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Dating Tips
New to the online dating scene? Well, believe it or not, online dating can be just as competitive, if not more so, than traditional dating. Don’t let that discourage you, however. Many people have found a date, and often marriage, through online dating services. There are tips and strategies that can help you get your profile noticed over your competition. Here are three strategic steps you can take that can give your profile the look and feel it needs to attract the kind of people you would love to meet.
Tip 1: Pick the Perfect Profile Photo Your photo is one of the most important factors that will attract people to your profile. First and foremost, make sure you have a recent picture. Sure that picture of you in the bikini while on college spring break back in 1995 may be cute, but when your date meets you expecting you to look like you did in college, your date will be disappointed. This can create mistrust and cause your date to feel upset and deceived. This is never a good thing when trying to start a relationship.
Also, pick a photo that will show off your best features. Make sure you are wearing a friendly smile, it will be much more inviting than a serious pose or, obviously, a frown. Always avoid photos where you are with another person, or, worse yet, you have chopped the other person out of the photo, only to leave behind a mysterious arm. Your date may be confused by which person is actually you or wonder who the “mysterious arm” belongs to.
Tip 2: Use Your Username to Reveal Your Interests You may think your username is just your way to log in to your online dating service, but this isn’t the case. Your username is one of the first things that someone will read about you and a good username can mean the difference between a profile view and a profile pass up. A common technique is to go with the traditional anonymous username like “Jenny321” but why miss out on a key opportunity to catch someone’s attention or reveal a bit about yourself?
Make your username original and make it say a little something about your personality. Pick “SweetSinger” as your username if your hobby is singing or “DodgersDude” if your an avid Dodgers fan looking for company. Your clever username will not only share a little bit about your personality or interests, but can also attract people with the same interests. But be careful not to give the wrong impression. Just because you interpret the username “FunLovin” to mean you love to have fun, the person viewing your profile may think “FunLovin” means you are looking for some fun lovin’, if you know what I mean.
Tip 3: Don’t Say It, Prove It! And Be Specific When developing your profile description, you may be tempted to write something like “I’m funny and smart with a good sense of humor.” This is simply a boring list of adjectives… the same adjectives that are showing up on thousands of other profiles. If you want your profile to really stand out, you need to describe yourself through specifics.
Instead of saying you are "funny" or have a "good sense of humor", make your profile funny. Crack a couple of tasteful jokes or relate a funny incident. This will prove to your viewer what sort of sense of humor you have. If your sense of humor is attractive to that viewer, they will contact you. Rather than just stating that you are “smart”, list your favorite books or your interests that would prove to your viewer how smart you are. This will also give your viewer some specific examples that he or she will be able to relate to directly.
Remember, just because you have a profile up, doesn’t necessarily mean you will immediately get responses. These three tips will certainly help, but play around with the contents of your profile until you start getting the results you want. If no one is responding to your list of interests, put up some new ones. Switch your photos every once in a while to see what sort of response you receive. As you experiment with your online dating profile, you will hopefully begin to find the responses you have been looking for.
-- Kim Lance is the Associate Publisher of Online Dating Magazine http://www.onlinedatingmagazine.com, an Internet publication covering online dating through news, reviews, experiences, interviews, and articles.
Whether your going on a first date, celebrating your 10-year anniversary, or proposing marriage, roses can be the perfect gift to complement any romantic occasion. Giving the gift of roses provides a certain impression of elegance and class that can really impress your partner. Couples have been expressing their love to one another with roses for centuries. However, because it is such a common gift, you may want to put a bit more thought into how you can make your gift of roses unique. Don’t run the risk of looking cliché in the eyes of your date; add some creative thought to your gift. There are a few ways to give the elegance of roses and yet still make the gift creative:
1. Roses With a Message One unique way to give roses as a gift is by putting a message directly on the petals of your roses. SpeakingRoses.com allows you to inscribe a brief message on your rose to add a little creativity to this classic gift. For a first date you can have a flirty “Hey Cutie” written on the petals or, for a romantic time such as an anniversary, you can have “I love you” written. You can even put “Will you marry me?” on a rose as a unique proposal method.
2. Gold Trimmed Single Rose Several florists (and even some jewelers) will sell roses that are trimmed in gold. While this will cost you a bit more than a dozen regular roses, a single gold trimmed rose can add a level of deep romance to your gift, not to mention creativity. An added benefit to a gold trimmed rose is that is lasts much longer than a regular rose. Roses are typically enameled and trimmed in gold to give them the look of fresh cut roses with the special sparkle of gold.
3. The Chocolate Rose Many women (and some men too) love flowers almost as much as they love chocolate. Why not give two gifts in one with the chocolate rose! Gourmet chocolate and candy shops often sell chocolates that have been formed into unique shapes for special occasion gifts. One of those shapes is usually in the form of a single rose. You can buy one chocolate rose or buy a dozen and arrange them as if they were a bouquet of real roses. If your date loves chocolate she (or he) will undoubtedly be pleasantly surprised.
