Joining an online dating website does make life a little less complicated and getting to meet people with the same interests as you gets a lot easier. However, you do have to make similar efforts to impress the other person as you would in a traditional date. And the drawback here is you have to do so through the written word. When you meet someone in person, it is a lot easier to speak to them and charm them. However, in online dating, all you are allowed as an introduction is a dating profile. It is therefore, very important that you learn to write your profile in such a manner as to make it stand out amidst the hundreds of other profiles.

A typical dating profile consists of some very basic stuff like your online user name, a subject line and then some personal information. Interestingly enough each one of these areas can be used very effectively to give yourself a very distinct personality without revealing too much about yourself.

To begin with, your dating user name is no ordinary user name. Use it to convey what you feel strongly about, perhaps your work or some other activity. Give it some thought and come up with something that is different and exciting.

Next comes the subject line. Though you will have not enough space to write anything substantial here, you still have one more chance to sell yourself as a person who is different from the rest. Make a short list of adjectives that can best describe you and use them to make you sound positive, full of energy and very interesting.

Next comes the actual profile writing part. Many believe this is the most important and hence the toughest part of joining an online dating website. Do not be in a hurry to fill it out on day one. Impressions once made cannot be easily undone. The very first thing you have to remember is that you have to stay honest and frank. Never lie about your age, your job or your waistline. You are looking for a life-long commitment here and it is not a good idea to start it based on lies. Try to make your description about yourself as accurate and still as flattering as possible. At all times, emphasize your personality, your zest for life and your need to share the good things in life with someone. If there is someone genuinely interested in you, he or she will contact you, no matter what your waistline. If you can upload a photo, ask a professional to take a good, flattering photo of yourself which you can put up on the website.

So, while writing up a dating profile is an important task, as you can see, it is not as complicated as you feared. Follow the tips we mentioned above and you can look forward to a busy and happy dating life.

·    Do not be tempted by offers from free online dating services. Remember, websites that charge you signup fees do so for a reason. They use the fees to thoroughly screen all members and also use their own resources to conduct background checks on them. Information on what the present status of the member is and any pertinent information, say like criminal records, if found, are made available to all paid members.

·    When you are speaking to someone online, keep an eye out on the consistency of the information they are giving you. If they are lying, it is going to take some effort to be always consistent about the lies.

·    Under no circumstances, should you give your personal details in the very first communication. Never divulge details like your name, address, phone numbers or even that of your children or your immediate family. Only after you have established the genuineness of the person after a few meetings can you slowly reveal the details but even then, only bit by bit.

·    If you find communication with some members uncomfortable, stop communicating right away. In fact, most websites will provide you with tools meant for blocking such users. Use these tools to stop them from harassing you.

·    When you are chatting online or speaking to the other person, watch for warning signs like sudden signs of anger, use of abusive language, providing elusive answers to some direct questions. If your intuition is warning you about someone, heed the warning.

·    When you decide that it may be time to meet your friend in person, choose a public place for your first few meetings. Arrange for your own transport and make sure you leave details like where you will be going, whom you will be meeting and a few phone numbers with another friend.

·    If to your surprise, you find that the date is going really well, tell yourself to stay realistic. Not much can be known about a person in just one date. Do not get carried away and reveal too much personal information about yourself.

Online Dating has more or less the same risks as traditional dating – you just happen to know your date a little better. By being cautious, you are ensuring that you do not get hurt in the process and have a real chance at a long-lasting relationship.

Most free online dating websites make their money through other income streams like banner advertising, targeted advertising and so on. This way they ensure that most of the services they offer will stay free for some time to come.

Pros:
·    The biggest advantage of free online dating services is of course, that they are free! If for some reason you are unhappy with their services, you can always close down your membership and look for a website that offers you better services.
·    The sign-up process is fairly straightforward and you can start browsing profiles within just minutes of signing up. Further, you will be able to create a dating profile for yourself and even upload a few photos of yourself, if you so desire.
·    Most of the time, your identity stays a secret and the other person will know only so much that you reveal about yourself. If you wish to take the relationship to the next level, you may want to reveal some more details about yourself.

