Online dating has lost its taboo status and the popularity of finding a date through a dating website has been growing rapidly in the past few years. With more and more sites to choose from with thousands of members in theory you should easily be able to find the perfect match.
One of the most important online dating dos is of course to stay safe. This is the most obvious thing to consider yet sometimes people still overlook this. Meeting strangers off the internet will always come with some degree of risk. Don’t be tempted to make their first meeting at your or their home . Always go to a public place in an area you are familiar with in a reasonable distance from your home, friends or family.
Although it is tempting to fill your dating profile with fun and excitement, don’t go over the top, stick to the truth and don’t consider forming an elaborate lie. It will be difficult to continue this in conversation and is giving a false impression to your dates and effectively basing any of your potential relationships on a lie. Lies may get your more messages in the initial stage but of course you can’t keep these going forever!
Do ensure you put effort into creating a profile that accurately represents you. Nail all of the fine points including grammar and spelling issues. There are lots of online dating profile tips and advice online which you can follow in order to get a profile that looks good as well as being an accurate representation of you and your interests.
Photos are always difficult for some, it is important you do post a photo. Dating profiles with photographs always get more views and interactions than those without. There are lots of don’ts when it comes to posting a photograph to consider. Many of these are common sense but people still manage to slip up on these! Ensure you are the only one in the picture, most dating sites will now only let you upload pictures with one person in but just in case, get a picture where you are on your own! Don’t airbrush or use multiple photo-editing filters, of course you want to look great but you don’t want to give a false impression. Remember your potential dates will meet you in real life and will need to be able to recognise you!
Don’t message too much! Although you may be anxious about meeting someone offline the longer to chat online the more you may build up an inaccurate picture of the person. They may be completely different from their online persona in real life and you do not want to end up disappointed. Long term chatting online will also give you a false sense of security, even if you have been chatting to someone for months it is still important to keep in mind the basic online dating safety principles such as not giving out your address, work address, personal details and meeting in a public place.
Although online dating gives you the opportunity to meet lots of new people and find that “perfect person” for you don’t go crazy and date everyone that messages you, especially in the long term. This will become difficult to manage and too many people may overlook the one you actually enjoy spending time with.
