The New Year, 2021, is here and although nothing inherently changes at midnight of 1st January apart from the numbers on clocks and calendars, there are always shifts in trends and people’s attitudes. One area that is bound to change as it always has been, is online dating.
When it comes to online dating, the reality is it can be a complete mess these days, particularly in densely populated cities where there’s massive amounts of people viewing your online dating profile. It’s inevitable you’ll receive many unwanted offensive, creepy and just plain weird messages. Naturally, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and simply give up your ambitions for finding love online.
There will basically be more people and more platforms. That is great but it will come with a few potential problems.
Here are some tips to not get caught up in the ever-flowing landscape of internet dating.
Giving up too soon
Come to terms with the fact that you won’t get instant results, and if you do, you’re in a small minority so consider yourself very lucky! Once you’ve chosen which dating site you’ll use to find your match, make sure you know how to use the sites features correctly so you get the most out of it. Give it some time for the site to work for you, and to build up some interest with the other members.
If you’re impatient and delete your dating profile through frustration, you never know who might signup the very next day after you’ve moved on. This rule applies to when you’re dating new people too. If you’ve gone on 10 dates and decide to give up, how do you know if date number 11 is the jack pot you’ve been waiting for?
Sending terrible messages
Trying to think of original messages with your first opening message can be a time consuming task. We tend to over think this step instead of just being natural and sincere when initiating the first point of contact. Avoid trying to cut corners by sending the same non personal message to dozens of people. This strategy will not work, it’s obvious you’ve gone to very little effort to reach out to that person.
Think quality over quantity – it works. Spend some time crafting personalised messages to just 2 or 3 people each day and keep this strategy going until people start responding. With each message you send, make sure you’ve read their profile and let them know what you liked about them and why you think they could be a great match for you.
Don’t fall into the trap of serial dating
The number of people that rely on the internet for education, shopping and entertainment is growing constantly. You can also bet there will be more people on online dating sites this year since, according to statistics, the number of people turning to the web to connect with others has been growing.
This means more people to choose from but with more choice comes confusion. It becomes hard to just pick one and move on and most people end up being serial daters.
Most don’t set out to be, but if there is another person ready to try it out with you, any tiny flaw in a potential mate might seem reason enough to drop them. But we all know there is no-one perfect and so you keep on hopping from one person to the next.
Focus Your efforts on one good platform
The new year will definitely come with more dating platforms. The sea of options, while liberating, comes with confusion as to which one is the right one. Most end up joining multiple sites to get the best from all but end up not getting anything from any. It becomes tedious to do multiple good profiles, good pics, and everything that comes with having a successful dating account.
Getting connected to people is another issue. Unless you intend to spam your prospects with one robotic message, crafting customized messages to get conversations going is not easy. Trolling the online dating sea is less fruitful than focusing on one platform and milking it for all its worth.
Don’t let the dating game slow down the other departments of your life.
Earlier, you had to get to your computer, log into your dating site, and see if there were any messages. Today, things are a lot faster. You can get in touch right on the move as smartphones have become more commonplace with apps that allow instant communication.
But with all these notifications going 24/7 coupled with you browsing through the huge pool of females and males you would like to be with; and responding to and sending messages, your work or school might easily suffer. As online dating becomes faster and bigger, make sure to compartmentalise your dating, work, and family time.
No need to be embarrassed
No need to hide your online dating in 2017. 15 years ago, yes. 5 years ago, maybe. Today, no, there is absolutely no need to feel embarrassed. People are now busier than ever as life has become faster and faster. No one has the time to go out and meet people the traditional way.
Things have changed from years ago. The web is not just for people with no social skills. Statistics show there are more and more marriages resulting from online dating.
A decent photo
It is easy to get a photo. That is good. It is also easier to edit it. That is good as well until you over do it. Earlier, it used to take some skill to manipulate an image. Today, even a rock can do it. There are countless apps that let you edit photos with just a few taps of the screen. And therein lies the trap. Enhancing your photo to the point where no-one can recognize you won’t serve you. It will be misleading and will result in wasted time.
Mind your safety
There are many safety risks that have crept into the online dating word even as it has advanced the past few years. Getting around these is not difficult. First, never give sensitive information such as bank details. In the beginning, keep things slow. No need to share your address the first time you talk and when it comes time to meet, choose a public place and make sure people know you are out and where.
