If you want to achieve success with online dating, you will need to educate yourself with the online dating scene. Online dating sites provide a service for people to meet but a dating site can only do so much of the work and input is required from you if you are serious about meeting a partner online. Whilst thousands of people are joining dating sites every day, hundreds are not making the most of the services a dating site has to offer. Im no psychic but Im pretty certain that someone who writes a dull or uninformative profile, doesnt include a photo and makes no effort to contact anyone will not be inundated with invitations for a date. By making a few simple changes to the way you are dating online, you could see instant results meeting people you would never have met before so dont be a wallflower, stand out online and be proactive in your search for a date. 1. Sell Yourself Your profile is like an advertisement and you need to sell yourself in the dating game. The eye-catching part of you profile is your photo. Include a photo of yourself (not someone else or a cartoon!) and you could increase your responses by as much as 8 times. Answer all questions honestly, be positive, focus on your good points and provide members with just enough information about yourself so that they are eager to find out more. Please dont talk about exes or how miserable your life is. it wont attract people to you! 2. Search outside of the box We may all have an idea of our ideal partner but just because someone is slightly younger, older or from a different town doesnt mean they wont turn out to be your ideal partner! Most dating sites provide a search facility to vary your search settings so if your search results dont reveal anyone who catches your eye try widening your search settings. 3. Get intimate anonymously The beauty of online dating is that you can get to know someone without revealing any personal details. Emails are sent using an anonymous messaging facility so take advantage of this and spend as long as you wish getting to know someone. Dont feel pressured into meeting up with someone you have just met online. If they are serious, they will be happy to wait if this is your preference. 4. Make the first move Dont be shy you make the first move. Remember everyone online is serious about meeting someone so, if you see someone you like, contact him or her first. Dont wait for someone to contact you. 5. Make conversation Show your interest - The best way to get someones attention and get a response is to ask a question specific to his or her profile. This shows you have read their profile and are interested in them.Flatter them! - Dont be afraid to use your charm! Whether you like their photo or you are impressed by the fact that they have run the marathon tell them. Everyone likes receiving compliments. Make them laugh! - I think if you can make someone laugh or someone makes you laugh, youre on the path to a good relationship. Be witty and amusing in your messages and they will look forward to hearing from you. Be flirtatious, not rude! Don't be afraid to flirt a little if that's how you feel but equally don't be too flirtatious as it could be taken the wrong way. Never talk about sex or imply this is what you are looking for. 6. Keep a little mystique! Whilst I would encourage you to talk openly and honestly about yourself so that people get to know you try not to tell your whole life story in one e-mail. Hold a little something back for the next message. 7. Arrange a chat room date Chat rooms are another great way to chat instantly with someone without revealing any personal information. A quality chat room will also provide the facility to have a private one-to-one chat with someone so if youve messaged someone, why not invite them to meet you in the chat room at a specific time and day just like a real date. You can then decide whether you want to take it further offline. 8. Chat on the phone If youre thinking of arranging a date with someone, chat to him or her on the telephone first but use the blocking feature to prevent your number appearing on Caller ID. Go over topics that youve mentioned in emails to verify that what he or she has told you is the truth. Ask yourself if the voice you are talking to is someone you feel comfortable with and someone you could trust. 9. Dont be disheartened If youve sent a message but havent received a reply, dont be disheartened. There could be many reasons why someone hasnt replied to a message youve sent; the recipient may not have logged on for a while, their membership may have lapsed or they may not be a full member entitling them to reply back to you. If youve sent one message then follow it up with a second message to show him or her that you are genuinely interested. If you still dont get a response, move on to the next person! 10. Give people a chance If you receive a message from someone who does not immediately tick all of your boxes, dont rule them out straight away. Reply back to him or her and try and find out a bit more about them. You may have more in common than you first thought and, if not, at least you can say you tried. 11. Be polite when rejecting If you dont like someone who has contacted you, do not be rude or offensive. You can either ignore them (hopefully this will get the message across) or politely tell them you are not interested. A reputable dating site will provide a facility to block nuisances sending you messages so, if someone is pestering you, dont be afraid to use this tool. 12. Be safe! Do not give anyone your home telephone number, address or workplace address until you have met a number of times and are 100% comfortable with that person. Remember that people can be whoever they want to be online - wait until your instincts tell you this is someone you can trust. If you find you dont get many responses, you may need to think about alternative conversation starters or rewrite your profile. Hopefully youve got the idea now so its over to you! Good luck and remember to have fun! |
