Before you click “send” on your Match.com profile, check out these tips to increase your chance of having some fun dates and decrease the possibility of a date with already-married Malcolm.
Getting Started
- Forget the stigma. Dating websites are a mainstream way to meet people.
- Investigate the websites – know the costs, how matches are made, and who can see your profile.
Your Profile
- Use recent, tasteful pictures – no friends, dogs, or kids.
- Be upfront about the type of relationship you want, but don’t be too needy about having kids.
- Be positive and show your sense of humor.
- No complaining, moping or ex bashing.
- Share interests, hobbies, and a quirk or two – they’re good conversation starters.
- Ask a friend to look over your profile. Does it reflect you at your best? Are there any misspellings or typos?
Online Courtship
- Plan to spend lots of time online finding and responding to potential matches.
- Be open-minded.
- Don’t stick to a rigid set of criteria or a particular type.
- There might be someone better out there than you’ve imagined.
- Log on regularly and keep your profile fresh; staying active can make you more visible on the site.
- When talking online, keep it light, clean, classy and truthful.
- Make sure you feel comfortable before you share your email address or phone number.
- Believe who the other person says he is, but expect him to be a little heavier, older, and shorter in person.
- If someone loses interest online, move on and don’t take it personally. Have fun!
Meeting for the First Time
- Have a first date outfit selected and ready to go.
- At minimum, do a Google search to investigate your date (hello, wedding announcement!)
- Choose to meet at a public place for a limited amount of time so you can make a polite exit if there’s no chemistry.
- The guy should pick up the tab. It’s old fashioned, but everyone feels better about it.
- Treat your date with kindness and respect. Even if there’s no attraction, you might make a friend.
- Don’t let a couple bad dates discourage you. You’ve got to kiss a few toads.
- Once you’ve connected, most of the regular interracial dating rules of dating apply – except when it’s time to get serious.
- The new going steady is now agreeing to take your dating profiles down.
