Internet dating is quickly becoming a popular way for people to find potential mates for possible relationships or casual dating. Each site has a method for measuring compatibility to save users time weeding through people with nothing in common.
Some, like eHarmony, offer extensive profiling meant to narrow the matches down considerably so each person can find the ideal partner. The site boasts great success with people finding long-term relationships, even marriages, due to their compatibility screening.
In order to have success like this, there are ways to maneuver the websites and things you should avoid. First and foremost, you want to present yourself as accurately as possible.
Too often, people use pictures that depict themselves in too flattering a light or fudge their information to their favor. That leads to matches that aren’t genuine from the start.
The goal is to find someone authentic, and you want to allow other people that same opportunity. That’s why it is important that dating sites must be thorough with its registration and review processes for matching. Unless you’re dishonest, you get to know a lot about the other person before reaching out with a message.
How To Do Dating Sites The Right Way
This site intends to bring authenticity to online dating using extensive profiling, so users divulge as much about their true selves to potential matches as possible. Still, it’s up to those filling in the information to be truthful for the process to work, and not everyone is.
Many people misuse dating sites and wonder why they don’t work for them. Suppose you use a photo from years ago or aren’t honest about key pieces of information like whether you have a career, if you’re single, or even something like whether you’re a smoker. In that case, you might start conversations or possibly get to meet people but have little likelihood for a successful outcome.
When done right, you can meet interesting people who might not always match in the way of a romantic companion but can develop into some incredible friendships. Go here for guidance on writing the ideal dating profile. Some things you need to make sure to do when profiling on a website:
It’s All In The Details
When you join any dating sites today, you’ll find most have developed relatively stringent screening to keep out scammers and profiling to help users find compatible matches. It’s important that these sites are thorough with its questionnaire.
If you want the process to work for you as it has for others on the site, it’s essential to be specific with your details and honest. Consider your personal eccentricities, where you’re strong, and what others might see as faults or flaws. If you have a broad vocabulary, use it.
Express your being a vegan using a metaphor to show off your intelligence but also as a clever way to make the point. It’s good to show your personality, humor and have fun with it as long as you’re authentic.
Review Your Work
Ensure to review everything you’ve written for grammar errors and see if the bio makes sense. It’s a good idea to have someone you trust check it over as well. Not only can they see things you might miss, but they can let you know if the person in the profile genuinely sounds like you.
Putting time and attention into these details will attract people who appreciate intelligence and effort. Some people rush through the process to finish so that they can move on but use no precision. That can be part of the reason they don’t find success.
Honesty Will Only Benefit You
If you find someone you genuinely like and have not been completely honest from the beginning, it can create awkwardness. Ultimately, you’ll need to figure out how to tell the truth, especially if you lie about age, work status, or something equally important.
When you put a picture on the post, make sure it looks like who you are now and be honest with the other person (and yourself) if you have physical flaws like being a bit heavy. Find out here on what you should say in your bio.
The Photo
When you post a picture, it should be a photo of only you. It would be nice to do a headshot and a full body shot. You want to avoid using children, animals, friends, or ex mates in the photo. The picture should be a natural photo of you in an everyday situation, not something you had done for a special occasion.
Unless you want a one-night stand, it’s wise to do something not too sexy to avoid sending the wrong message. Everyone wants to see a recent photo, not you ten years ago.
Location
The location is an important factor. Just because you might not find someone within a reasonable distance right away doesn’t mean you should span out further.
Long-distance will likely not work well in the longer term with little time to see each other. Even if you create a suitable dating arrangement and potentially develop a relationship, you need to discern if either of you is willing to change your living situation if it comes to that point.
For those investing their time and effort into a dating site, the intention is to find a suitable partner. That would mean searching in your same zip code, however long it takes until the right person comes along. It allows you to spend sufficient time getting to know the other person instead of being limited by distance.
Meeting Sooner Than Later
Some people tend to get comfortable communicating online with hesitancy to meet in person. It’s okay to be cautious, but you don’t want to get to know someone blindly, revealing private personal information to a virtual stranger.
The idea is to keep the messaging to a minimum. Move on to the phone so that you can get a feeling from having a genuine discussion, but make sure to set up a meeting with your conversation.
When you meet someone, go in separate cars, and choose a public place where you’re both familiar for safety purposes. That way, both of you will feel comfortable, and you can keep your home address private.
The conversation should be about getting to know basic information without divulging intimate details too soon with the first meeting.
Final Thought
Today, dating sites are ideal for people to meet those with whom they’re most compatible. Platforms like eHarmony use extensive screening methods to help users create the most detailed profiles. With precise information, people can make much more informed match selections, resulting in more remarkable successes. That’s why you can look forward to longer-term relationships and more marriages.
The only problem with profiling is when people use the opportunity to build themselves up to be something they’re not. It’s a waste of time for everyone involved. For those who genuinely want a positive outcome, it’s essential to be authentic. If not, there’s only going to be an awkward “reveal” at some point that could result in an end to what could have been a possible success.
Using an appropriate, natural, and current photo alongside accurate details about who you are will give you a better chance of meeting the perfect mate. Including strengths, unusual qualities, and any weaknesses or flaws allows the other person to decide if these are things that appeal to them and if they want to pursue them a little bit further.
When messages are exchanged, these should be short-term and lead to a phone call where each person can sense the other’s personality. With that conversation, arranging a public meeting in a familiar place will give the two of you an idea if you want to move forward. Dating sites don’t have to lead to romantic connections. With a lot of commonalities, you can develop some incredible friendships.
