Internet Dating Sites
While it’s true that you can meet people everywhere, in this day and age you don’t even need to leave home to do so…
If you don’t like going to (sometimes cheesy) single’s events, bars, and similar – or if you just want to cast your dating net a little wider – you might want to consider using the Internet to meet people.
When Internet dating first popped up many years ago, some people assumed that only the desperate or the “creepy” people met others online. Now since everyone is connected and does practically everything online – from paying bills to shopping to ordering a pizza – it’s no longer considered an unusual thing to do. Indeed, these days people don’t even give it a second thought if you tell them you met someone online.
Internet dating essentially involves putting up your picture, completing a profile (e.g., writing an advertisement for yourself), and talking about what type of person you’d like to meet. Interested people respond through the dating site (via internal messaging), so that your email remains private until you are ready to give it to someone.
There are many, many dating sites around. Some of them are general sites, while others are geared towards your interests (e.g., “Christian Singles”). For best results you’ll want to put up profiles at a few different places, as different types of sites tend to attract different types of people.
Some of the most common sites include match.com, eHarmony.com, adultfriendfinder.com, chemistry.com, date.com, perfectmatch.com, and dating services through portals like Yahoo.com.
One of the benefits of meeting people through an Internet dating site is that you can spend quite a bit of time talking – first online, and perhaps eventually on the phone – before you go out on a date.
Indeed, this is something that you should do. There are some game players online who give false information about themselves and otherwise play games to relieve their own boredom. For example, they’ll write to you quite a bit at first, and suddenly they’ll just seemingly drop off the face of the planet. These types aren’t looking to meet some one so much as they are looking to entertain themselves. They’ll use you for entertainment until they meet someone new, and then they’re gone.
To avoid these types of people, take it slow. Don’t let anyone rush you or pressure you. If someone starts expecting you to do something – such as answer their emails in a certain timeframe – walk away. Don’t let anyone expect you to live by their rules, or you can expect some controlling behavior up the road.