Online Dating Help For Newbies:

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Writing Your Profile

If you've been having trouble getting a date and are tired of being alone, you may have finally decided to try the world of online dating. You probably never thought you were first date would be the result of online dating, but there are worst things in life. In fact, you could have the time of your life. Every day 100 people in the world get married as a result of relationships that started from online dating. You could soon become one of the lucky ones! Before you can become lucky; however, you need to join an online dating site and set up your profile. Setting up your profile is one of the first things you'll do upon joining the site. It's what others will see so make it count. Here are some helpful suggestions on making the best possible profile.

Make your profile unique. Don't copy someone else's and just put your screen name on it. Make it tell the viewer something specific about you. For instance, if you enjoy reading horror books, you might say that you enjoy Steven King novels or are a fan of Dean Koontz. If you have a pet, you might want to say something about your pet. They say cute dogs are great date magnets! Give your viewer enough interesting stuff to read so they stay on your profile page long enough to read it.

Be honest in your profile. Unless you're planning to have nothing more than a cyber friendship, you may meet up with each other in the future. You don't want to have to explain why you lied. When describing yourself, be as accurate as possible. If you are using a photo, this is a must, make sure it's a current photo. Anything less is being dishonest.

Be specific about what you want. Don't just say you're looking for a commitment or looking for a decent person to date. If you want someone that likes animals, say so. If you are interested in someone to do things with outdoors, say that as well.

Do not overbuild yourself or put yourself down in any way. Explain who and what you are and be proud of it. Somewhere out there is someone just like you.

Be yourself. I realize that the internet allows us to speak more freely and often lowers our inhibitions, but use the same kind of voice on your profile as you would use if you were meeting in person. Fewer things are more important in online dating than honesty, especially on your first date.

Common Do's and Don'ts For Online Dating

Online dating has become very popular in recent years. Studies show that a large percentage of couples have met either through online dating services or through other places on the internet. Of this large percent, many of these relationships led to marriage and long term commitments.

For people that are inexperienced or newbies at dating, online dating is the perfect solution. Shyness and insecurity often keep two perfectly matched people from getting together. The internet offers them the opportunity to communicate freely and get to know each other before actually meeting face to face.

However, in spite of how great internet dating appears to be, one needs to be cautious and realize that precautions need to taken. Many disasters and crimes have been committed because of online dating, or rather because of failure to be careful.

While there's always the chance that tragedy may have not been avoided even if it wasn't online dating, exercising caution and good judgment may make all the difference. As I stated before, people can meet other people in a variety of online sites including dating sites, chat rooms, online games, forums and more. Here are some simple do's and don'ts for dating online.

If you're seriously trying to meet someone online, make your approach unique. Do not copy and paste the same letters to everyone you talk with. Many sites have similar members that get to know each other and could discover what you're doing. Personalize your letters and communication and limit yourself to only those that you truly want to meet. Regardless of where you're meeting someone, be realistic about your expectations. Not everyone is going to realize how wonderful you really are. Not everyone is going to be as wonderful as they may have made themselves appear.

If you're on an online dating site, do be sure to follow their rules and guidelines. The rules they enforce are there for everyone and are for safety. When you join the site, read the rules so you'll know what is acceptable and what is not. Do not use your regular email account. Set up a separate temporary email account for your dating sites. If something doesn't work out, you may not want that individual to have your regular email.

Do not give out too much personal information until you really know the person well. If they seem to be prying too much, you may want to avoid them. Profiles are great as they allow people to see if you're someone they might want to get to know. However, be very limited with what you put on your profile. If anyone you meet online ever asks for money for any reason, do not give it to him or her. Report them to the site owners. Most of all just have fun meeting new people.