You are finally ready to move on in your love life, but there’s just one problem: putting yourself back “out there” today means dating online. Though it’s likely new territory for you, it doesn’t have to be intimidating. Just put one digital foot in front of the other and you’ll soon be on your way to some fulfilling offline relationships. But first, let’s put your virtual nerves at ease with some tips from Laurie Davis, founder of eFlirt Expert, otherwise known as our dating guru in the expert forums.
Start by reasoning with yourself. Online dating doesn’t sound glamorous, but it should be! This is your opportunity to be proactive and find your perfect match. No more settling for what happens to be available to you, go ahead and search high and low for your next fling, whirlwind romance or husband-to-be. Over half of American singles are dating online, so if you don’t have a presence on the World Wide Web, you might miss out on a potential connection. Now, we wouldn’t want that, would we?
Safety first. Unlike 10 years ago when I first started online dating, the cyber streets are a relativity safe place these days. It’s all in making sure you’re protected, though, and there are multiple measures you can take to ensure your privacy stays intact. First, get yourself a new Gmail account. Register on the dating site of your choice with this new email and use it to communicate with matches off the site if necessary. Also, when setting up your account, make sure that your username on the dating site doesn’t include your real name, initials or any other terms that might identify you. You’ll be able to operate under the Google radar this way.
Yes, you need to post your photo. Profiles without photos simply don’t get much traffic. In order to make sure your first online dating experience is a positive one, post a few recent pictures that are clear. If you’re not sure which to post, just make sure you’re not committing any of these profile photo faux pas and you’ll be good to go. Ultimately, posting photos mean that you’ll make more authentic connections with potential matches. If you’re hesitant to post because you don’t want someone you know to stumble across your profile, remember that if they find you, that means they are looking too! It’s an equally embarrassing moment for them.
Stick to a biggie. For your first foray into online dating, you’ll want to stick to one of the big sites that you hear about like Match or eHarmony. Niche sites are fantastic, but dip your toe into a larger pond first and get comfortable with the process before you go after a more specific demographic. Capiche?
Keep your profile positive. Your profile is a first impression to a match, so you want to keep things light and fun. After a divorce, you definitely know what you don’t want in a partner, but be sure not to create a list of ultimatums. Negativity attracts negativity. Rather, turn it around. What do you want? Focusing on yourself and the positive attributes you’d like in a match will keep the good vibes coming.
While online dating might be intimidating at first, it should be FUN. If you ever get caught up and have a question about anything, head over to the “Finding Your Flirt” forum and get tips from your fellow divorcee daters as well as expert advice from yours truly. So what are you waiting for? Start eFlirting! I can’t wait to hear all of your stories.
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