Love-Smart » Online Dating

Guidelines For Internet Dating

Cindy — Sun, 19 Mar 2006 00:32:39 +0000

I am about to show you that with a few good guidelines to follow, you can start Internet dating smarter in no time! So relax, sit back and let’s get started!

TAKE IT SLOW

The number one rule of Internet dating is to take it slow.
Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither was
a good relationship. All relationships take time to grow.
Over the Internet there is a tendency to see the other person
as perfect. After all, you haven’t seen them face-to-face.
It’s easy to romanticize and get ahead of yourself.
Don’t! Remember, all you know about this person is
what you have learned corresponding over the net.

RESEARCH INTERNET DATING SITES

Try selecting a few Internet Dating Sites and researching their websites. Check out a couple of the profiles
to see if these are the types of men/women you would be
interested in. If you belong to a particular religion, you
may want to look for a site that would cater to your beliefs.

BE HONEST

Always remember to be honest about who you are. Do not send
an old photograph of yourself. Remember, sooner or later
if you choose to continue this relationship, the truth will
reveal itself when you meet. Don’t lie about your
occupation or cover up the fact that you have two kids.
Again, being deceitful will only make you look untrustworthy.
Telling someone who you are up front and what you are all
about will weed out unlikely companions.

ASK A LOT OF QUESTIONS

You must learn to ask questions and weigh the answers. Take
the time to find out if you have anything in common. Don’t
just get “swept away” by the fantasy. You want
to know if they have been married, divorced, have children,
like basketball etc., anything that will be non-negotiable
for you in a relationship. After all, you do want to know
if you are compatible. If there are a lot of inconsistencies
in their answers than I would keep asking the same question
from time to time to double check. Don’t be afraid
to probe further. If they get defensive then they probably
aren’t telling you the truth.

BE CAUTIOUS-DON’T TELL TOO MUCH

Unfortunately, there are creeps out there who will take
advantage. So my second piece of advice is do not reveal
any personal information about yourself. Do not give out
your home phone number, address, Social Security #, financial
information (duh!) or anything else that isn’t their business.
If someone is asking a lot of non-personality related personal
question then I would venture to guess that they are up
to no good. Ask yourself why is he so interested if my house
is paid for? Believe me, you will save yourself a lot of
heartache if you shut down anyone asking for that type of
personal information.

DON’T USE YOUR PERSONAL E-MAIL

I would also suggest that you do not use your regular E-mail
address when corresponding with unknown dating site members. Many dating sites offer to set you up with an account.
In the end you will be glad that you took the time to do
so. If you do choose to set up an account, do not use any
personal information like your full name. For now it is best
to guard your anonymity.

TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS

Always use your instincts. If someone or something seems
too good to be true, it usually is. Someone claiming to
be a millionaire looking for love over the net doesn’t
sound too likely to me! This is probably the oldest Internet
scam there is. As much as you might want to believe that
she owns three houses and has lunch with Paris Hilton on
a regular basis, I would move on to more realistic pastures.

REQUEST MORE THAN ONE PHOTO

Always ask for a couple of photos. One may not be enough
to tell what someone looks like. Don’t just settle
for her glamour shot! Ask her to send you one of her on
vacation or at a family gathering. This will give you a
better idea of what she really looks like. Some people send
passport photos or drivers license pictures. We all know
they aren’t very good so please ask for another one
if this happens.

Unfortunately, even when they do send a picture, it may
not be them or could be them ten years and fifty pounds
ago. There really isn’t much you can do about this
situation. If they refuse to send one at all, take that
as sign to move on.

Top Online Dating Services

Cindy — Sat, 18 Mar 2006 21:18:08 +0000

Love-smart Rates the Top Online Dating Services

When looking for love online these days, the World Wide Web offers a complete range of dating services for nearly every personality, religion or ethnic group. Here at Love-smart.com we’ve decided to make things a little bit easier for you by rating some of the most popular online dating services. Here are the results of our research:

eharmony.com
· Founded by Dr. Neil Clark Warren who researched online dating and devised an in depth questionnaire, with a scientifically complex personality profiling system that matches couples by personality. This includes 29 dimensions that determine long-term success in a relationship.
· One of the most popular and successful online dating sites.

