Online Dating Service
There are literally hundreds of online dating services available. The choices are endless, but there are just as many bad sites are there are helpful ones. How can you tell which is which? It can be quite difficult. Much of the search is just trial and error--finding the right fit. In other areas, there are definitely things to keep an eye out for and particular ways to handle your ad once you've found the online dating service for you.
Popular Services
There are a number of popular online dating services all over the web. Trying out a few different ones will help you decide which is best for you.
- eHarmony: This isn't a place for a one-time hookup or casual dating. eHarmony is for singles who are looking for someone to share their lives with. A 2009 survey conducted by Harris Interactive Polling determined that eHarmony was responsible for five percent of all marriages in the United States. With such a success rate, if you're looking for a life partner look no further. Compatible Partners is a site for same-sex couples operated by eHarmony.
- Match: People from all walks of life populate Match, a site that features compatibility testing as well. However, you don't have to be marriage minded to use Match. It is open to people looking for all kinds of relationships, from casual encounters to friendship to long-term dating and marriage.
- Plenty of Fish: This site enjoys over 140 million visitors every month, allowing you to cast your reel into a well-stocked lake. The site has tests to help you discover what it is you need in a relationship, why other relationships have failed and who on the site is the best match for you.
- OK Cupid: This popular online dating website is more than just a dating website: It's also a social network of sorts. On OKC you can take a variety of quizzes and polls that help you to find the person you are most compatible with. Rather than using a single metric, OKC allows you to use any user-generated poll to determine who is match and who isn't.
- Date Hookup: Date Hookup is a site that takes fake profiles and spam very seriously, so you can rest assured that there's a real person behind every account on the site. The site, one of the largest for dating on the Internet, is also 100 percent free, with no charges for any use of the site.
The Ins and Outs of Using Pictures in Your Ad
Choosing an online dating site is only part of the process. Once you've located one you like, you'll have to decide how to word and present your online ad. The first dilemma is the most troublesome for many online daters; submit an ad with pictures or without? Online dating safety concerns aside, you need to ask yourself a few very important questions. How small is your community? Will people on the street recognize you from your ad? Don't snicker, it happens in cities as large as Chicago. Posting a photograph can be risky in ways you don't expect. Forget the stalker problem for a moment and consider your co-workers, who may be surfing the very same dating sites you frequent. The key to using photographs is to make them appealing without giving away your true identity. One of the best ways to do this is to use a photograph taken of you alone from a bit farther away than normal. People who view the picture will get to see your hair, your dimensions and your taste in clothes without your being instantly recognizable to all your fellow single office workers.
Online Dating Service Pics, Part Two
Pictures are tricky because you can accidentally send the wrong kind of message to people in the online dating community. The swimsuit photos that are posted by some are often interpreted as being a come-on for one-nighters and "no-strings-attached" arrangements. If this is exactly what you want, by all means post away, but for those looking for something more, conservative photos are best. It's never a good idea to post a picture of yourself with other people. Half the time the viewers of the pics are wondering who is who, and many forget to identify themselves in the pic. A 'solo' picture is far better as it is less distracting. Make sure your photo is in focus, shot in good light and has you at your best. You don't need to pay someone to take a professional photograph, just have a friend who knows their way around a camera take some nice, flattering shots of you.
Profiles and More
Writing an online dating profile can be difficult, but remember to take the whole thing with a dash of lightheartedness. You won't win any points by telling the world you want to meet your number one all time great love and get married. Instead, write a profile that sounds realistic and makes you seem interesting enough to contact out of the clear blue sky. Self-depreciating humor works if you keep it light, but don't send the message that you don't believe in yourself. Be confident, fun and a little daring. Above all, be honest, but appropriately so! These are strangers you're talking to, so you don't need to tell your life story--just a few interesting bits. When you are posting--and responding to-an online dating ad, remember that you are advertising your personality, it's good to be a bit secretive in just the right places. It's a lot like advertising--the fast food commercial concentrates on how juicy that burger looks, not that little ring of grease that it leaves on the bag. Keep things lighthearted and you'll find you get much better responses over time.
Keep It Safe And Fun
Remember to use good common sense when searching for an online date, the same as you would in any other dating situation. Meet your new friends in public places with lots of people around, get to know someone before spending time alone with them and always let someone know where you are and what you'll be doing. Have fun and good luck in your online search.
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