Cons:
·    The biggest disadvantage of free online dating websites is that there is no way of checking if the person you are in contact with is truly who the person says he or she is. In fact, there is no way of knowing if such a person even exists. This is where paid online dating services have such a big advantage. They have stringent screening procedures and also carry out their own background checks. Whatever information they find about the status of the person or about their criminal records, is made available to all paid members. This will save you from some very uncomfortable and possibly heart-breaking situations in the future.
·    Another problem with some of these free online dating services is that they are used as a front for marketing various products. The information provided by members is used to target them repeatedly to force them to buy these products.
·    Finally, there is no assurance that your privacy will be safeguarded on these free online dating services. If you have given too many personal details on the site, chances are they might be misused. Paid dating services are very vigilant when it comes to protecting the privacy of their members.

While making a decision on whether to join a free online dating website or a paid one, give careful thought to what you are gaining and what you are losing in each case, and then make your final decision.

Let us point some key considerations that will help you in deciding whether an online dating service is right for you or not.

1.    Before you begin looking at various dating service, you have to be clear about what you want from dating websites. You can find a variety of dating websites that cater to different needs of their clientele. If you are looking for casual relationships, you may have to look at a different kind of website but if you are committed to going in for a serious relationship, you may have to look at different websites. Being clear about what your needs are will save you from disappointments later.

2.    Most online dating websites offer members a trial period during which they can understand the kind of tools and services that they have access to as full members of the website. Though there may be some charges involved, these tools and services can be very powerful aids in your search for the right partner. On the other hand, if you are disappointed with what you see, you are at liberty to discontinue your membership and look at other websites. Some helpful services offered are – news alerts when profiles matching your requirements are listed, detailed profiles including background checks are made available, ability to block certain users if they are making you uncomfortable, ability to load more than one picture – even videos.

3.    Do not be tempted by websites offering free services. As they say in the online dating business, free can be expensive. Most websites that offer free services do so because they do not spend in services like background checks, privacy control, even simple screening of members. Imagine your mental state if you join a free online dating website, meet someone who you think you really like only to find after a few weeks that the person did not really exist. Not only that, your personal information is now being misused against you! Paid services will ensure you your peace of mind and protect your privacy.

4.    How well does the website allow you to be yourself? Can you write up a personalized account of yourself or are there too many restrictions on the number of words and number of photos you can upload? What other means can you use through the website to present a true picture of yourself? See which dating service gives you the best deal in terms of these requirements.

Once you have sufficiently researched all major online dating services based on these considerations, make your decision and be ready for the start of a new relationship.

When you first join an online dating website, you may feel very assured about the amount of flexibility and privacy the service offers. However, once you decide to take your relationship to the next level and meet your date in person, you may need to take some extra precautions. You may be very comfortable speaking to this person and he or she may sound extremely genuine. However, it is very easy to get carried away while chatting online and one should always keep the following guidelines in mind before agreeing to meet the person face to face.

1.    Never give away too many personal details like where you live, or names of your children, where they study or where you work in the very first few meetings. Provide only as much details as are necessary to get to know each other. Once you are convinced of the person’s genuineness, you can slowly divulge some more details.

2.    Trust your intuition – if it is telling you that something is wrong, there probably is. Use your common sense to get out of an uncomfortable situation.

3.    Take everything the other person is saying with a pinch of salt. Don’t worry – there is nothing wrong with you. It is perfectly all right to be wary of strangers.

4.    Ask whatever questions you need, to make yourself feel comfortable with the other person – note their responses to your questions. The answers as well as their body language will speak volumes.

5.    Do not rush into things. Take your time, get to know this person and make sure you are absolutely comfortable with him or her.

6.    If you do decide to go on an actual date with a person you have met online, then let your meetings take place in a public place and do not give your address right away.

7.    Before going out on a date, inform at least one more person about whom you are meeting, where you are meeting and leave the number of your phone as well as that of the place with this friend.

8.    Either take your own car or else arrange for your transport. This way you can be sure that you have a definite way of getting back home, no matter how the date turns out.

9.    Stay grounded no matter how wonderful you think the date is turning out to be. If you feel something is too good to be true, it almost always is. Trust your intuition again and give yourself more time to be convinced about this new relationship.

. Work on your dating profile: When you date online, you do not have to be worried about looking your absolute best but you have to worry about your profile sounding the absolute best. Consider how much time you spend on each profile and then imagine someone else reading yours in that much time. Have you written clearly enough and sufficiently enough to make an impression? Follow the guidelines given below for writing up a good dating profile.

. Your profile has to be impressive enough but also honest and frank. Do not boast about being able to write sonnets because you think it will impress the girls when you find it hard to answer in anything other than monosyllables.

