A guide to online dating
You can find almost anything online these days; a holiday, a car, a house, a job and even someone to love. Online dating is one of the most popular businesses online at the moment with over 4.7 million people having visited an online dating site last year.
There are currently (approx) 15 million single people in the UK, half of whom are looking for a serious relationship. If you are one of these people and are tired of going on blind dates that end in disaster then why not try dating online.
Internet dating has grown over the past five years into a socially accepted and legitimate way of meeting a partner. There are dozens of sites to choose from so PC Site® has taken a look and scouted out the best.
There are many sites on the net that provide you with free dating services. The current top ranking site is PlentyofFish.com closely followed by FriendsReunitedDating.co.uk, Match.com and Datingdirect.com.
PlentyofFish boast on their site that their members will go on over 18,000,000 this year a very encouraging figure. They have a different service to help you find your ideal date, such as a chemistry test, that helps to match your personality with other members.
FriendsReunitedDating is one of the largest free online dating sites in the UK and was the fastest growing dating website from 2004-2005, just one year after its launch. Nearly 50 per cent of the adult population are members of the founding site FriendsReunited and if you are already a user or, it may be best to set up a dating profile with their dating service, that way you are familiar with the navigation and look of the site.
DatingDirect.com is another free Internet dating service which has over 5 million users. It says that 80 per cent of their members have met someone online and that the same amount of people would recommend the site to family and friends.
Match.com is an established industry leader and has had many dating and marriage successes, as you will see on their site. The site has more that 20 million members and a great service to help you find that special someone. This site has free registration, although this is limited and not all services can be accessed with this account.
There are regular memberships as well as an International membership, allowing you to meet people in 37 different countries, and a Match.com Platinum™ account which offers you more extensive help with your search.
eHarmony is a free service that has recently been brought over from the US and uses scientific research to create its matches. A Dr. Neil Clark Warren studied over 5,000 married couples and found out what made a marriage work and what led it to fail. eHarmony uses a compatibility matching system which takes into account your core traits, relationship skills and beliefs and values and predicts how successful the match will be.
All sites have a minimum age limit of 18 and members range all ages up to 88!
When you register with a dating site you will be asked for all the details that any site would ask you for at first; a screen name (this doesn’t have to be your real name), a password, an email address and date of birth. You will then be led to a series of pages that make up the information displayed on your profile.
Take care to fill in your profile as fully as possible so that people can identify with you and this will get your profile noticed. Write a personal ad, a short piece of text that describes you in your own words; this is your chance to inject personality into your profile. Then you can post a photo of yourself, it’s always best to put up at least three.
Be honest when creating your profile, you wouldn’t start off a face to face relationship with an outright lie, and it’s best not to do it online either.
Make sure you stay active on your profile by logging on everyday if possible and contacting a different person every time. Log on regularly, as this boosts your profile appearance on other members’ pages. Find points in common with other member by creating tests for them to take.
When online…
1. Guard your identity- do not give out your full name or number or other personal information to anyone while emailing or instant messaging (IMing) until you are completely comfortable and don’t post contact information on your profile.
2. Remain anonymous- You do not have to reveal your identity until you feel totally happy to. Many sites such as Match.com have what they call “double-blind” technology which helps conceal your information until you are ready to reveal it.
3. Beware of using provocative screen names- These names will definitely get you noticed but it could be by the wrong sort of person. If you are looking for a relationship or even a decent conversation, then perhaps chose a more suitable name.
4. Be honest- One problem with online dating is that people can easily lie, which ends up in a ruined relationship so don’t do it yourself. Be honest in yourself description and use a current picture for you profile, that way you avoid animosity if people, especially on face-to-face dates, find out you have been telling porkies!
5. Deal with abuse- If a member is being abusive in any way you can block and report their behaviour to the site. It is good practice to save all messages and correspondence, just so you have proof of abuse if it should happen. This includes: being contacted by a minor or a married person, offensive or harassing messages, spam, inappropriate behaviour upon meeting in person or any other violation of the sites policies.
1. Always meet in public- never meet at someone’s house or in a hotel room. Always meet at a bar or restaurant or a well populated area, just in case.
2. Tell someone- Make sure you tell a friend or family member that you are meeting someone so that they can make sure you arrive home safe.
3. Stay sober- Even though the nerves may get to you, don’t let the alcohol get to you too. It is best to have non-alcoholic drinks on a first date with someone from an online service; this ensures you stay in control.
4. Always have a phone on you.
5. Do not go home with them- On a first date it is often tempting to go home with them, but be cautious and wait until you know them better. If you feel at all pressured by your date then simply leave.
6. Watch your belongings- Be sure to keep your bag or valuables with you at all times.
1. Listen to your gut instinct- If something doesn’t seem right, either you don’t feel they are being honest or that they are phony then cut communication with them.
2. Get the details- Try and gather as much information about the person before you go on a date with them and it is a good idea to share these details with a friend or family member.
3. Do some digging- Ask as many questions as possible. You can also ask your date to submit a background check and there is no harm in typing their name into Google or Ask.com and seeing what comes up.
4. Avoid vague people- If someone you’re speaking to tends to steer away or deflect your questions, this could indicate that they have something to hide.
5. Beware of the over keen- If someone confessed their undying love for after just one date, or even a few online conversations, they could be one to watch out for- love isn’t always that simple!
6. Watch out for gold-diggers or scam artists- If someone talks about their lack of finances a lot then be careful, they could be out for money not love.
All that is left to do is network and continue your search for Mr/Mrs Right. Happy hunting!
Thu, Jan 14, 2010