4. One Rose Stands Out From The Crowd If you are planning to give the traditional gift of a dozen roses, but want to add that extra creative flair, go to your florist and buy a 11 red roses, and 1 uniquely colored rose. Roses can come in a variety of colors so make sure the single rose is enough of a contrast to stand out from the 11 red roses, but that the color does not clash with the other roses. When you deliver your bouquet tell your special someone that their amazing beauty makes them stand out from the rest of the crowd and that the single beautiful rose that is set apart from the group of red roses symbolizes that special beauty in your partner.
These are four distinctive ways to make your gift of roses have a stronger impression on your significant other. While roses are a wonderful gift to celebrate your loved one or a special occasion in your relationship, adding some creativity by using one of these ideas may help you better show what a unique impact your partner has had on your life and further emphasize how much you care for them. It will also create a vivid happy memory for your loved one to treasure for years to come.
-- Kim Lance is the Associate Publisher of Online Dating Magazine www.onlinedatingmagazine.com, an Internet publication covering online dating through news, reviews, experiences, interviews, and articles. She is also a regular contributor to DateGifts.com.
First dates can be scary for both men and women, particularly when it comes to making that good first impression. While your first date will most likely go off without a hitch, there are some things every man should avoid when taking a woman out for a first date.
Don’t Ever Show Up Late
Being punctual for a first date is an absolute must. Showing up to your date late will give your date the wrong impression. She may get the impression that you are always tardy, that you don’t care enough about her to show up on time, or, until you arrive, she may think she has been stood up. In any case, it is bound to put her in a bad mood and may give a sour note to the beginning of your date. If you have to show up late because of forces beyond your control, make sure you call your date to let her know or, if one of you does not have a cell phone, call the restaurant or meeting place so that they can let her know.
Don’t Show Up Disheveled and Dirty
It is important to give yourself enough time before the date to freshen up and look your best. If you show up to a first date looking shaggy, unkept, and smelling funky, your date will get the wrong impression about you. Your date may think you look this way all the time and immediately be turned off. Give yourself plenty of time to shower, shave, and iron your clothes. That extra half an hour could be the time you needed to give yourself the attractive edge your date has been looking for, and remember, not having the time to get cleaned up for a date could be detrimental to its outcome. A well groomed nicely dressed man will win out over a stinky slob every time.
Don’t Check Out Other Women In Front of Her
When you go on a date with a woman, you have committed yourself to her for the period of the date. Because of this, it is absolutely out of line to be checking out other women while you are on a date. This is rude and unacceptable. Constantly being distracted by other woman walking by will most likely make your date insecure and definitely doesn’t give her the impression that you are interested in her. If you are constantly looking over her shoulder at the hot blonde at the next table, one of two things are practically guaranteed to happen: 1) Your date will feel very bad about herself, thinking she is unattractive or unwanted, or 2) Your date will get extremely angry and annoyed with you, making for a bad drive home and a diminished chance of a second date.
Don’t Dominate the Conversation
When on a first date, you may feel the need to impress your girl with stories and interesting tidbits about you. That’s great, but don’t go overboard. Remember a conversation is between two people, not one person talking at another. It’s a great idea to share some intriguing stories and thoughts with your date, but make sure you are giving her enough time to equally participate in the conversation. Ask her questions about herself, this will show her that you are interested about her as a person and will give you the opportunity to learn more about her.
Don’t Whine and Complain
Yes, we have all had our bad days, but a date (especially a first date) is not the place to air all of your grievances. Chances are, your date is expecting to have a good, fun time when she meets up with you. If she is greeted with a “Gosh traffic was such a pain…I hate this town” she will immediately be turned off. Complaining sets the tone for a stressful, unhappy date. Even if you have had a taxing day, don’t spend the night whining about it. Just be happy to be spending time with the woman you are interested in. Smiles are contagious but so are frowns. Whether you know it or not, your bad mood could affect your date and how she feels about you. You want your date to remember you as funny and upbeat, not a downer.
Don’t Be Too Physically Aggressive
It is very important to read into signals your date gives you before going in for a kiss (or more). Don’t automatically think that just because you have had a good date that your date is ready take your physical relationship to the next level. If you are interested in kissing your date, start off with hand holding, a hug, and slowly build up to a kiss. Always respect your date’s wishes. If she says no to any physical advancement, take her response at face value and back off. A man who is too aggressive when it comes to intimacy can turn a woman off and could actually make the woman afraid or anxious. Don’t Tell Her You’ll Call Her If You Don't Intend To Telling a woman “I’ll call you” when you don’t intend to do so is a bad idea. If the woman was interested in a second date with you, her disappointment will only be magnified if she waits around for your call only to learn that you never had any intention of calling for a second date. If you don’t want to call her, just end the date by saying “It was nice meeting you” or a simple “Good bye, have a nice rest of the evening”. This way you are not leading her on or getting her expectations up. On a reverse note, if you do want to arrange a second date, make sure you let her know. Planning for first dates can be nerve-wracking, but following some simple guidelines while on the date will help to ensure the best date possible. If you are friendly, on time, respectful, and attentive, chances are you and your date will have a great time and, if the attraction is mutual, your first date could be the start of a beautiful relationship.
-- Kim Lance is the Associate Publisher of Online Dating Magazine www.onlinedatingmagazine.com, an Internet publication covering online dating through news, reviews, experiences, interviews, and articles.