Have Profile, Now What?

You have written a sparkling profile, included a terrific picture, and your online personal is up and running on the dating web site you chose.  Now what should you do?

Start searching

Do not wait for others to find you, get started now searching for others yourself.  It does not matter if you are a man or a woman, it is perfectly appropriate for you to make first contact with someone whose profile you find interesting.

Depending on the search function offered by the dating site you use, you will have several options for defining your search.  Many sites now offer you the chance to search using keywords such as ‘camping’, ‘family’, ‘reading’ or any other word that describes a personal characteristic, activity or preference.  Think of the things that are important to you and try searching for them using appropriate key words

Be specific

You are most likely to return good matches when your search is specific about the attributes and characteristics you are seeking.  For example, if you have children then one of the parameters you should include in your search is ‘children okay’; or, if you are a vegetarian or adhere to some other specific nutritional program, you can include that as well.

Stick to searching based on the characteristics that are most important to you.  If you include too many things as “must haves” in your search, you may miss out on some great potential matches.  When you stay with your core wants only, you are far more likely to turn up good prospects for online dating.

But not too specific

It is good to be specific, but you limit yourself unnecessarily when you are too specific in your search.  If your searches are not returning many potential matches then you may be searching too narrowly, so go back and revise your criteria to be a bit broader.  Try different combinations of criteria, too, because that may help you generate better search results.

Make the first move

When you find a potential match that looks interesting or that you think you might want to get to know a bit better, go ahead and make the first move.  The biggest mistake most online daters make is to sit back and wait for others to contact them, so do not let yourself fall into this trap.

One of the advantages of online dating is that you can make contact with people anonymously, avoiding the risk of face to face hesitation or rejection.  Use this to your benefit by taking the risk of making a first contact.  If it does not work out then you have lost nothing, but if you get a positive response then you have gained an opportunity to get better acquainted with someone you find interesting.

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