· The fastest growing dating website.
· The eharmony personal profile gives you instant feedback on how you relate to others as well as analyzes your personality type.
· This site takes patience as the questionnaire can take over an hour to complete, but is worth it!
· This site is somewhat more expensive than some of the others, but has specials. It is for those who are serious about looking for love and marriage.

Match.com
· One of the most popular dating sites. It has also been around the longest.
· This site claims to have more profiles than any other dating site (now currently approximately 8 million worldwide).
· Offers dating events across the country so you can meet potential dates in the flesh.
· Also offers an advanced match making, video profiles, sound clips, instant messaging and a unique phone system that allows you to have a phone conversation with other singles without revealing your actual phone number.
· One of the few that offers a free 7-day trial membership.
· Offers a free basic membership, which allows you to post a profile and search for matches.
· A full membership costs: $24.95 per month.
· Has a great Instant Messaging system, which allows you to talk to live hot dates!
· Offers a specialized physical attraction test, which improves your matches.
· Takes only 20 minutes to create your profile.
· Serves countries worldwide.

Matchmaker.com
· Offers 1000’s of dating profiles from people around the world.
· The site was recently re-designed. After their re-launch they are offering a special promotion, which allows you to sign up to be a full member for only $9.95 a month. This makes it the most affordable online dating service.
· A pioneer of the Internet dating websites.
· Offers a free basic membership that allows you to post a profile and search for matches.
· Allows you to make and attach notes to profiles you like.
· Has a great advanced search with over 100 search options.
· Has great special interest groups (the military, big and beautiful & nudists).
· Takes 25 minutes to create your profile.
· Serves countries worldwide.

Friendfinder.com
· One of the newer, more alternative dating websites.
· Offers a great friend meeting connection system.
· Not just a regular dating website, this one allows you to network with your friends.
· You can also use this network to let your friends look at potential dates to check them out for you.
· This site gives you a great and honest view of its members.
· Claims to have over 10 million members.
· Offers free community chat rooms to talk to potential dates.
· Offers a great Who’s Online feature so you can make matches quicker.
· Takes 25 minutes to create your profile.
· Offers worldwide connections.

Lavalife.com
· Claims to have over 8 million members.
· Offers links to International sites.
· This is a newer site that offers flexibility to find matches on your own terms by offering ways to find matches in 3 different communities: Dating, Relationships and Intimate Encounters.
· Offers custom search tools to help you find the kind of person you have in mind (for example: whether they live near you or into the same things as you are).
· Offers email or instant messaging as well as instant messaging with a video.
· Site allows you to send your matches free Lavalife ‘smiles’.
· No subscriptions at this site, works with credits that let you pay as you go so that you can start connecting with whoever you like, whenever you want.
· Unlike other sites, it is always free to reply to an email or an instant message.
· This site is very good about offering privacy and anonymity.
· Offers ability to create and update profile whenever you want.
· Offers members a slide show to see if someone catches your eye.
· Site allows you to create a ‘hot list’ of people you’d like to get to know.
· Takes 25 minutes to create a profile.

AmericanSingles.com
·A very simple, yet effective dating site mainly for those who reside in the United States of America.
· 1000’s of profiles available.
· One of the original online dating sites with a base of over 5 million profiles.
· Offers a great ratio of men to women (a 60/40 split).
· Very simple and easy to use. Has very useful search and instant messaging capabilities.
· Offers a free basic membership.
· Offers a toll free phone number with customer care consultants to assist you with your matches.
· Site allows you to make free local searches based upon your area code.
· Site offers some very unique profile questions.
· It is a good over all dating site.
· Takes 25 minutes to create a profile.

Have you Had any luck with Online Dating Websites? Share your Experience with us in the Comment Box Below.