Haha, the psychos scare away people from meeting with anyone. I think they actually go around and power-date using these sites, so the likelyhood of encountering a psycho is so high because they are the most active people in the population, but of course the observed effect is that the entire population is psycho!
I tend to extensively talk to someone before meeting them (and I've met maybe 10 in my whole life, only 7 as potential dates at all, and got gf 1 and gf 2 that way). I'm a lot more careful in my questioning, I've found there are a few questions to filter out the personality type (in general) of who you are talking to, I'll have to make a section in my dynasty for it!
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I rarely meet someone completely new in person, it very rarely happens to be a woman though for one. I got one date through soccer, which had the unfortunate side effect of making me appear more athletic than I am. Yay coed, my only female contact for months on end, lol, usually trampling me, but I'll take it. Girl was roughing me up the entire game, which encouraged me to get into funny (and cocky perhaps???) mode, which got a few laughs and a number without me really trying.
So confidence is a tricky thing, I have never, ever, walked up to a person and said 'hey baby lets date' (or anything far smoother than that). i just sometimes get a moment where I'm clever and feeling good and 'bam' if a girl is in the vincinity I have a small probability of landing a shot! Same with my last girlfriend, doing stuff, feeling confident, smiling for no reason in particular, and manage to say a few smart things when someone says hi and I'm in like sin.
But how the hell do you bring that up on call? Heck, in every case I've had a girlfriend that was not online, I never made the first move, I'm just a luckball (or bad luck considering every girl who went after me dropped me later!
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Online dating, I already got a hook in the girl because she has read so many of my stupid thoughts that she is curious. If you are bad at physical moments you might as well play to whatever strength you do have to have half a shot.
I'd have to agree most of online dating world seems to be more desparate on the spectrum, but really what do you expect? Everyone knows 'beautiful' people get hit on regularly by the opposite sex... don't need to advertise in alternative ways when you got a big beautiful billboard around you everyday! Just need to walk outside and you attract customers.