Online dating- a lot of people do it and don’t want to admit that they do because they may be judged as creepy, not confident enough to approach someone or just looking for a casual hook-up.
However, lots of people have met on dating sites and have even walked down the aisle. As with dating in person, there are rules to online dating. Here are ten rules that should be considered when embarking on this journey:
1. Create an Alias: Get creative with making up a username because not everyone on dating sites may be a regular Joe. If for some reason a guy has a criminal record, you don’t need him knowing your real name, where you live and work.
2. Sell Yourself: You don’t want to seem like you have no interests or sound overpompous. Be specific about your interests because the whole point is to find someone you share something in common.
3. Photo Game: Don’t use old photos that do not give a true representation of what you look like at the moment and do not use a photo that’s not yours.
4. Online Communication Limits: So, you have potentially found a match. You should verify if this person is real after a couple weeks of talking online especially if you live in the same city. You can opt for an online voice communication service like Google Voice if you do not wish to share your phone number so soon.
5. Set Standards Early: Decide on what you want- a chance at love or casual dating? Doing this enables you to set your mind on your desires from the beginning and not sway into another person’s expectations or lack of.
6. Public Meeting: This is a safety precaution because you still don’t really know this person after a couple weeks of messaging online or even speaking on the phone. Always let someone know your whereabouts, who you are meeting with and try not to meet far away from home in case you get into trouble.
7. Casual First Date: Make the first date short so you can decide if you want to actually spend a lot of time with this person. This can be during your lunch break or meeting up for a coffee. Alcohol may cloud your judgment so it may be a good idea to avoid it on your first meeting.
8. Avoid Information Overload: Try not to divulge too much information so early. Nobody wants to hear about your ex and how he’s married to a girl that’s not as pretty or successful as you are.
9. Spot Red Flags: If something seems too good to be true, it probably is. You may want to ask around to make sure this person is legit and has no spouse or kids in another country. Verify their presence on other social media platforms.
10. Keep it Real: Do not say you play basketball while your last game was in University. Be yourself and do not try to over impress. Ladies may kiss many frogs to reach the prince and guys may keep digging until they find the diamond in the rough but online dating works! Just be cautious and play your cards right until you reach your moment of happiness.
Good luck!
If you have have a happy love relationship via online dating, we want to hear it. Share your experience with us in the comment section below.