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Online Dating: A quick-start guide for the very busy
Get prepared before you start your online dating quest.
Here are some
dating tips to get you started.
A picture speaks
Get some
recent pictures of yourself.
Profiles with a picture get considerably more viewings by prospective
partners than those without. If you are unsure about showing a
picture of yourself then some sites allow you to hide your photos
and show them by invite only.
Do make sure they're
recent picture or pictures of
yourself. Otherwise you could be heading for disappointment when you meet up.
Ideally, make sure you have more than one picture. One should be
of your face and another a whole shot.
Email address
Once you get to know someone via a dating site, you may like to
exchange email addresses. So set up an email address specifically
for this kind of correspondence. Do not give out your work email
or primary email address your close friends use.
Think up a couple of cool screen names
You should think up more than one name, because the one you want may
already be in use. Take a look at what other people have been using -
both the men and women before you decide. You want something that is
descriptive.
Don't use your real name.
Instant Messenger
Once you get to know someone via a dating site, you may like to
chat using an Instant Messenger (IM) program. So set up a couple of IM accounts
ideally with AOL/Netscape and Yahoo, specifically for this kind of chat.
You should set up at least two because if someone wants to talk to
you and you don't use the same compatible IM program, you could end
up wasting time struggling to set it up! Sometimes software just
doesn't install the way you want it!
As with your email address, do not give out your work or primary
IM account your colleagues or close friends use to chat with you.
Start writing a profile
It's better to go into a dating site having decided what you want to
say about yourself. Obviously, there's no need to write down everything
about yourself. You know your basic details right?
(See
How to write an
Online Dating Profile). Some sites have extensive profiles, while others
are brief. They don’t all ask the same questions. Your draft profile
won’t answer all of them but will help speed up creating a profile
when you get to that point.
Online Chat
If you have a microphone for your computer, you can set up online
chat using one of the popular Instant Messenger programs. That way you can
talk in real time without giving out your home or cell number. Likewise a
web cam can allow you to talk and see each other at the same time.
Which Dating Site?
So which dating site to use? In fact, many people choose to use more than
one dating site, but if you are a novice, you should just start with one.
as things could get busy. Of course, most sites will let you
switch off your profile, but often you pay for a set period of time, whether you
use their service or not (there are exceptions to that). LoveLexicon
can help you compare online dating sites and make the right choices.
NEXT ARTICLE -
How to write an online dating profile
