Online Dating: Dos & Don'ts
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The world of online dating is a treacherous one. Once you have chosen a site and presented yourself to the outside world, it's hard not to make the same mistakes everybody does. And there are a lot of those.
But there are also a lot of things that can be done right.
In my opinion the golden rule is honesty. We all prefer pictures of ourselves when we had 20 pounds less and more hair, but if you are going to sell a used car, you don't post a picture of one that has rolled straight off the assembly line. Unless you are using your profile picture to set up your younger brother with a suitable partner, a more recent one is less likely to cause any confusion when it comes to the meet.
While the number of women using online dating is huge, it is necessary to be selective. The easiest and most reliable rule is to avoid any women who feature in pictures with their cats, in bikinis or in prom dresses. If all of her pictures have been taken by a professional photographer, she is a borderline case, and only recommended to those who like their women high maintenance.
Receiving e-mails from women east of the Polish border might appeal to some, but my suspicion is that if it starts with 'Hi there' and includes general statements about the desirability of English men, you are not as special as you think you might be. Plus sourcing your targets from within the M25 makes it so much easier to meet them in the flesh.
Avoid nymphomaniacs. A friend ended up with one and it did very much set him straight on a fantasy he nurtured since he was a young boy. As a rule - if it's a compulsion, it's usually not that much fun.
Keep your Ferrari out of the picture. I have been present when two women skimmed through men's online profile and it was amazing how quickly they turned down men for reasons so shallow it would put masculine shallowness to shame. Pictured with your car - sorry. Shirt unbuttoned or bare chest - no way. Even holding a drink in a picture may cost you the chance of getting to the second round.
Don't try too hard. I sent out a number of e-mails trying to make an elaborate point as to why I thought there would be a match, only to be ignored by most. Since you might very possibly not get a response, fewer lines might be the better investment.
And finally: be lucky. I only met up with one woman, and I ended up marrying her. Who knows whether it was due to my stringent selection principles or simply the luck of the draw. She didn't have a cat in her pictures, and I didn't pose with a borrowed sports car in mine. She contacted me with a two-line e-mail mentioning that I was cute.
Which now that I think about it was probably the key.
In my opinion the golden rule is honesty. We all prefer pictures of ourselves when we had 20 pounds less and more hair, but if you are going to sell a used car, you don't post a picture of one that has rolled straight off the assembly line. Unless you are using your profile picture to set up your younger brother with a suitable partner, a more recent one is less likely to cause any confusion when it comes to the meet.
While the number of women using online dating is huge, it is necessary to be selective. The easiest and most reliable rule is to avoid any women who feature in pictures with their cats, in bikinis or in prom dresses. If all of her pictures have been taken by a professional photographer, she is a borderline case, and only recommended to those who like their women high maintenance.
Receiving e-mails from women east of the Polish border might appeal to some, but my suspicion is that if it starts with 'Hi there' and includes general statements about the desirability of English men, you are not as special as you think you might be. Plus sourcing your targets from within the M25 makes it so much easier to meet them in the flesh.
Avoid nymphomaniacs. A friend ended up with one and it did very much set him straight on a fantasy he nurtured since he was a young boy. As a rule - if it's a compulsion, it's usually not that much fun.
Keep your Ferrari out of the picture. I have been present when two women skimmed through men's online profile and it was amazing how quickly they turned down men for reasons so shallow it would put masculine shallowness to shame. Pictured with your car - sorry. Shirt unbuttoned or bare chest - no way. Even holding a drink in a picture may cost you the chance of getting to the second round.
Don't try too hard. I sent out a number of e-mails trying to make an elaborate point as to why I thought there would be a match, only to be ignored by most. Since you might very possibly not get a response, fewer lines might be the better investment.
And finally: be lucky. I only met up with one woman, and I ended up marrying her. Who knows whether it was due to my stringent selection principles or simply the luck of the draw. She didn't have a cat in her pictures, and I didn't pose with a borrowed sports car in mine. She contacted me with a two-line e-mail mentioning that I was cute.
Which now that I think about it was probably the key.
Here Is The Writer : Billy No Box
Billy No Box has worked in the city for six years, and currently works in Derivatives for a North American bank. He enjoys playing golf, reading books by Umberto Eco, singing "Copacabana" in the shower and at karaoke bars, and occasionally updating his blog about London and everything else.
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