There are plenty of fish in the sea, but the sea is a huge, vast place that’s difficult to navigate and has countless places to hide. If you’ve been swimming for a while and are having trouble finding the one for you, you might consider jumping into the pool of online dating. Lots of people are having success with it, and here’s what you should know before you start.
Choose a Reputable Online Dating Site
There are lots of dating sites out there, and they often attract very different types of people. You should choose a dating site that has a better reputation. Two sites that come to mind are Match.com and Eharmony.com. These are paid sites, but paid sites are better if you’re serious about finding love.
With a paid site, you know that majority of users are serious, too, because they paid to be there. On free sites, anyone with any intentions can join without paying a dime. If someone has bad intentions, they are less likely to spend money to join a site.
Post an Attractive Online Dating Profile
Your profile on a dating site is what’s going to attract people to you – or repel them. It’s very tricky filling out a profile on a dating site, because it’s nothing like introducing yourself to someone in real life. More information is usually better, and think carefully about how you come across on the site.
Read back what you’ve written. Would you be interested in someone who said the same things? Does it portray an accurate picture of who you are? Posting a photo is also guaranteed to help you get significantly more messages, so post a current, tasteful photo of you.
Online Dating Communication Can Be Misleading
When you start browsing profiles and exchanging messages with people, it’s incredibly important to realize that online communication can be very misleading. Typed conversations and messages do not always indicate how you and the other person would actually get along in a real-time conversation. You also miss out on nuances that come with a person’s tone of voice. While following careful safety precautions, of course, if you become very interested in someone, try to talk to them on the phone so you can get a feel for the chemistry.
Always Take Proper Safety Precautions When Online Dating
With online dating, the most important thing is that you protect yourself. There are lots of predators online, and you don’t want to be too trusting, or you could become a victim. No matter how long you’ve been talking to someone, always meet for the first time in a public, populated place, and have your first date there – do not go back to their house or bring them to yours, and do not leave the public place to go somewhere that’s more secluded.
Don’t give out your address or full name online, ever. For phone conversations, you may even want to block your number on the first call. Also, make sure someone knows where your date is being held.
Carly Sorensen is an online dating expert and relationship veteran who enjoys blogging about the best ways to find a man. (Or woman!)
