Ten Reasons to Try Online Dating (The Singles Edition)
I have this one really good friend who loves being single. I mean, he loves it. He doesn't want a girlfriend, he
doesn't want to get married any time soon, and he doesn't want a commitment.
But the difference between him and most of his friends is that he's not out there looking for a booty call. He likes
dating-romantic dinners, walks on the beach, he even took a girl hang-gliding for her birthday. He loves dating, he's
just not looking for anything long term, and with good reason. His job moves him around once every year or so and
until his feet are firmly planted, he's not looking to settle down.
Some people use the Web to hook up-still more use it to find that special someone. But somewhere in between, there
are those who use it with the hopes of casually meeting some fun people to hang out with, and yet no one ever seems
to direct dating advice columns toward them.
So we're going to change all of that. In honor of my friend and the many others like him, a column just for you-fifteen
reasons to try dating online or, perhaps more accurately, fifteen things you should try while searching the Web. For those
of you who can't quite tell who lies in between sex and marriage, here are ten ways you can figure it out and have fun in
the meantime.
Pay special attention to people who use the word friendship. If they're looking for friends, that frequently means
they're open to a bit more-I mean, why else would they be on a dating site? That said, folks looking for just sex
typically don't want friends and folks looking for love tend to spell it out.
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Avoid anyone with only adult photos. I mean, if you were looking for casual fun, would you show everyone your goods
right off the bat? Probably not.
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Focus on people with shared interests. Most Web sites give you ample opportunity to say what you like to do for fun,
and if the lists match up, you're going to have many more things you might like to do together.
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Focus on people with shared interests. Most Web sites give you ample opportunity to say what you like to do for fun,
and if the lists match up, you're going to have many more things you might like to do together.
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Be upfront with people. If someone seems to be looking for a lot more than you're willing to offer, laying your cards
on the table will save you both a lot of stress down the line.
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Focus on Web sites that keep their intentions a bit more vague. MegaMates.com is pretty straight up the fact that
they're looking to pair people for life. That said, if a booty call isn't on your to do list, steer clear of sex sites.
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Keep your conversations on track. You say you don't want a relationship? Don't veer onto the path of talking about
your perfect mate. You're not looking for fun between the sheets? Why spill what turns you on?
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The first time you agree to hang out, consider doing it in a group setting or, at the very least, somewhere not to
be mistaken as a romantic encounter. A candlelight dinner for two right off the bat might send the wrong message-that's
something you can work up to.
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If what you're really after is a good time, only pay attention to the profiles that really speak to you. This is the
one scenario where it really does boil down strictly to a shared interest in certain activities. If your personalities
don't line up, you're guaranteed to have a pretty bland time of it.
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This is the one time where people just getting out of relationships might actually be good for you to hang out with.
With rare exception (though those relationship bouncers do exist), no one who's just come out of something long term
is looking to jump right back on the horse. Fun will be the operative word here.
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Be yourself. More than ever before, you have no guard or act to put up. Be you-because if they can't have a good
time with you when there are no strings attached, they can't have fun with you period.
Just a little cheat sheet for those of you looking to get out and explore. So get to looking for the folks who really
pique your interest and proceed without shame-fun is the name of the game.
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