Online Dating

Whether you are a new player entering into the dating scene or are a seasoned contestant who is looking to change up your approach in your quest to find love, I am hopeful there is something to be learned through this group. Studies show that nearly 15% of Americans are using dating sites in search of finding a mate. Along those same lines, approximately one-third of married couples met each other online. So, while the online process is said to be extremely exhausting, there appears to be success in the end.

Let’s allow this post to serve as a way to learn, share resources, offer support, and ask questions of others who have or are still on the dating scene.

There are a variety of different online sites being used from Plenty of Fish, Tinder, OKCupid, and Zoosk, to paid sites such as eHarmony and Match.com, etc. I recently learned that Facebook has a dating section now, similar to Tinder with the swiping and matching on liking each other and then seeing the profile… you can also see if you have mutual friends, therefore, you can vet them through friends to see if they are worth taking a chance on. While I have heard that the paid sites seem to bring about potential mates with higher levels of education, being career minded, and more likely to desire a long term relationship, it sounds like either route you choose still has its challenges, weeding through the dozens of daily and weekly profile hits.

Experts have these tips to share:

– Treat it like a job and spend a minimum of 3 hours per week going through profiles and potential likes.

– Add some style to your profile, for example;“I love cooking vegetables I grow in my garden” or a particular comedian has your sense of humor… (many years ago, my husband worked with a colleague to create the infrastructure for a dating site based on similarities in humor or preferred comedians and I think you can learn a lot about a person based on their sense of humor).

– Profile picture should include something that speaks to your character, provides some context to your interests, and something with color that makes you look lively and vibrant.

– Take charge and initiate ‘likes’, in an effort to show your activeness on the sites and boost your profile. Also, this may change up the algorithm to the same type of guys constantly popping up and changing up the look and background of who is in your inbox.

– There is always a chance for a second date, so do not feel the need to rush into a lengthy first date… keep it to an hour and if it holds your attention and interests you in a follow up date, then see where it goes.

Be Mindful:

• ALWAYS let a friend know or allow them to track you by phone when meeting with someone new. It never hurts for them to know your whereabouts and perhaps the persons name and other need to know information. We need to always be safe and responsible in this time.

• Try dating between 5 to 9 people, any more, and you can be on overload with options. After 9 individual and unique dates, take a break, reevaluate and try your chances again.

• Keep to your top 3 deal breakers and be on alert for red flags.

• If you find yourself intrigued by someone, but are unsure about attraction, give it at least 3 dates, as chemistry can grow and attraction can always build off of that, besides looks can always change and fade over time.

Along the same lines with online dating, I have had some friends find success, (and get married), from a matchmaking service. I would have to think that potential mates are very serious about long term relationships, as the services seem to be quite expensive, but also come with the bonus of some coaching and tips from the matchmaker.

If you have any tips and tricks to online dating, then please share here. If you want to inquire if what you are experiencing is normal with the roller coaster of emotions and types of behaviors from potential mates, then ask away. The more we can share and support one another, the better off we all are to help validate and alleviate the stress of finding a mate.

The journey to find love can have its challenges, but it’s so worth the wait once you find it. 💋

#Ho30 #Ho30challenge #onlinedating