Dating Tips and Suggestions
Online dating has proven itself to be one of the greatest inventions for busy singles but it still poses its own unique challenges. If you jump right in you'll probably figure it out eventually but, in the hopes of making it easier on you, I've compiled a list of the most useful online dating tips. These little nuggets of wisdom will help make your foray into the online dating world a success.
Tips for Men and Women
1. Take your Time
The advent of online dating has sped things up incredibly but you'll still have to learn to take your time. Don't expect to meet the person of your dreams within the first week or month of joining an online dating site. Sure it does happen, but it's not very likely and it's certainly not something you want to rush into. There's just no way you can force good things to happen quickly with willpower alone.
Take your time in finding the right match and be selective in the people you decide to talk to. Getting connected with someone who's an obvious mismatch will only take up more of your time. Now you never know, they could end up being the one. However, it would be virtually impossible to contact every person in your age range so I suggest starting with people you could bond well with. It may take a while, but at the very least you should get some new Christian friends out of it.
2. Create a Quality Online Dating Profile
A quality online dating profile will improve your success rate many times over. Make sure you include photos, answer all the fields completely and use details to describe yourself.
If you're a funny person, don't say that you're a funny person on your profile. Explain your sense of humor, be funny in your profile or talk about funny movies you enjoy. Check out my creating a quality dating profile article for more information on this topic.
3. Be Honest
When it comes to online dating (and just about everything else), honesty pays. There's no point in being dishonest because the whole purpose of online dating is to find people you're compatible with. If you're dishonest about yourself, you'll only be wasting more time for yourself and others.
4. Google is your Friend
It might sound a little creepy to some people, but Google is a great resource. Use it to look up the names of the people you're talking to online. Some people never even think about changing their usernames over the years so you'd be surprised at some of the results Google can bring up.
Just remember to take those results with a grain of salt if the person you're dating has a somewhat common screen name. Common names like "ShyGirl" and "AeroGuy" won't yield useful results in the Google search engine.
5. Ease up on the E-mails
When you're meeting people at your favorite online dating site, you have to understand that e-mail is a delayed form of communication. If you start sending loads of e-mails right off the bat and begging for return e-mails, you're going to kill your chances of getting anywhere with that person.
6. Have fun!
Don't take online dating so seriously that you don't have any fun with it. Being single and dating around isn't exactly a terrible thing, you know. You'll get to meet new people, explore interesting places and try new activities during your dating periods.
On top of that, you'll have better luck if you have fun. People can sense desperation so don't get yourself all worked up over online dating. Take it for what it is: a simple, fun way to meet new people.
Dating Tips for the Men
1. No Sex Talk!
Sex shouldn't even be a consideration before marriage, but I know it does happen, so I have this listed. For some reason, men have the biggest problem with this little piece of advice. If there is any sex talk, it should be about your guidelines (hopefully that is nothing before marriage!) to get those on the table. This talk should really be no where near the first date unless a situation come about that requires this discussion.
2. Don't Pry for Information
This tip could go for both men and women but it's especially important for men. If you pry for personal information, you will freak women out. It's OK to ask for the phone number or e-mail address eventually but be cool about it if they aren't ready to give you that information. The more you push, the more it's going to scare the women you're talking to.
Dating Tips for the Women
1. Safety First
In the grand scheme of things, online dating has proven itself to be about as safe as traditional dating. Even so, you should always take precautions to ensure your safety as there are still a share of scammers out there.
Keep your personal contact information private until you're seriously ready to meet someone or initiate the first phone call. When you do decide to meet someone for the first time, make sure you provide your own transportation and meet in a public place. We highly suggest reading our safe online dating article before dating online.
2. Set Boundaries and Stick by Them
Don't let anyone talk you into giving out personal information or meeting up before you're ready. Also, don't let anyone dictate to you how quickly you should be returning e-mails or sending pictures of yourself. If someone is already trying to change the way you do things, or force information out of you, what does that say about the future if you two were to end up together?
Set some ground rules at the beginning and stick with them. You don't have to be rude about it but you definitely need to stand by your own rules. Not only does it keep you safe but it will also help you find people that are compatible with you. We have also made a list of Christian dating rules that could give you some quality suggestions. If you have yet to go on your first date with the person, you may want to check out our tips for the first date.