanted to talk to personally. There was probably a "Santa Barbara Area" chatroom where we met.
Anyways, hadn't thought about this for a while and thought people's reactions were kind of funny.
vacayerin@reddit
I met my husband on ICQ! šŗ
Volkat@reddit
"Uh-oh!" I still remember my UIN numberš
mister_newbie@reddit
Ditto.
donnadoctor@reddit
I remember that sound echoing through the dorm halls
lnc_5103@reddit
Same! Uh oh is burned into my brain too.
loves_spain@reddit
Mine is eight digits. I still remember it but can't remember why I walked into a room.
NighthawkCP@reddit
I didn't meet my wife on ICQ but I did chat with her quite a bit back in the day. We went to school together but she was really shy and quiet so ICQ definitely helped facilitate our initial chatting in high school. We didn't get together though until college and by then we had moved on to texting on our cellphones.
xrelaht@reddit
You were texting in 1999? Were you millionaires?
HopelesslyHuman@reddit
For a second I thought you were me but my wife and I did get together in high school. But otherwise relatively the same story. Mutual friends in high school, started chatting a lot on ICQ...and now still together 28 years later.
NighthawkCP@reddit
Haha glad to see we aren't the only ones from the ICQ days still in the same relationship as almost no one else our age is. We've been together almost a quarter century now and married over 23 years.
giantmaters@reddit
Me too!
lnc_5103@reddit
I dated a guy I met on ICQ for a few years! We ended up too far apart going to college so it didn't work out. I still talk to a few people in his friend group that I got to know via ICQ and later in person š¤
triplealpha@reddit
Lost my virginity to a girl from ICQ! We dated for a few months
bluemitersaw@reddit
I'm ICQ once removed!
My college roommate meet a girl on ICQ. They wanted to meet up but he didn't have a car, I did. The girl had a friend who was like "you can't go meet two random guys from the Internet, I'll go with you.". They hit it off leaving the two of us to hang out.
Fast forward, they dated a couple of years and we've been married over 25 yrs.
ToeLimbaugh@reddit
Oh my days
What an era
https://youtu.be/nZNBEQzec5Q?si=LhdEwI857cCXv8ck
abstrakt42@reddit
UHOH!
allworkbizness@reddit
I met my wife on MySpace, thanks Tom!
goldenscales@reddit
I met a guy via the website Hot or Not who somehow lived in the next town over and we were both about to head to the same university. Dated for like three years, lol.Ā
gregarious119@reddit
Hang on let me set a witty away message real quick.
fatcatpotat@reddit
Met my husband in an AOL chat room. Marijuana Debate. We met in 2000 online and had our first phone conversation in early 2001. We lived on opposite coasts. Moved in together on my 21st birthday in 2002 and got married that October. Been together ever since and celebrating 24 years of marriage soon. :) Life's been crazy but so glad we met each other. I would have never met him if not for the internet.
anakusis@reddit
I did too. Moved cross country and we're still together.
brakeb@reddit
Easy Tom Hanks and Jack Nicholson
clever-name22@reddit
I met my husband through Craigslist circa 2005 and chatted on AOL. His AIM game was strong!
External-Flight-4680@reddit
I had a two-year FWB relationship with someone I met on ISCABBS. Met my wife on Yahoo Personals. It feels so weird to me that online dating is so common; it's certainly nice not having to brace myself for the judgement.
mcfetrja@reddit
Iām going to hang out with a friend from ISCABBS tomorrow. Met my ex-wife on Yahoo Chat. And correct, the pioneersā internalized shame paved the way for mass adoption. The dating apps should be cutting us founders of the online dating movement our royalty checks with every new account.
Gonna_do_this_again@reddit
I used to hit up Craigslist dating lol. Actually went on a couple of good dates but nothing came of them. No weirdos or any horror stories, just normal people like me giving it a shot.
alreadyreddituser@reddit
A/S/L?
FollowThisLogic@reddit
Meet my wife on AOL in 97 or 98, in the "Arts and Entertainment - The Cure" chat room.
We dated online until 2001 or so, never met, went our separate ways. Reconnected on MySpace, kept in touch on Facebook a little, then her marriage fell apart and we rediscovered our spark.
Met IRL in 2010 and we've been together since!
donnadoctor@reddit
That is one of the cutest stories Iāve ever heard - The Cure is the perfect cherry on top!
GreekGoddessOfNight@reddit
Did your convo with her start with a/s/l?
screamingcatfish@reddit
Met my husband in EverQuest.
mauvareen@reddit
I met my husband in a pirate movie, we learned after getting together that we both played EQ at the same time, just different servers.
ermy_shadowlurker@reddit
Itās still going btw. EverQuest legends is in production.
Chicken_Water@reddit
That game ruined my first serious relationship because I didn't understand you could get addicted to games. I only played it because my roommate was into it too. Hard life lesson.
