singlemates.net
When you join a dating site it is usually to find a romantic date, so how do you go about choosing your online dating identity? First of all, you will have filled in the numerous questions used to find your perfect match. Of course most matches are not truly perfect and you will have to use your own common sense in choosing those that seem to be the best fit with what you desire in a date. If the person loves football and you hate it, there’s not much point getting together unless you know you can live with that.
First you will receive an email from them to show you that they are interested. Of course, your real email address will be hidden, so don’t just hit the ‘reply’ button or you will risk revealing it. You need to log in to the dating website and then go to your prospective date’s profile. Read everything they have written about themselves and see if it is a fit with what you would like in a date.
You might be able to tell what sort of person they are from the wording of their first email to you. If they have written something like, Hey Babe, let’s hit the beaches tomorrow, When you specifically asked to be addressed by the name you’ve chosen for your profile, then you can be reasonably sure that this is not the person you are looking for. It may seem like a little thing at first glance, but if someone can’t respect your wishes in a small thing, will they be likely to respect them in a more important issue?
Other things to watch out for in their emails are things like do they seem to avoid answering your questions, do they seem to anger easily, and are they controlling? Watch for respect. If a person sounds respectful it is a good sign. Some people tend to forget that a real person with real feelings is on the other end of their email.
Once you decide not to use the anonymous email address provided by the dating service, choose a free email account (eg hotmail) and never reveal your full name. The same applies to telephone calls. Use a cell phone or an anonymous telephone service for phone calls until you get to know the person better.
Once you decide to meet in person, take note of whether they look like their photo. If they have told you that their photo is a recent one, but you can see it’s not, then you know they have lied to you. Once again, if they can tell a white lie, then they can tell a whopper, so be careful. Once you put a few safeguards into place, go ahead and have some fun. You’ll enjoy it all the more knowing you are safe.
When you have made the big step of joining an online dating service, you will be looking for prospective dates to make contact with you. They will be able to send you an invitation to contact them, but be sure to do this only if you feel they are truly what you are looking for in a date. You will be able to read their profile online and see what sort of a person they are and if their interests are compatible with your own.
If you become convinced that this person is not what you are after in a date, then you will be able to decline the invitation. Look carefully at your screen and you’ll see an icon that will give you the option to block the person from contacting you. Use this option if you wish to have no contact whatsoever. However, many websites prefer you to send the person a polite email to decline the invitation and give your reason why. They feel that this will enhance the friendly feel that they want the site to have and make everyone’s experience of it a happy one.
If they seem a nice person, but you just don’t want them to contact you – you might have others in view – be firm, but polite and let them know that it is nothing personal. You don’t want them to feel depressed about themselves for weeks because you rejected them. Let them know it has nothing to do with their looks or any thing else, but is just a personal decision on your part. Assure them that they will be sure to meet many other people who will be eager to date them. Being kind like this will make you feel good about yourself and help the recipient of your email to feel the same. Good manners and kindness don’t cost anything.
You will also be able to block any initial contact such as anyone sending you what is called a Virtual Kiss or some other kind of flirtation. Go to your profile details and uncheck the box next to that the icon to disable it if you wish to. Doing this right at the start of your online experience may save you from having to explain why you don’t want to make contact with them. Remember, if you stay in control of your online dating experience you will be happier and safer. It is important to trust your instincts and use common sense with online dating, just as you would with offline dating.