5 Steps to Successful Online Dating

2011-09-03

Online Dating is on the rise. How can you use this dating method to your best advantage with your best foot forward? Here are 5 steps to successful online dating.

1. Specify What You Want

Decide what kind of dating or relationship you want to have - marriage-minded relationship, or long-term relationship without any marriage plans, or short-term casual dating ranging from few weeks to few months or even intimate encounters for very short-time frames such as days? This step helps you identify what kinds of dating sites you are looking for. You can search on Internet search engines by searching with your criteria keywords within quotes such as "marriage minded dating" or "casual dating" or "intimate encounters" etc.

2. Select Your Dating Site

Browse each online dating site very carefully by looking at the profiles at each site and reading each profile what they are looking for in their dating partner. Some online dating sites will allow you to browse profiles without registering first. So you can use this opportunity to browse their dating profiles and assess whether that online dating site is your kind of place to hang around

A word of caution is that not all online dating sites are the same. Some are fancy. Some are quality. Some are cheap. Some are feature-rich. Some are free. Some are paid. But what matters most is for you to select the internet dating site based on what you want on step i plus the features you find in each dating site which you feel will get you to whom you want to date

3. Make the best effort in creating your profile

Your profile is your first impression you give to a potential partner who maybe browsing that dating site when you have joined that particular dating site. When a potential partner is looking through profiles if they see an empty profile even without a picture, how could they get to know you when you don't even present yourself let alone make ANY impression!?

So a completed profile is a must. A picture adds another thousand words to your profile. If you wish to remain anonymous in the beginning a dating profile without a picture is also ok. You can make up for it in your profile details. But please do have something in your profile without having just a single line like some people, which says "hot guy looking for a hot girl" or "are you cute? Then email me"!.

4. Put your heart to use dating sites features

As mentioned above, not all online dating sites have the same feature set. Depending on whether each dating site charges per month or whether they are free, what features they offer as part of their program will also differ.  Most dating sites will allow you to post your profile for free. When you browse their existing profiles and you find a person you like to contact then most sites will not let you contact them unless you pay.

No matter what kinds of dating sites you choose, there is no point you should go into these online dating services without enthusiasm. You need to understand that you will get more dates by devoting time, energy, and sometimes financial resources (money) to get the dating rewards. Your attitude must be: I am here to find a special one, and I will not quite until I am successful.

5. Take Your Time To Get To Know

Some people who start on dating online rush into things which they later regret. It is critical that you get to know the other person very well before arranging an offline meeting in person

There are several reasons for this. Firstly, your only interaction with the person you just met on the dating site is thru Instant Message, Chat or Email or a combination of these. Sometimes you may have taken the conversation to a phone conversation by exchanging numbers or calling that person. On these mediums the other person can create quite a 'make believe' scenario and in the 'heat of the moment' of attraction with their features as they describe it, or their voice or their words might blind you from your normal logical thinking.

So it is very important to get to know them from all angles before committing to meet them in person. One of the best ways is to ask questions. Especially open ended questions. Whatever you do, do not assume anything about the other person. This is not fair on you because you are not telling yourself the truth, or the other person because you are misjudging them.