Interesting comments about Deborah Levine and her book The Joy of Cybersex: A Creative Guide for Lovers.

Deborah took a lot of criticism about her book, but it was the first to look at the internet's role in sexuality from a perspective other than fear.

"I still struggle with the word 'cybersex' because of all the negative connotations that surround it, the image of lewd loners in a corner," she says. "I get tired of fighting that, so in the classes I teach (about sexuality and the internet), I say right up front that I'm a 'happy sex' person."

She first saw the power of the internet in communicating about sexual health when she launched Go Ask Alice, a general health resource for students at Columbia University, in 1993. "More than 60 percent of the questions we received dealt with sexuality," she says. "The internet is an incredible tool for teaching and learning about sexual health. It is far superior to most other media."

Something about the computer takes away the embarrassment around sexuality and sexual health issues, she says, freeing people to communicate more openly than they would in person.

I didn't read her book but second the opinion that it's easier to chat about sex over the internet than in person.

Tags: dating, singles, sex, cybersex