10 Major Rules for Successful Online Dating ...

Most important of all, when completing your online dating profile, or corresponding with a potential match, be honest. Anything misleading you say will only come back and haunt you later.

Never, ever agree to meet someone from th dating site at your home, or anywhere secluded. Always meet somewhere public, with lots of other people. And also, run a background check on the person. In some jurisdictions, it’s free.

If the online dating site you choose to use has guidelines or rules for contacting a match, follow them. In the past, men have contacted me outside of the site, which gave me the impression they were cheap, not willing to pay the membership fee to contact me through the site. Not a good impression!

Don’t go overboard and correspond with too many potential suitors. Pick only a few, and pursue them. If they don’t work out, select a new batch.

It’s hard to judge a person online or on the phone, but you will still form an instinctual response. If your instinct tells you to proceed, then go ahead. If you just have a bad feeling about someone, don’t feel obligated to continue.

This is the one time I can recommend judging a book by its cover. In my view, if someone is using an online dating site, they ought to be trying to put their best foot forward, so feel free to pay attention to visual cues.

If you really want to impress a person you’ve met online, pay attention to the details they give in their profile and use them in conversation. For instance, if he says he enjoys mountain-biking, ask where. If he says he has a dog, ask which breed.

Online and phone correspondence only go so far. If you’re interested, and he is too, then feel free to make the first move and ask him out on a date!

When meeting for the first time, spend a little extra time on your appearance. You may feel you know him because you’ve spent so much time online or on the phone, but men in particular pay attention to visual cues, so put your best foot forward! And rest assured, he will be, too.

Before you even choose which online dating site you’ll use, decide what exactly you’re looking for. Do you want a serious, long-term relationship, or just a summer romance? Knowing what you want will help you decide which site to use, and how to screen potential dates.

Of course, my mother says the first two rules re most important, and I agree. But so are the others! What about you? Have you has success using online dating? What rules do you recommend, and why, and what tips can you share? Please let me know!

Top Photo Credit: curiousillusion