Zerkcie@reddit
I have to stay away from MMOās. Thereās something about them that I instantly turn it into a job and try to the most gold I can get. EQ2 I had enough platinum I bought the largest guild hall for my small guild of real life friends just because I could while all other guildās had to pull in everyoneās savings. Same thing in ESO as well. Now I just stay away because I know myself too well at this point. I wish getting rich in real life was as easy as MMOās š
OnePingOnlyVasili@reddit
Evercrack! I love that game!
caryn1477@reddit
Omg, My ex-husband used to play that and that's what I called it.
Quadstriker@reddit
WoW here.
truth_fairy78@reddit
I remember how Iād lie āsorry I donāt have a scannerā to guys I didnāt wanna send pics to. Those were the days lol.
Y33tAwoo2u@reddit
I met the dude I lost my virginity to on an AOL chatroom. Millennials really got the wild west of the internet.
Racacooonie@reddit
mIRC marriage here!
Morning-Few@reddit
same!
loves_spain@reddit
Undernet or Exnet?
krissym99@reddit
Remember Friendster? You could see how many degrees removed you were from someone. One night I was bored and saw the profile for this guy that had a bunch of friends in common with me and we both had a lot of overlap in our lists for our favorite bands. So I messaged him, we exchanged a few messages and fell out of touch. Months later I was at a karaoke night a friend organized and saw someone that looked familiar. It was the Friendster guy! We've been together for over 22 years.
screamalongsongs@reddit
I met my wife on MySpace
mistyayn@reddit
I met my husband on Craigslist when there were personals.
mmoonbelly@reddit
I met my wife via Gumtree (tamer UK version of Craigās list). She was looking for furnitureā¦
rebuildingsince64@reddit
When did you discover that she was a Portuguese man in his 60s?
JediNeo101@reddit
Yahoo personal back when it was free.
AFWolverine@reddit
Meet my wife (20 years in July!) on mIRC.
SirBobsonDugnutt@reddit
When I was in college my AIM profile had cycling in it and the team found me and invited me to join. Good memories being on that team.
After_Preference_885@reddit
Yahoo chat here!
Fuckitall2346@reddit
Hello my future girlfriendā¦
SignificantApricot69@reddit
I met mine on an actual forum/message board about a shared condition.
Way before that it was pretty common in the 90s to have online chat and IMs with local people. I mean, Iām sure everyone here remembers a/s/l and that could also be part of your social circle and friend of a friend type introductions (meeting people your friends had on their IM list)
KeeperOfObscurity@reddit
I met my husband in an AOL hockey chat room. He and I were both in college and everyone else in there was like 16 and on their parentsā computers. All they wanted to do was talk about sex, and he asked ādoesnāt anybody actually want to talk about hockey?ā. I did, and 25 years later here we are.
ghoster32111@reddit
I met my wife on MySpace
BeaniePole1792@reddit
We met on MySpace too! He messaged me though. 18 years married, 20 years together. I canāt imagine meeting someone online now with all the algorithms.
elliemff@reddit
Fellow MySpace here, 2007. We had mutuals and he saw my picture and sent me a friend request. I messaged him like ādonāt friend request me, I donāt know youā and thus began our 19 years of love.
ghoster32111@reddit
Lol! My wife messaged me and we talked a few times on aol then went out on a date and been stuck together for 20 years soon
drimmie@reddit
Same situation here! 20 years together as well.
lnc_5103@reddit
I have one I haven't seen yet š¤£
I met my college boyfriend on LiveJournal after searching for people who went to the college I was going to the summer after I graduated.
We were together for two years and just weren't compatible as a couple long term. He's one of my best friends to this day though.
shoester22222@reddit
AOL chat room meetup here too! That was in ā97, together since ā99, married in ā07. Itās no longer embarrassing to say we met online lolĀ
lnc_5103@reddit
Isn't that wild? I dated a guy I met on ICQ on and off all during high school and I would never tell people the truth about how we met.
Hobbes2442@reddit
IRC would like to dispute the word āoriginal.ā However, youāre right about online dating before it was popular!
loves_spain@reddit
Remember when text got COLORS.
loves_spain@reddit
I met my husband on IRC.
Fine_time@reddit
I met my first long term relationship on MySpace.. he said he hadnāt met anyone he liked in real life in a while so filled in all the specific parameters they used to have for ātypeā and a close location and I was all that popped up. Iād just moved to the city and knew no one, and he messaged me and lived only a few blocks away. We lived together 8 years, he moved across the country a few years ago and is still my best friend.
likesexonlycheaper@reddit
A/S/L?
Volkat@reddit
Does anyone remember Virtual Places (VP, VPlaces)? Bonus points if it was before the Excite acquisition! I've so far never met anyone who remembers it!
My first relationship was a brief long-distance one with someone on there around 95/96š«£š Thinking back on it, it was preeetty cringe, but mostly harmless fun.
I remember the animated gestures used in the chat rooms. "The Spirit of Christmas" short before it was South Park was a common series of gestures
TheBr0fessor@reddit
S}GOTMAIL
Life-of-Bryan@reddit
Met my wife on yahoo personals in 97
TuesDazeGone@reddit
My husband and I met on AOL chat. He only lived one state over so I eventually drove out to meet him. Married 21 years now š„°
makinthemagic@reddit
a/s/l ?
