10 Guidelines for Successful Online Dating

1.It is important that you choose a reputable dating website suited to your particular interests. Take a few moments to decide on the type of partner you’re looking for, not to mention the town or city where you would prefer him/her to be located. There are niche sites which cater to all sectors (single parents, bikers, gay people etc) and general sites which welcome everyone, just as there are city or country specific and international sites. Choosing the right site for you is probably the most important decision you’ll make when looking for a partner on line. Send a contact email to the admin of each website, asking how many full paying members they have in their database. A well run dating site should reply to your email within a couple of hours. Admin is all important, and will be 24/7 on a quality dating site.

2. Never join a free dating website if you are serious about finding a mate. Free dating sites are often littered with incomplete profiles, and not taken seriously by their membership. A free trial period is good, but before making your choice of website to join, check out the member facilities. Do they have a chat room, video chat, a forum, instant messenger etc? Do not join dating sites that don’t allow you to search members before joining. One last thing before you decide on your ideal dating site. Many dating sites are being infiltrated by scammers often from Africa, Ghana, Nigeria or Singapore. The IP addresses from these areas can be blocked by dating sites to save genuine members from being hassled. A good dating site will use these blocking tactics, and it’s worth asking that question.

3. Create a great username. First impressions always last and the on line identity which you give yourself is the first thing that other members will see before they check-out your profile. ‘Funny’ works, ‘cryptic’ works and you won’t go wrong even if you decide to use your own real name; but if you go down the smutty or sexually suggestive route (which a lot of guys seem to do), you’ll find that other members will steer clear of you.

4. Fully complete your profile. There’s nothing more off-putting than a profile which screams “I can’t be bothered to do this properly”. If you don’t have time to complete all the categories when you are signing up, then make the time to do sooner rather than later. Be truthful, but make yourself come across as interesting as possible, and be reasonably accurate in describing the type of partner you seek.

5. Be upbeat and positive. If you’re feeling a little down or lacking in confidence, now isn’t the time to say so when you’re writing a description of yourself. If you come across as confident, happy and full of fun, you’ll get much more attention than if you come across as mono-syllabic or down in the dumps. And remember, humor is a real ice-breaker and a great aphrodisiac.

6. When sending emails to other members, always be polite and courteous, especially in the first contact email. First impressions are very important but don’t automatically dismiss people. If you receive a message from someone who’s profile you like but who hasn’t included their photo, you should still write back and ask them to send a pic to your regular email address. You’ll find that many people are more willing to do this than post a photo for everyone to look at. Always reply to every email you receive from other members, even if it’s only to let them know that you’re not interested.

7. Beware of “catfish”. Never ever give out your bank account or social security details to anyone. Do not be fooled by requests for money from people you just met no matter how convincing their story is or how beautiful or handsome their photos appear. Be aware that the photos are almost certainly not really them at all but merely photos of models copied from the Internet. The moment you are asked for money, cease all conversations with that member and report the scam to the administrators.

8. Take initiative. Once you’ve registered and completed your profile, don’t wait for others to make contact with you. When you spot someone who you think might be a good fit, write to them and introduce yourself. And don’t just say ‘Hi, I like your profile’. Tell them why you’ve written to them and point out the things that you believe you have in common. Once you open up contact with a member who you think may interest you, take your time in getting to know them well. You now have the opportunity to reveal relevant details about each other, and exchange photographs. However, in the early communications, don’t believe everything you’re told. Trust will come in time.

9. Photographs often display the date on which they were taken, but be aware that some members will use old photos in an effort to make themselves appear younger than they actually are. If your dating site has video cam facilities, you can get to see each other in real time which is great because you can see each other’s current appearance.

10. If you do decide to meet another member in person, always suggest meeting in a busy area, and keep the first meeting short. You just cannot measure chemistry through the Internet. It wouldn’t be much fun spending a weekend with someone who you shared no chemistry with.

So these are just a few simple but important guidelines which hopefully will make your online dating experience a pleasant one. Successful online dating is not rocket science, it just takes a bit of thought, a bit of effort and your personal life will become a lot more exciting.

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