As a stand-up comic, I get to travel all around the country meeting people in the places I perform. Some people think this would be the ideal way to meet guys. Maybe if I were interested in a one-night stand or short flings, but I wanted to meet the man of my dreams, have a lasting relationship and get remarried. Meeting guys in Alaska and Las Vegas are fine, but it's rather difficult to go out to a movie with them when you live in New York.

I wanted a man I could date. One who could wine and dine me and come over to my house without having to make flight arrangements. With my lifestyle of being on the road, it was difficult to meet someone local since I was never local to meet them. I am a single mom. During the week I stay home with my son, help him with his homework, microwave dinner, play with him and put him to bed. So going out during the week was hard, and the weekends were spent out of town making couples laugh.

I've always gone after everything in my life with a vengeance. Once I set my mind to something, I would get it. I am very organized and methodical. So one day I decided I would search for a man the way I would a job.

I had tried blind dates but they wound up good fodder for my comedy act. I had tried the newspaper personals, but the process was too long by the time they answered and sent a picture. I took classes on different subjects like automechanics, astral projection and yoga, but I only met flexible men who wanted to fix my soul with a wrench.

Then one day my good friend Janette told me she was meeting guys online through a service called Netgirl. I had a computer but no modem and I didn't even understand the concept of cyberspace. She explained it to me and I was game.

We set up a screen name for me on her computer and I put an ad on Netgirl. I got 35 responses! But it was hard because she had to read their responses to me over the phone and I had to dictate my response. The process took too long. My old computer was too slow and outdated for a modem and AOL. So, I decided to invest in a new computer.

Within weeks I was set up. My kid had new games and could e-mail his granny in South Carolina, and I could begin my search for Mr. Right. In the meantime, Janette had met a wonderful man. My friends who didn't have computers were worried I would meet an axe murderer and that people could lie to me on line.

My logic was this: the same thing could happen in person. What's to guarantee me that the guy I meet in the park, or at a bar, isn't some lunatic either? This way I would get to know them a little first before meeting them. The only disadvantage is you don't know if there is a physical attraction. But you can solve that with a picture provided it's not a prom picture from 1962. You just have to use your head, be careful and tell people what you are doing.

With that in mind, I went into Netgirl@aol.com (now Love@aol) and looked for "Woman seeking Men." Then I went into the East coast section. Here you can put in an ad and even place a picture if you like. I decided not to place a picture; I wanted to see them first.

I figured if I was searching I might as well be as specific as I wanted. You only get what you want if you ask. So I asked for my ideal man. I put out a survey with 17 questions. Questions like:

1) Do you live within 1 hour from NYC?
2) Are you good looking? (check a mirror)
3) Can you handle a career woman who travels?
4) Are you into adventure like scuba diving and bungee jumping?
5) Do you love animals and kids?
6) Are you a non-drinker, smoker and not into drugs?
7) Do you know the name of the Three Stooges?

Then I said "If you can answer yes to all these questions, I want to hear from you." I got 55 responses. It was a bit overwhelming, but exciting. Now I had to decide how to filter them out. It got confusing with all the new screen names and real names, so I made up a list on a piece of paper and called it "Men at a glance" c 1997. With this page, I could remember all the important details of each guy and decide who I wanted to meet.

I was very careful as to the information I would give. I never told them where I lived. I would e-mail them a few times, check their profiles, ask them to upload a photo or send it snail mail to my PO box. I asked for their phone numbers (but remember to keep in mind if you call that some people have caller ID) so call from a outside phone if you're not sure you are going to like them.

No matter how friendly they were, we would meet in a public place. I would always tell my mother or a friend, so someone knew where I was. Mind you I am 35 and I still did this. Hey -- better safe than sorry!

Anyway, I met one guy without a picture and boy did that turn out to be a mistake. His mirror must have been cracked. He looked like a Sumo wrestler with an attitude. I decided pictures were a must, as well as sense of humor.

One of the e-mails was from a very laid back but funny guy named Bobby. We started writing in November. He would take a week to answer my e-mails so I figured he wasn't super interested. Then one day I just said "Are you still interested?" He said "Yeah, definitely." So I keep writing. Not everyone checks their e-mail every day.

He wanted to meet but wouldn't send a picture. I figured he was either a real dog or just not that interested. Some guys, however, are just as paranoid as I was and didn't want to send a picture first. That becomes a stand-off.

Anyway, something about this guy I really liked. I had narrowed it down to him and three other guys. None of us had met. I took a chance. I told him about a TV show I was going to be on. He watched it. The rest is history.

Bobby said he fell in love with me the first time he saw me on TV. He told his mom "This is the girl I am going to marry." He e-mailed me 10 minutes after the show was over. Said his picture was in the mail, gave me his home and work number and asked me to call. Now I was laid back. All of a sudden he finds a camera?

Anyway his picture was gorgeous. I then called his work to make sure he really worked there. Later we laughed about this. He said he thought I had taken his fingerprints off his picture to check with the FBI. I thought about it! We spoke on the phone for 12 hours, the consecutive nights before we met. We got along fantastically; I hoped the magic would last when we met in person.

It did. We hit if off right away. He was Prince Charming without the mice: romantic, good looking, sexy, smart, funny, good hearted, family oriented, supportive, had a great job, and my kid loved him too. He was also a nut like I was and into scuba diving, caving and motorcycles.

A month later, on February 23, he proposed and I accepted. Two weeks later we found ourselves on "CBS Eye on People," telling our story of internet dating. On August 24, 1997, we were married.

If you set out to get something, you will. I never would have met Bobby in the "real world." We didn't hang out in the same circles. I expanded my dating horizons to the internet and it brought me into a world where I not only found writing friends, but the romance of my life and the husband of my dreams. Whether it's Netgirl or another on-line dating service, get over your fear and try it. Who knows? You may "love" the results. Happy hunting!!!

Fran Capo is the happy wife of Bob Casulli and the mother of the world's youngest comic, Spencer. She is also a stand-up comic, freelance writer, lecturer and Guinness Book of Worlds Records fastest talking female. She has been seen on over 90 TV shows and heard on 280 radio shows, including "The Best of Howard Stern" and WPLJ. She has written "How to Get Publicity Without a Publicist," "How to Break into Voiceovers" and "Humor in Business Speaking." You can visit her web site or e-mail her at FranCNY@aol.com.