Reply to Talk me through online dating

Forum Index » Relationship Discussion (non-explicit)

Reply to "Talk me through online dating"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous]You just have to do it. Rip the bandaid off as they say. And by "do it," I mean the dating, not the sex, in case that wasn't clear. Hold off on sex until you're comfortable. Online dating is one avenue. Speed dating is another. Meetup groups and matchmakers are another. I'd save the matchmaker for last as from what I've heard (I haven't tried one myself, but friends have) even services like It's Just Lunch can get pretty expensive.

Do: Read some articles about how to write a great profile/learn online dating etiquette. I hate saying this, because it's at least 50% 21 year old idiots on there, but I've looked at the Reddit OKCupid forum (and I'm not a Redditor for any other purposes) and they have some pretty good insight about your profile, general etiquette (e.g. how quickly to meet someone from the site, etc.) Search past threads about online dating on here - I've posted when I've had questions, as have others, and there's good advice/feedback/experience there.

Don't: Don't expect it to be great right away. Don't be afraid to try another site if one doesn't work out. I MUCH prefer OKCupid to Match (those are the only two I've tried) but YMMV. Don't get disheartened when guys just stop contacting you in the middle of the messaging process, or ask you for a date and then disappear when it's time to confirm the place/time, etc. In my experience (about a year) that happens with 20 - 30% of people you agree to meet. Remember you don't know a person until you've met them at least a couple of times no matter how great their profile seems. They could be married and seeing 'what's out there' or catfishing or God only knows what. Don't be afraid to deactivate your profile or take a break before trying another site if you get burnt out and frustrated. When you meet someone you like, don't assume you are exclusive until/unless you've had a conversation explicitly stating so.

Safety: Don't use profile pictures that you use anywhere else on the internet (e.g. Facebook or LinkedIn) if you don't want everyone out there being able to Google Image search your pictures and find out your real name, place of employment, etc. Do send a screenshot of your date's profile, his phone number and full name (if you have them) and the place and time you are meeting him to a friend before first dates, and check in with them after the date. Don't let men pick you up at/come to your home, or go to theirs, until you are at least a few dates in, and when you do, be aware, especially as a virgin, because (as evidenced clearly in recent threads here) to many men, that means sex will be happening, unless you have a clear conversation otherwise.

In short, have fun, and be careful. [/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics