This is a "Singles Only" post:
Valentines's Day is a time of year when the sting of being single is most sharply felt.
I don't know if there are any stats on this to back me up...but I would imagine that the days leading up to VD are when Online Dating sites see the most activity.
Though Online Dating has come a long way...you still have to be vigilant about Safety...no matter how reputable the site.
Though Online Dating has come a long way...it's not a magic pill. You still have to be persistent and patient and highly selective.
I would definitely suggest going the Free Website route first, as it's a great place to get a feel for what sort of people are signed up in the Myrtle Beach (and surrounding) area.
And, it allows you to get a feel for how to put your Profile together and to test out how what you write affects the outcome of how many singles respond to you.
I won't lie to you; there is a difference between the free and subscription Online Dating sites. The main difference is a serious commitment to dating.
I know many who have paid for sites such as Eharmony.com and Match.com only to be disappointed.
That is going to be a personal choice.
And whether you've done this before or not...you have to set yourself apart from the pack with a great Profile...looks will only get you so far.
If you use your Profile effectively then it will naturally filter and weed out those you're not interested in right off the bat.
Here are a few tips:
1. Upload a photo which is not more than 6 months old.
a. Smile...if not with your mouth...at the very least with your eyes. This makes you seem approachable.
b. DO NOT...and this is so important...DO NOT take a picture of yourself in your bathroom mirror. This is so typical and tacky and quite frankly...it's sort of a turn off to see your dirty skivvies hanging from the towel rack.
If you're going to take a picture of yourself, then use a Webcam or hold the camera facing you and just smile naturally.
Or, if you're not shy...ask someone to take the picture for you.
c. whether a man or a woman...please don't post "skin" shots. Very likely if you're over 30...your self-perceived "hotness" does not translate well via your smartphone camera.
I'm serious.
Keep your clothes on.
Yes, to cleavage ladies...but even then...be tasteful.
I'm not writing this post to men looking for a good "rack" or to women looking to put their best "rack" forward.
There are other venues which cater to folks like you.
2. Take some time to think about your Profile Name.
I've noticed a grave mistake many men make, especially those over 50...they use the nickname given to them by their grandchildren...such as...
"Rustybucket" or "GrandpaGrayhame".
Those names just aren't going to cut it when it comes to attracting the opposite sex.
You will be passed over.
Trust me on this one..
And ladies, it's great to incorporate a degree of sensuality into your name, but don't go the Stripper route...even if you really are one.
Choose a name which intrigues a man to want to know more about you.
Make it playful, yes, but sophistication begets sophistication.
Don't take all of this so seriously that you come across as unlikeable or stuck up.
3. SPELLING and GRAMMAR matter. This is my personal gripe. It's very sexy and alluring when a man can use the spell check feature on his computer. Of course, this doesn't help when it comes to words which sound alike, but have a different meaning.
Yes, you might have spelled "you're" correctly, but if you didn't mean "you are", but "your", then that's a place where you might lose "points" with those who are looking for signs of intelligent life on your planet!
So, know the difference between "your" and "you're" and "there" and "their" and "they're", etc.
4. Don't start off a profile with the same old dead horse that every other profile-er drags out and beats to further death, such as:
"...O.K., so here we go..."
"...I really don't know what to say about myself, so here we go..."
"...if you want to know anything about me, just ask..."
"...I love walks on the beach..."
Gag me!
There's a vast world of sentence starters out there...and if you can't think of any on your own...do an online search.
Here's the thing though...if a lame profile is all you can offer up online, then maybe that's all you can offer up in person.
It's something to think about.
If you're just one of those people who chokes under the pressure of dating, then do some research and make an outline and take whatever time is necessary to put your best virtual foot forward.
5. If you Smoke, then please don't post in your profile that you don't smoke just to open up the field of interested daters.
What's worse though...is when someone posts that they don't smoke, and yet they've included in their Profile a picture of them smoking or holding a cigarette.
That's rather obnoxious.
Talk about shooting yourself in the foot!!
Do me a favor before you get started.
Go on over to Plenty of Fish @ www.pof.com
It's a free website.
Don't sign up or anything, just go to the Search page.
Type in your parameters and when you do that, the website will allow you to look at a page or two of choices before they will require you to Register.
Be sure to type in Myrtle Beach with maybe a 35 mile radius range.
Try to get a feel for what the opposite sex is looking for by reading through some profiles.
Let me warn you though...lots of people (and I think this is a character trait common among all humans)...do in their profile what they tend to do on their Resume...they pad it with qualities which may or may not be true...they say they are interested in things which may or may not be true.
They even (gasp)...post pictures on their profile which are five or more years old.
tsk. tsk. tsk.
Your sins will find you out when you meet in person!
Duh!
You have to ask a lot of questions of those who contact you.
You have to engage them in conversations about things which you consider important and gauge their response.
And... you have to be picky.
The traditional way of dating is to immediately pay attention to looks and if there is no immediate chemistry, then there is no attempt made to get acquainted on a deeper or more intellectual level.
With Online Dating; you can really get a sense of who someone is if you ask the right questions and if you pay attention to the things which are said.
If you like the pictures and the writing, then you could move on to instant messaging and then phone calls.
I would recommend that you meet for the first time in a very public place.
Let someone else know where you'll be and how long you expect to be there.
NEVER allow anyone to pick you up and know where you live.
Keep the first date short so you can scram if it's not going well.
Both parties should be grown up enough to realize that not every encounter is going to work.
Online Dating just provides you with a larger field of choice and the ability to weed out potential candidates on a level in which you're not able if you meet someone in the produce section of your local Piggly Wiggly.
