Like it or not, online dating has come to stay as it has proven to be continuously effective in creating romantic relationships. And with millions of people hoping to meet their significant other on online dating sites, the days of being embarrassed to tell your folks that you met your partner online are now way behind us.
So like many people, the quest of finding that special someone has led you to an online dating site. Easy peasy yea?! But even though internet dating is as easy as signing up, chatting with people, and eventually going out on dates, there are still some rules to this thing. So whatever your motive might be for signing up, be it looking for hookups, fwbs, or something serious, in this article are 10 essential Dos and Don’ts of online dating.
- Do your research
With a plethora of dating sites out there, reading dating sites reviews to have a knowledge of the ones that would work for you, goes a long way to determine how successful and pleasant your online dating experience would be. From having a knowledge of the demographics to knowing the pros and cons of the dating sites, online dating reviews equips you with information that would be invaluable in making a well-informed decision.
- Make your profile impressive
Good first impression matters and when it comes to online dating the same rule applies. Your profile is the all-important virtual representative of you that either spark interest or turn people off. So it’s very important that you put your best face forward by crafting a well-detailed profile that clearly states your interest and describes your personality. While you should use a very clear and attractive picture, it’s also important that the picture is relatively recent and hasn’t been over-edited. Just in case you feel you’re not well equipped to create an attractive profile, you can get help from friends or hire the services of a professional.
- Know what you want
Whether you’re out looking for dates, or you’re behind a screen, knowing what you want is very vital as it goes a long way to influence the outcome of your dating experience. While you should be open-minded to the several types of personalities you’ll be meeting, it will be in your best interest to clearly state what you want in a potential date. More importantly, is the need to know your boundaries and deal breakers. For example, in a scenario where you have to send nudes, having a strong position on this goes a long way.
- Meet in public places
In the end, the expected outcome of any online dating interaction is that you eventually meet in person to find out if you are actually compatible. For safety reasons, meeting your potential date in a neutral and public place is the best thing to do. That way, you can safely call it quits if the date hasn’t been going well, or safely withdraw yourself from a person that seems to pose a danger or threat.
- Beware of fraudsters
While your intentions for being on an online dating site are pure and legal, you should never think the same of everyone. A major challenge facing the online dating scene is the ease at which fraudsters exploit these platforms. So you should be wary about people who ask for money or ask you to be a liaison for some imaginary offshore account somewhere. It’s always a recipe for disaster. You should also be careful about sending your indecent pictures to avoid any form of blackmail. And to save yourself from being a victim of “catfishing”, you should FaceTime with your potential dates from time to time.
- Don’t expect too much
Just because you scored a date doesn’t mean you should think you’re on the brink of a relationship or worse start to make marriage plans. The online dating scene is pretty much like the traditional one. There are a lot of variables involved in its success and there are no certainties. You can meet up with someone you have so much in common with, and yet not feel the spark. Sometimes everything is positively settled at your end as to taking it to the next level, but unfortunately, your date has several anchors rooting him/her to the spot.
- Don’t give out too much personal information
While there’s a huge possibility that the man or woman of your dreams is at the end of the other screen, the person could also be a psychopath, kidnapper, delusional stalker or sex predator. Consequently, it becomes important that you do not give out personal information like your home address, workplace address and contact details till you are certain this person poses no harm. This could be after you’ve met in person, gone on several dates, and the person has been tested and trusted.
- Don’t pretend to be who you are not
While it’s a common trend for people to stretch the truth on online dating sites, you really should be honest and more importantly be yourself. By pretending to be who you are not, sure, some people will get to like the made-up version of yourself, but how long can you keep up with the charade?! Much worse is the fact that unknown to you, whether in words, or deeds or due to a profile that doesn’t truly represent you, you’ll be pushing away the people that would have accepted you and liked you for the kind of person that you really are.
- Don’t give up too quickly
Despite having several options to choose from, sometimes online dating takes time to yield desired results. You could even meet someone you have great chemistry with, only for them to go ghost on you and stop chatting with you. At this stage, it’s almost natural to want to give up but you shouldn’t. While you can take a break if it stops being fun, you should never give up on online dating because it can be very rewarding. And at times, being on a free membership could be what is holding you back. So consider going premium.
- Don’t do online dating exclusively.
Like most things that have evolved with technology, online dating can be very addictive. Owing to it, we are gradually becoming a world that grooms men that can’t approach ladies and women that have poor social skills. And it’s for this reason the chemistry built on online dating sites doesn’t usually progress in reality in many cases. This is why you need to get off your screen from time to time, meet people organically, have normal human interaction and develop your people skills.