VegetableReturn643@reddit
I met my husband on hotornot š
FeelTheWrath79@reddit
I met a lot of fun girls on that website, lol.
PaperBeneficial@reddit
Do you remember "face the jury?".
LittlePlasticStar@reddit
I met my husband senior year of HS in an AOL chat room in 1997. Met in āreal lifeā in 1998 when he flew to my university. Long distance relationship while in college with summers spent together until I went to grad school in another country so we got married in 2004 so he could be with me on a visa. Still together. Still my best friend. We are crazy about each other.
Zerkcie@reddit
Meet my wife in 96ā in a chat room, found out we only lived 20 minutes away from each other. Been together ever since. Nice to see weāre not alone! š
Zerkcie@reddit
I met my wife in a chat room in 96ā on AOL. Fuck Iām old.
Traditional_Entry183@reddit
I met my first girlfriend that way. We went to different colleges, and met on AOL randomly. Chatted for six months that way before we had our first date. Later were together for two years.
I talked to so many girls that way. Far more than I ever did in person. Later met my wife through Match.
18randomcharacters@reddit
I spent sooooooooo many hours in chatrooms.
jcstrat@reddit
I had a buddy who met his wife on WoW.
Spiritual-Promise402@reddit
I remember meeting a ton of people within my interests on AOL. It was like a free pen pal service and you didn't even have to use stamps! Best past about it is you could feel free to express yourself with complete anonymity. Kinda like Reddit, I guess, except it isn't in chat form
Turbulent_Tale6497@reddit
In 2004, my wife AIMāed me āmy water just broke, come homeā
Melancolin@reddit
Iām also in an early social media marriage. Remember when Facebook was only for college students and you could put your schedule in and it would show you other people in your class? We had a class together and he found me on Facebook. His opening line was mentioning a friend we have in common. That was 21 years ago.
VoidOmatic@reddit
My best friend met his wife on AIM back in 05. Another good friend met his wife on EverQuest.
FoppyRETURNS@reddit
I remember my last instant messages were 16 years ago on gmail, kinda late
caryn1477@reddit
Yep, this is where I met my ex-husband in 1997. I think I just looked up my local area. But it was IM, not DM. AOL instant message.
drimmie@reddit
My wife found my MySpace profile back in 2006 and added me. We talked a little but thru AOL AIM and then started dating. Still together 20 years and three kids later
ShitfaceMcPooperson@reddit
Hello my future girlfriend.
Texas_Kimchi@reddit
I met my first love in an AOL Chat Room!
suesay@reddit
I mean, Iād say the original dating app might have been a few years before that in AOL chat rooms!
uzernaimed@reddit
Craigslist. Together for 21 years.
Woodworker1982@reddit
Asl?
alwaystheocean@reddit
One of my best friends met his husband on MySpace, and another friend met her wife on LiveJournal. I love these kinds of stories.
Mysterious-Lab-5918@reddit
I met a few of my exes, including an ex-wife on Yahoo Messenger...
bgva@reddit
Iāve still got a few friends I met from the local AOL chat room or College Club. Late-90s/early-00s were a time.
COV3RTSM@reddit
MSN messenger ftw. Mostly how we talked in the early 2000ās. Married 20 years in sept.
pojospages@reddit
I met my husband in the chat room on the website - The Center For Easily Amused back in 98. For yeeeaars we told people we met in university and didnāt dare say we met online. š 26 yrs later we laugh about that and our kids canāt comprehend the type of chat rooms we spent so many hours in. Oh! And long distance phone charges back then were criminal!
justpassingby_thanks@reddit
"ASL?" Was a whole moral dilemma, do I lie or not and how would they know?
Mac_A81@reddit
I met my husband on Match.com
MexicanVanilla22@reddit
Also met my husband on AOL. Married 20 years so far!
YinzaJagoff@reddit
Met my ex fiancƩ on MySpace
kbennett82@reddit
I remember the chat rooms lol!
Iheartbaconz@reddit
Same, 2005 we started talking. Met thru my band, guitarist and her friend talked then introduced us.
We divorced back in 2019 but used AIM till the ended
867-53-oh-nein@reddit
Hah. I was in that same area and also ran into some of the local high school girls trying to party.
PaperBeneficial@reddit
A lot of people had screen names that referenced their geographical location, so that may have drawn you guys to message each other. Just throwing it out there.
HelpImOverthinking@reddit
My husband and I met on AOL too! 1998.
rshana@reddit
While we technically met in college at a bar after our friends introduced us, we flirted with each other all year on AOL instant messenger. Didnāt actually start dating until we graduated. Anyway, next week will be our 16th wedding anniversary and 23 years together total so far!
I remember getting butterflies whenever his username would pop up as online! Still get butterflies when I see him.
NPC261939@reddit
I met someone on AOL in 2000 as well. We were together almost 20 years.