Frustrated with all the ghosting, meaningless conversations, and more, which leaves you wondering why you swiped right? Navigating through the dense and mysterious terrains of online dating can be a little complex, and you may find yourself getting lost in midst of all that nuances at times. You need to be super prepared and armed before you step into online dating. Here are 5 important rules to follow.
1. Be Upfront About Your Intentions
If all you are looking for is a hookup, there are plenty of people who will gladly do so – however, don’t try to coax someone who is seeking a relationship into casual sex. It is not going to be a good experience for either of you.
On the flip side, if you are looking for a relationship, make it very clear in order to weed out those who are looking only for sex. This is not ‘uncool’ – it makes your desires very clear.
Lastly, if you are looking for a threesome, don’t pretend to be one person, geared towards queer people, and then hide photos of your partner in there. This is incredibly dishonest and makes one feel like they are being tricked into getting in bed. People who feel led on, don’t trust you. Period.
P.S If you are unwilling to put a photo of yourself online, you are not ready to online date.
2. Make A Plan To Meet Within The First Few Days
If you are messaging on an app, make a plan within the first few messages, because a lot of people give up on online dating because they feel like it is a time suck. You might spend days talking to someone you are interested in and then when you meet them, you run out of things to talk about.
It helps to meet early to gauge whether the chemistry is real or if the two of you are just good at small talk. (Or to check if either of you is using an out of date photograph)
If you are someone who prefers to chat a lot before the meeting, you could plan a date and then talk in the interlude. You can always cancel if you discover something about them that you don’t like.
3. Don’t Come On Too Strong
Don’t talk about marriage and kids on the first day. Just, please don’t. It raises red flags immediately. Some people get incredibly uncomfortable with such conversations. Cracking a joke or two once you’ve gotten to know each other but before you’ve even met them? Not advisable.
4. Leave your baggage behind
Your profile should be positive and shouldn’t display bits and pieces of your ex-drama. Do not mention anything about your past experiences on your profile. This is an instant turn-off. It shows that you’re not ready to move from your past relationship and will drag the emotional baggage to the next one too.
5. Do not start a conversation with an emoji
This not only gives an impression that your vocabulary is that of a 4-year-old’s it also shows that you are downright lazy. Remember that the first impression you make needs to be strong, thus, you need to do a little better than digitally enhanced fruits or veggies. Start out the conversation with a sentence or two, including a question the other person can answer. The point is to stir up a conversation and not just mark your presence.
