Finally, the question arises. "So Kyle, tell us all how you met again," demands one friend.

"Well," starts Kyle, "I was on America Online one night when I get this Instant Message from a woman, who turned out to be Mary."

CEO of AOL, Steve Case.

The friends listen in awe about the fateful meeting of Kyle and Mary. "And so we decided to meet and well, now here we are," finishes Kyle. He grabs Mary and gives her a quick peck on the cheek.

This love story is not as unlikely as you may think. Every night, millions of America Online (AOL) users are turning their attention to a new world of communication, one not only with vast amounts of information, but one that is functioning as an unintended dating service.

Over the past 10 years, millions of people from all over the world have been gaining access to the Internet, the most popular information-dispenser of the century. Although there are many Internet servers available to computer users, AOL has clearly been in the forefront of the Internet race. Users are connected to the Internet primarily to get the latest news, but with the unique features offered by AOL, they can also communicate with other members, some even finding a potential soul mate or future spouse.

Netiquette Do not type in all CAPS in a chat room or Instant Message -- it's considered shouting and can be offensive. Do not use inappropriate language. Treat others as you would expect to be treated. Things are no different online. Check out the conversation first when you enter a chat room in order to get the feel of the chat flow. Then jump in and chat away! Do not overuse emoticons, such as :-) or :-(. They can be cute, but also annoying. Always be honest. Do not lie online. Do not scroll in the chat rooms. (Scrolling occurs when someone repeatedly types a line in a chat room so that everyone else's screen scrolls too fast for the conversations to be read.) Do not use offensive titles when naming a chat room -- respect people's differences.

AOL was founded in 1985 and is led by CEO Steve Case. It is the world's first billion-dollar new media company with over 11 million members worldwide. The service provides subscribers with a variety of interactive features -- electronic mail, Internet access, news, sports, weather, financial information, electronic shopping and more. Other interactive features, such as the People Connection and Instant Message (IM), help users find love on the Internet.

In the People Connection, members can scan hundreds of member chat rooms. Members with a particular interest create these chat rooms and anyone can enter into them. Members may find a room whose title catches their eye, and they can enter and chat (exchange typed responses) with up to 22 other members simultaneously. Some members freely converse, while others shyly watch conversations taking place, occasionally jumping in to chat.

An IM is different from a chat room because it provides the ability for two users to have a private chat.

At the click of a button, a romance can begin.

Participants say these "cyber-romances" are usually valued and respected, just as they would be if the people had met each other in person. Some contend that these relationships are based more on personal connection rather than on physical appearances.

"One day I was sitting there on AOL checking out a web page when I get this IM from some girl in Arizona," says Kevin, a 23-year-old student from California. "Ever since then, we've been talking every night."