. Do mention what is different about you – mention a few details that will set you apart from the rest.

. When you mention hobbies, mention genuine hobbies and give more details about what you like to do as part of your hobby. If you like reading, mention the latest book you have read and why you liked it.

. Give as many details as you think necessary but do not overdo it. Just provide enough to grab the other person’s attention and make him or her want to start a conversation with you.

. Not many people like to go in for dates with faceless people. A name associated with a face is bound to be considered more trustworthy. In fact, most online dating sites claim that by merely including your photo with your profile, you increase the chances of positive replies by more than 50%. If you are unhappy with the way you look, the solution is not to post a photo of a younger you or a leaner you. Remember the truth is bound to come out at some point. Instead, spend some money and get a professional to take a good, hopefully flattering picture of you that you can then put up.

. While you may be a naturally shy person, remember the advantage of online dating is the complete privacy it affords you. Do not be shy about looking up too many profiles else how will you able to make the right choice? Make a short list of people you think share common interests with you and invite them for conversations, either over email or in chat rooms. Remember, an invitation to chat is just that – it does mean a date. Only if things go well and the two of you hit it off, you may want to consider going on an actual date.

By following the tips given above, you will certainly increase your chances of finding the ideal match for you through online dating.

After listening to his excited chatter all week long, you are wondering if you too should be joining any online dating service. However, you are still not convinced. One question keeps bothering you most of all – how is online dating any different from blind dates?

Well, consider the scenario where you are out on a blind date. That Saturday night was not particularly convenient for you but then you both seemed to have only this slot free, with your date having to go out of town for the next few weeks. Well, this means working on a Sunday, you say to yourself. You have booked a table in a French restaurant and are waiting for your date to arrive. Well, she arrives 15 minutes late having been caught up in some last minute office work. As you start to order, you realize that she is not a big fan of French cuisine, which ends up making you look like a fool. Your conversation unfortunately does not take off either. She is interested in modern art and far eastern cuisine while you prefer the classics, both art and music. You glance at your watch and to your horror, it has been barely 15 minutes since you first met. Does this sound familiar?

Now consider an online dating scenario. You have chosen your prospective date from possibly hundreds of profiles so that you already know what some of her interests are. She is an art student studying Renaissance art and has just returned from a trip to Paris. Both of you share a love for the city and in your first chat really hit it off. She tells you all about the research she is doing and how she may have to keep traveling. You tell her about your work and what things you enjoy. After a few conversations over email and phone, you are ready to meet. You again go to the same French restaurant but this time you are sure that she likes the food. You meet almost like old friends and carry on the conversation from where you had left it the last time.

Which one of these scenarios makes for a more pleasant evening out? An evening out with a complete stranger about whom you know nothing or an evening out with a friend, albeit an online one.

Online dating offers the distinct advantage of being able to know the person to whatever extent possible before going out on a date and as such certainly holds the edge over blind dates.

Despite all these advantages, online dating also has its disadvantages and pressures of its own. When you meet your date in person, it is easier to be witty, thoughtful, flirtatious and to impress the other person with your charm. In online dating, the only means of communication open to you is the written word and you will have to manage all the above in the dating message that you send. This obviously means that you have to give sufficient thought to the way you want to word you first online dating message.

First of all, it is very important that you send a clear message that you are interested in this person. Just as you would in your first date, let them know how impressed you are by the interests listed in the profile and how quite a few of them match your very own. Try to state this as matter of fact as possible without going overboard. Remember since you are still an unknown to the other person, there is always a real danger of you coming off as a creep. Convey very clearly what it is about this person that first grabbed your attention, give a few more details about yourself and suggest to him or her, the possibility of going out on a date.

Online dating brings with it the danger of dating a complete stranger, who in the beginning may even remain faceless. While you certainly have plenty of choice and will be able to immediately know whether the other person’s interests match yours, you also do not really now how the other person is going to behave when out on a date. Remember the person you are trying to date will also be having similar doubts. It is therefore important that your message reflects your thinking and your personality as much as possible. If you are an introvert and find it difficult to strike conversations with the opposite sex, getting someone else to write pages and pages of romantic poetry for you will do you no good. Stick to being who you are, stay honest and tell him or her frankly what kind of a person you are. Chances are things will work out better when you are honest than trying to impress someone being who you are not.

Remember, online dating has just made dating technologically advanced and more convenient but the basic rules of dating still apply.