A Beginners
Guide To Online Dating - 5 Great Tips!
by: Jonathan White
Did you know
that two out of five single people in the UK
now use some kind of on line dating service?
That's 40% of all singles! Unfortunately,
the percentage of these people who actually
find a real romance as a direct result of
their site memberships is very low -
probably less than 10%.
Why is this?
Well, it's true that some sites are better
than others; they have more traffic, they
are better to navigate; they just 'work'
whilst others just don't. But what really
matters is how you use a site when you
actually sign-up to one. Take my word for
it, unless you take the five simple steps
that I'm about to outline, you may as well
do something more productive with your time
than join a singles site. What I'm about to
say may sound obvious and rather simplistic,
but you'd be surprised at how many people
don't bother doing the 'obvious'. So here
goes...
1. Create A
Great Profile. This is the most important
aspect of your dating site experience. Don't
just say 'Nice guy seeks nice girl for trips
to the cinema' - how boring does that sound?
Take the time to say something about
yourself, your lifestyle, your interests and
the type of person you're hoping to meet.
And remember to sound happy, upbeat, fun and
confident; if you're miserable about your
recent breakup, then keep it to yourself!
This isn't the time for modesty; if you
think you're pretty darn attractive, then be
sure to say so. And humour is a real
ice-breaker - if you can make someone laugh,
they'll be more likely to want to contact
you.
2. Always
Upload A Photo. Even if you don't have a
very flattering one to hand, you should
always post a pic with your profile.
Remember, 95% of people on dating sites only
search for other members who have bothered
to provide a picture of themselves. You want
to see what other potential partners look
like so it stands to reason that other
people will want to know what you look like
too. If your photo isn't recent or isn't a
great likeness of you, you can always say so
in your profile.
3. Be
Proactive. Don't just join a site and expect
other people to contact you. Make sure you
regularly search the database for people
with whom you might be compatible and when
you find someone you like the look or sound
of, write to them immediately and tell them
why you think you might be a good fit.
4. Write Great
Emails. OK, you've joined a dating site,
you've searched for other members who fall
within your specified categories, and you've
been presented with a page of matching
profiles. You're eager to fire off a few
emails...but what on earth do you say in
them? Re-read the paragraph above about
creating a great profile and apply the same
rules to the first email that you send to
another member. If it looks like you can't
be bothered to say much or that you're
sending the same one line message to several
people, then they probably wont bother to
reply. Tell that person a little about who
you are and why you think you might both be
compatible - respond directly to what you've
read in that person's profile - sound
interested and interesting and you'll get an
email by return - sound boring and downbeat
and you'll just be ignored.
5. Check Back
With The Site. There are two reasons why you
should do this as often as possible. The
most obvious one is to keep up to speed with
who has joined since you last logged-on;
that special someone might have signed-up
since you last visited the site so don't
miss out. However, what most people don't
realize is that when you log-in to a dating
site, your profile moves up the listings on
the internal search engine which means that
you are more likely to be spotted and
subsequently contacted by other people.
Don't be a stranger to the site you've
joined and I recommend that you visit the
site at least once a day during the lifetime
of your membership.
So there you
have it - 5 easy ways to make your chosen
dating site work for YOU. Have fun and happy
hunting!
