Chemistry Is Revealed Through Conversation

People you meet through regular activities or blind dates tend to fall within the same circles of friends, family, or acquaintances that already surround you. Online profiles such as these help you to get a better sense of what you want and don’t want in a partner. You’ll avoid feeling shy or nervous. Online, you can practice your repartee before you click send. With online dating, you can search for and learn about new people from the comfort of your home, at any hour of the day or night. You’re in control of where and when and how. You’ll expand the pool of potential partners. Online dating opens up a much bigger and broader dating pool, while still affording you total control. You choose the geographic scope for possible suitors, whether it’s across town or across the country, and you decide who might be right for you. You can cut to the chase, quickly. In contrast, online dating is like the express checkout lane at a convenience store. Between online profiles, emails, conversations, and online chats, you’ll quickly find out if someone has the qualities you seek.

Coming Down Again

You can even investigate one, two, five, or ten potential suitors in the same time frame and still have plenty of time for work, volunteering, and dinner with friends. Online dating easily provides many advantages that would be hard to replicate with other dating methods, even tried and true methods like meeting in a group or going out on a blind date. I honestly don’t know how I managed to date before. Talking with people online cuts out the time, aggravation, and expense of all of those first dates gone bad. Now, I’m able to tell if someone might be right for me before we meet in person. And I’ve been able to meet people who get my dry sense of humor, right off the bat. Online dating is an extremely effective way to meet people. According to a dating survey, one in every five new relationships and one in every six marriages are formed between people who’ve met through an online dating site. If you’re not familiar with technology or are unsure about what to write on your profile, ask a friend, relative, or coworker to help you out. Don’t let a lack of familiarity keep you from participating in online dating. Chances are you probably already know someone who understands the ropes and would be willing to help coach you. These days, there are dating sites for every type of person and interest.

The Big Picture

Browse the Internet and ask your friends about their experiences. There’s bound to be a site that’s right for you. A picture is worth a thousand words, so imagine how much several pictures must be worth. Put in the effort right from the start, and upload more than one photo of yourself so people can see you doing the things you love. Let your personality come through in your photos, and make sure they’re tasteful and truly representative of you today. Be specific when you describe yourself in your profile. Talk about what makes you laugh. Do you love slapstick comedy? Are you creative and witty? Do you enjoy foreign films? These specifics are what set you apart. Also, be honest in your profile. Like many people, you might be tempted to shave off a few years, a few pounds, or otherwise exaggerate the truth, but do you really want to start off your next relationship with a lie? You can’t tell if you’ll connect with someone simply by reading a profile. Chemistry is revealed through conversation, and you have to have one to know if the sparks are there. There’s no limit to how many members you can approach or respond to with online dating.

Who Cares

That’s the beauty of it! How long should your email be? Long enough to make an introduction, but don’t waste your time writing a personal essay. Longer messages yield only a small improvement in the response rate for men, and they don’t make any differences in the emails sent from women. You may find that you send a lot of hello messages, but receive few replies. Don’t take a lack of response or a negative response personally. The truth is some people date online more for entertainment than to meet their soul mate. For example, a person may have lived too far away, had the wrong color hair, or was a few inches too short. If so, give them a chance. If you find yourself making judgments about minor things, it’s probably a sign that fears and insecurities are getting in your way. Look at the bigger picture and the total profile of the person in front of you. History has long shown a theme of older men going after younger women. Today, cougar women are seeking out younger male cubs who are five, ten, and even twenty years younger. According to a recent survey by OurTime.com, 94 percent of single women are itching to date a younger man. What’s behind this trend? Another 27 percent of women said younger men have more energy, are more open to new ideas and experiences, and aren’t as stubborn as their stodgy counterparts. But what is most telling is that of all respondents, only 5.6 percent said they would not date a younger man. By not allowing an age difference to hold you back, you won’t miss out on a potentially great relationship. Before you meet in person, move the conversation from online emails and messages to the phone. During a phone chat, you’ll get a better sense for whether your personalities click. Safety is an important issue for all daters to consider, whether you’re dating online or offline. Protect your identity and anonymity at first. You wouldn’t give personal information to a stranger over the telephone, so don’t do it over the Internet. Use your first name only and give detailed identifying information after you’ve met your date in person and have gotten to know each other well.