The 10 commandments of online dating

Online dating allows us to explore all walks of life - No matter you are tired of sleeping alone every night, or have just come out of a long relationship and are perhaps stuck for ideas on expanding your social network. However,  before you start to hit on every appealing profile, give yourself the best chance of success by learning the 10 commandments of online dating.

Dating online is a universal matchmaking tool that will unlock opportunities you thought never existed.

1. Knowing who you are.

Figure out what it is you are searching for in a partner. If it's just meeting new people in your spare time for casual relationships with minimal commitment, make this known in your profile - likewise if you seek something more permanent. Single people often join a dating site without even meeting anyone in person. Dating sites with chat rooms provide a means of company for people who are not ready for realism but seek fantasy.

2. Seek advice.

You probably know someone that has had experience with online dating. Seek advice from this person on what chat rooms and online dating sites are worth joining. It's a pretty important decision to take the leap into the cyber land of romance and the best advice you can get is from someone you already know.

3. Take it slowly.

As with anything is life, taking your time to research your options will probably end up saving you time in the long run instead of rushing in and relying on trial and error. The whole idea of online dating is that it provides the opportunity to fully assess potential dates before a real life face to face date.

4. Just be honest - it works!

When you create an online dating profile or engage in an online chat, it provides a means for you to highlight your good points - which is a good thing. But after establishing online contact with someone for a period of time, many online singles neglect to paint the true and complete picture of themselves which can set the scene for a disappointing first date. If your profile picture was taken before you shaved your head - make it known before your first date.

5. Prioritize.

When you first join the dating site of your choice you will be a little shell shocked at the amount of profiles to choose from. Many online singles make the mistake of shooting off emails to multiple people. Try to be selective with whom you contact and make each introduction personalized to them based on their profile description.

6. Online dating - not for the gullible.

Snakes in the grass are common on the web. Take down information about people you chat to so you can verify their details at a later date. Check with others in the chat rooms to see if anyone can vouch for this persons character. Never take anything beyond the chat room if your gut feeling says otherwise.

7. Brush up on your chat room manners.

By entering a chat room session doesn't mean you can start saying anything you like to anyone you like. Imagine that you are sitting at a public park, would you start mouthing off suggestive comments to every attractive person that passed you by - hopefully not! Consider this when in a chat room and start the conversation off in a very low key manner.

8. Big bang for your bucks!

Add up the cost if you were to go bar hopping or on singles holidays for 3 months. The cost would run into the thousands of dollars. By joining one of the popular online dating sites for 3 months you could expect to pay around $120.00 and get 24/7 live access to dozens of singles within a square kilometer of where you live. In recent times, ad funded free online dating sites have also emerged - need we say more? the decision to sign up to online dating sites starts with your wallet or purse.

9. Strike while the iron's hot.

You need to stay in touch with your dating site and check your mail/inbox regularly. If you become too unavailable the person trying to contact you will move onto someone else. That's the beauty of online dating, there's so much choice - if one door closes another opens.

10. Safety first.

When you agree to meet someone in person, do so in a public place. Provide your own transport, and have a quick exit strategy in place in case your date isn't the person you perceived them to be.