Does Online Dating Really Work?
So many people have considered
joining an online dating service, only to be stopped by
the nagging question, “Does online dating really work?”
the fact is, yes, online dating does really work. But
that does not mean online dating works for everyone.
Your chance of
success in online dating has to do with a lot of
different factors. Ask yourself a few questions:
- How serious are you about
online dating?
- What online dating site
are you joining?
- Are you willing to pay for
a membership?
- Do you live in or near a
sizeable city?
- Can you relay who you are
and what you’re looking for in a relationship in a
positive, literate manner?
- Will you be 100% honest?
- Do you have reasonable
standards?
Each of these are extremely
important questions that can have a strong impact on the
success of your online dating experience.
Let’s start
with the first question, how serious are you about
online dating? If you’re going into this with
half-hearted ambition, and aren’t really expecting
anything to come of it, chances are nothing will. If you
devote yourself to your online dating experience, you
will be more inclined to write a pleasant, attractive
profile that exudes confidence. You are more likely to
follow up on emails and send communications to others.
Next is the
online dating service of choice. When selecting an
online dating service, you need to go by reputation.
Don’t just look for the cheapest, or sites with free
memberships. The larger the database of active online
daters, the higher your potential for success will be.
We touched on
the free membership question in the last paragraph, but
to elaborate, a free membership rarely offers the same
chance of success as a paid subscription. There are too
many limitations on communications and profile searches.
The fact is, you get what you pay for. You don’t need
the most expensive online dating site, but you do need a
reputable one.
Your
geographic location is also very important. If you live
in or near a large city, a reputable online dating
service is going to have a lot more members in your
general area. If you live out in the woods, far away
from civilization, your chances are almost nil. You need
to be at least within 10 miles of a sizeable town or
city if you want diversity in nearby profiles.
Can you write
about yourself? You’ll need to be able to present
yourself in a positive, creative manner. If you say the
same old things that everyone else says, your chances of
a successful online dating experience are decreased by
as many people who were as uncreative as yourself. If
you have a hard time writing about yourself positively,
or writing at all, try asking a friend or family member
to help you out. The profile is perhaps the most
important aspect of any online dater’s experience.
Honesty is of
utmost importance in the success of online dating. You
can lie left and right, making yourself sound like a
perfect catch, uploading pictures that are not your own,
telling people you are 15 years younger than you really
are – but where will this get you? A lot of emails and
communications, yes, but real-life success? Absolutely
not. You must fess up, or let them find out when you
meet in person – either way, betrayal is not a success
factor in online dating.
Last but not
least, you must have reasonable standards. You can’t go
into the online dating world expecting to find a
chisel-bodies, muscle-bound, finely tanned man who loves
long walks on the beaches and chick flicks; nor can men
expect to find big-boobed, thin-wasted blondes with
bikini tans and the sex drive of a teenage boy. Be
reasonable. Know what it is you really want out of a
relationship. Appearances are only on the outside, and
may be nice at first, but it really is the inside of a
person that attracts you to them for the rest of your
life.
If you can answer
yes
to each of
the questions, you have an extremely high chance of a
successful online dating experience.
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