Online Dating for Dummies

By: Judy Silverstein
Paperback, 312 pages
Overall Rated:


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Chances are, you've heard about Internet dating from a friend, or an online banner ad has caught your eye. If you've given online dating a passing consideration, you may have some fears from all those graphic horror stories that jar your senses "“ and your sensibilities. Or you may think that meeting people via the Internet is only for the disenfranchised or socially unskilled.

From their own experiences, 20 million people can tell you otherwise. Online Dating For Dummies will get you off the fence and on the Internet dating path "“ with the skill of a seasoned pro. Like your best friend, this fun reference will give you the straight scoop on

Gearing up with the right computer hardware

Overcoming preconceived notions of who is online

Talking the online lingo

Enjoying conversation in chat rooms

Considering date site options

Establishing your screen identity

Facing the consequences of not posting a photo

Internet dating is growing at double-digit rates every year, while other forms of finding a connection are flat or falling off. Internet dating, although far from perfect, is becoming the most effective and efficient method of getting introduced to a large number of available singles. Online Dating For Dummies shows you how to get your feet wet and how to dive in, making informed choices and exercising good judgment as you

Sign up for a trial run on a dating site

Try to describe yourself for your personal profile

Initiate your first e-mail contact

Make your first in-person meeting memorable

Identify frauds and players

Figure out what not to do if you really want to meet someone

Jumping into online dating with no preparation at all is possible "“ but not practical. If you follow the techniques in this friendly guide, your odds of meeting great potential matches will greatly improve, and you'll have far more fun in the process.

 

Great for Newbies!

- 16 Jul, 2010
My dermatologist wrote this book!! Imagine my surprise when I was book shopping and saw this! She actually wrote it with her husband whom she met on an online dating site, so THAT'S pretty cool. Unfortunately for me she cut back her hours at her practice and I hardly got to see her anymore1 :(

This book is great for people who are new to on-line dating. It covers everything from how to write an effective ad to how to arrange your first meetings. And it's nice that is was written by people that have been there!

Now, Dr.Silverstein....about that Botox!

 

Outdated advice

- 5 Jun, 2010
This book has become quite outdated as dating has changed a lot since it was written. Now the main dating sites are Facebook and other similar social networking sites. This book needs to be revised to include these social networking sites and explain to the reader about how to meet people on these sites.

 

Online Dating for Dummies - a ROCK SOLID Dating Book

- 21 Oct, 2009
As a Dating and Relationship expert and coach, I make a point of reading a lot, and I mean a lot of dating and relationship books. "Online Dating for Dummies," is really good. It's another great rock solid book from the fantastic "For Dummies" series of books from Wiley.

Singles who are super sophisticated from certain metro areas like Seattle, LA, New York, and San Francisco might turn up their noses at the section which talks about what kind of computer needs you will have. However, when leading a Seminar in Las Vegas with daters who are less technologically savvy than the tech elite, indeed, some don't even have a computer at home. What I so appreciate in the "For Dummies" series is how thorough they are about covering at topic and indeed addressing it as "A Reference for the Rest of Us!"

What is so unique and marvelous about OLD4D is that the co-authors are a now-married couple who, yes, met each other via internet dating. Now, yes, the book came out in 2003. And certain tips and tactics of online dating seem to change every 6-18 months. So will every single word of this book still pertain to internet dating now? No. Is this still an excellent book with page upon page of useful and relevant information pertinent for current online dating? YES!

Throughout the book, Silverstein and Lasky provide their female perspective and male perspective on, everything, and I mean everything including a full (tastefully addressed, still retaining a PG13 rating)chapter devoted to Sex. Their providing their Female/Male personal perspectives is part of what makes OLD4D unique and engaging.

OLD4D is chock full of step-by-step instructions about going online, remaining safe, and pursuing internet love that it is completely worth your time and money and get a copy, read it, and implement it.

 

Fine if you are totally green about online dating.

- 3 Jul, 2009
The book is well put together as all the "Dummies" guides are, but assumes the reader has barely laid hands on a computer before. As a consequence of that, several chapters are taken up explaining things like "you need a PC, a mac will do". I guess that is partly because it was written in 2003/4 though, so we will forgive it that.

An entry on page 68 entitled: "Steering clear of those e-mail order brides" bugged me a bit. Having thoroughly researched the "e-mail order bride" arena, I thought their comments that "these sites border on scams" and more, to be wholly inaccurate and very misleading. Rather than dismiss all Eastern European and Russian women in a few paragraphs as they did, far better to explain that the book is unable to cover such a large side topic in much detail, and steer those interested toward specialist books catering to that genre, such as Russian Bride Guide.

Chapter 6 covers the big known dating sites like Yahoo, Match, Lavalife, etc. We all know about those, but there are some handy tips in there.

Assuming you know your away around a computer already, know how to set a email address up, and all the mundane stuff like "how to find an internet provider", you can safely start reading at Part III (page 91) as all what goes before will be of no use to you.

On the whole, there is nothing earth-shattering you will read here, but it is worthy of a read nonetheless if you can get it inexpensively. I will be investigating other similar books written more recently though. The five years since this was written is a long time in the internet dating world.

 

Handy Guide for Adventure

- 29 Apr, 2009
The authors, who met each other through online dating, encourage a positive sense of adventure while guiding newbies through the basics of online dating. There is guidance for every detail of getting setup in an online service. There are especially good chapters on how to handle sex online, e-mail etiquette, and safety tips to consider when meeting people. The authors point out that unhealthy experience can happen, but they emphasize that most experiences are positive when common-sense precautions are taken. They recommend taking a long time with e-mail as the best way to get to know people before moving on to telephone or in-person contact because, they say, it is easier to get more personal and even intimate in thoughtful e-mails than it is in more direct personal contact.

As a veteran of online dating, I thought this book would bore me, but I was wrong. It is very entertaining, especially when the authors speak in their own separate voices and disagree with each other. They say their guidance is based on hundreds of interviews with online daters as well as their own personal experience which culminated in a long-distance romance. If you want advice that is practical and very readable, this book is for you.

Gordon Scott Edwards, author of Internet Safari, Finding Love Online At 65