Online dating is very popular and for good reason. Even so, it pays to be cautious. The following 7 rules of online dating will help insure that you have a good experience:
- Know what you want and be honest about it. Don’t pretend you want to get married or love sex when what you want is a Scrabble partner. Be honest.
- Be considerate. You will get emails from people you know you don’t want to meet. Be considerate when you say no thank you, but do say no thank you.
- Post a current photo. Online daters list old photos as their biggest complaint. You looked great at 26, but if you are 48 now, post a photo of your 48-year-old self.
- Be positive. Online dating is not psychotherapy. Don’t lead with your childhood abuse history or a list of your most recent gallbladder operations.
- Be very careful. Never give out personal information like phone number or address until you are sure of someone. Give it a few dates at least.
- Meet early. Don’t waste your time chatting with someone who turns out to be nothing at all like the person described in his or her profile. Meet in a well-lit public place and let people know where you are going and when you will be back.
- Take your time. Don’t be in a big hurry to nail down the perfect person. Give yourself three to six months just ‘shopping’, and don’t be hard on yourself if it takes longer than that. Rome wasn’t built in a day.
Follow these simple common sense rules and before you know it you won’t even need a dating site. You’ll be too busy having fun with your perfect match.