I'll post more about Online Dating in Myrtle Beach at a later time.
Good Luck!
Please don't be shy about contacting me if you'd like some assistance.
Though Online Dating has come a long way...it's not a magic pill. You still have to be persistent and patient and highly selective.
I would definitely suggest going the Free Website route first, as it's a great place to get a feel for what sort of people are signed up in the Myrtle Beach (and surrounding) area.
And, it allows you to get a feel for how to put your Profile together and to test out how what you write affects the outcome of how many singles respond to you.
I won't lie to you; there is a difference between the free and subscription Online Dating sites. The main difference is a serious commitment to dating.
I know many who have paid for sites such as Eharmony.com and Match.com only to be disappointed.
That is going to be a personal choice.
And whether you've done this before or not...you have to set yourself apart from the pack with a great Profile...looks will only get you so far.
If you use your Profile effectively then it will naturally filter and weed out those you're not interested in right off the bat.
Here are a few tips:
1. Upload a photo which is not more than 6 months old.
a. Smile...if not with your mouth...at the very least with your eyes. This makes you seem approachable.
b. DO NOT...and this is so important...DO NOT take a picture of yourself in your bathroom mirror. This is so typical and tacky and quite frankly...it's sort of a turn off to see your dirty skivvies hanging from the towel rack.
If you're going to take a picture of yourself, then use a Webcam or hold the camera facing you and just smile naturally.
Or, if you're not shy...ask someone to take the picture for you.
c. whether a man or a woman...please don't post "skin" shots. Very likely if you're over 30...your self-perceived "hotness" does not translate well via your smartphone camera.
I'm serious.
Keep your clothes on.
Yes, to cleavage ladies...but even then...be tasteful.
I'm not writing this post to men looking for a good "rack" or to women looking to put their best "rack" forward.
There are other venues which cater to folks like you.
2. Take some time to think about your Profile Name.
I've noticed a grave mistake many men make, especially those over 50...they use the nickname given to them by their grandchildren...such as...
"Rustybucket" or "GrandpaGrayhame".
Those names just aren't going to cut it when it comes to attracting the opposite sex.
You will be passed over.
Trust me on this one..
And ladies, it's great to incorporate a degree of sensuality into your name, but don't go the Stripper route...even if you really are one.
Choose a name which intrigues a man to want to know more about you.
Make it playful, yes, but sophistication begets sophistication.
Don't take all of this so seriously that you come across as unlikeable or stuck up.
3. SPELLING and GRAMMAR matter. This is my personal gripe. It's very sexy and alluring when a man can use the spell check feature on his computer. Of course, this doesn't help when it comes to words which sound alike, but have a different meaning.
Yes, you might have spelled "you're" correctly, but if you didn't mean "you are", but "your", then that's a place where you might lose "points" with those who are looking for signs of intelligent life on your planet!
So, know the difference between "your" and "you're" and "there" and "their" and "they're", etc.
4. Don't start off a profile with the same old dead horse that every other profile-er drags out and beats to further death, such as:
"...O.K., so here we go..."
"...I really don't know what to say about myself, so here we go..."
"...if you want to know anything about me, just ask..."
"...I love walks on the beach..."
Gag me!
There's a vast world of sentence starters out there...and if you can't think of any on your own...do an online search.
Here's the thing though...if a lame profile is all you can offer up online, then maybe that's all you can offer up in person.
It's something to think about.
If you're just one of those people who chokes under the pressure of dating, then do some research and make an outline and take whatever time is necessary to put your best virtual foot forward.
5. If you Smoke, then please don't post in your profile that you don't smoke just to open up the field of interested daters.
What's worse though...is when someone posts that they don't smoke, and yet they've included in their Profile a picture of them smoking or holding a cigarette.
That's rather obnoxious.
Talk about shooting yourself in the foot!!
Do me a favor before you get started.
Go on over to Plenty of Fish @ www.pof.com
It's a free website.
Don't sign up or anything, just go to the Search page.
Type in your parameters and when you do that, the website will allow you to look at a page or two of choices before they will require you to Register.
Be sure to type in Myrtle Beach with maybe a 35 mile radius range.
Try to get a feel for what the opposite sex is looking for by reading through some profiles.
Let me warn you though...lots of people (and I think this is a character trait common among all humans)...do in their profile what they tend to do on their Resume...they pad it with qualities which may or may not be true...they say they are interested in things which may or may not be true.
They even (gasp)...post pictures on their profile which are five or more years old.
tsk. tsk. tsk.
Your sins will find you out when you meet in person!
Duh!
You have to ask a lot of questions of those who contact you.
You have to engage them in conversations about things which you consider important and gauge their response.
And... you have to be picky.
The traditional way of dating is to immediately pay attention to looks and if there is no immediate chemistry, then there is no attempt made to get acquainted on a deeper or more intellectual level.
With Online Dating; you can really get a sense of who someone is if you ask the right questions and if you pay attention to the things which are said.
If you like the pictures and the writing, then you could move on to instant messaging and then phone calls.
I would recommend that you meet for the first time in a very public place.
Let someone else know where you'll be and how long you expect to be there.
NEVER allow anyone to pick you up and know where you live.
Keep the first date short so you can scram if it's not going well.
Both parties should be grown up enough to realize that not every encounter is going to work.
Online Dating just provides you with a larger field of choice and the ability to weed out potential candidates on a level in which you're not able if you meet someone in the produce section of your local Piggly Wiggly.
I'll post more about Online Dating in Myrtle Beach at a later time.
Good Luck!
Please don't be shy about contacting me if you'd like some assistance.
No comments:
Post a Comment