For those of you who are familiar with social networking sites, chatting, emailing, and introducing yourself using standard Internet tools may come as second nature to you, and perhaps you are confident enough in your skills to simply sign up for a dating site and start meeting people. But even for the seasoned online communicator, there are some basic dating strategies and tricks that make use of these tools in a way that will optimize your online dating experience. While each website will offer variations on the basic set of tools provided for finding your ideal match, most sites have developed their own unique tools for aligning yourself with your ideal match types. First we will review the most common types of communication tools provided at nearly all matching sites, and then give a brief rundown on the specific unique tools provided by the most popular online dating venues with a few tips and tricks woven in to give you a competitive edge over the crowd.
Basic Tools:
The three basic tools that define the online dating experience at almost ever matching website, are Searching, Initial Contact, and Email.
‘Searching’ refers to the act of submitting a list of desired features for your ideal match, and then browsing through profiles that meet your criteria.
‘Initial contact’ is usually a means of sending a somewhat generic indication that you are interested in a potential mate without investing a great deal of time into introducing yourself until you have some confirmation of mutual interest from the potential mate.
‘Email’ is exactly like sending a complete email where you go into greater depth of about yourself and why you have identified your potential mate as someone of interest. The format for making a full introduction is also the format used to continue conversation with your potential mate until you determine a level of mutual comfort that warrants taking your conversation to more personal means of communication such as personal email or phone calls, and eventually a real live date.
Now that you’ve mastered the basic tools required for online dating, you’re ready to choose a website and start meeting people.