Online dating is very popular among singles and also for some married people too. There must be benefits of online dating otherwise it wouldn't have become so popular. Many online dating services have cropped up within the last few years.
About more than a decade ago, people meet by chance or through some kind of arrangements. They then go out for a date to get to know each other. These days, internet dating is the "in thing." People who don't know one another meet online, chat, and if they find that they are compatible, will decide to meet up face to face for a real date.
Sometimes, it takes a few email conversations or chatting to decide whether a person is right. Some people will take longer before they build the trust or have the confidence to meet up with the stranger whom they have been chatting with. But there are also many singles that just move on to the next person after one email or ignore a person totally because of several reasons.
To join an online dating service is easy. You just need to register, fill in your profile or personal data, upload a picture and write down your dating preferences. There are many free dating sites and one of them is Yahoo Personals. Once you have registered, you can search the database for people whom you would like to get to know.
There are also many paid dating sites where you have to pay a monthly subscription. Paid dating sites are better because most of those who register are serious about looking for someone special or a soul mate. Furthermore, you will reduce the risk of being scammed by internet dating scammers who prowl on singles especially women.
One of the advantages of online dating is that you get to choose from a myriad of choices of men and women. The other one of the advantages of internet dating is that you can narrow down your search to a particular type of person that you would like to get to know. This is not possible with conservative or traditional dating.
You will also find internet dating services that cater specifically for a particular niche or group of people. Some of them are like big beautiful women dating, singles adventure, positive singles for those who have herpes, STD or HIV, senior dating and gay and lesbian dating and so on. This is actually good because whoever you are dating online already know a little about you. If for example you have herpes, it's difficult and awkward to tell your date that you are infected if you were to meet a guy the conventional way.
Busy single women and men realize the benefits and advantages of internet dating. Many professionals who are too engrossed with their careers can't find the time to socialize and get a date. So dating online is one of the best ways to meet someone.
Another one of the advantages of internet dating is it allows for anonymity. Until you are ready to meet up, you are only known as your registered name and the person on the other end's knowledge about you is based on what you tell him and the picture that you uploaded.
One of the other advantages of internet dating is you do it from the comfort of your home. No makeup, no dressing up, nothing. What you need is just a computer and an internet connection.
There are also risks and disadvantages of internet dating. You don't really know who you are really chatting with on the other end. People can give false information including a photo of someone else or of him when he was twenty years younger or thirty pounds thinner. He might also be a scammer who preys on desperate and lonely single women.
Now that you know some of the pros and cons of online dating, the best thing to do is adhere by some online dating safety tips. One of them is never to give your full name, home and office telephone numbers and address, bank account numbers, car registration numbers and anything else that's personal. You can use a separate email address just for the purpose of online dating and get a different telephone number to chat.
If you decide to go out for a date for the first time, make sure that you meet at a public place and don't drive your car to your meeting place. It's advisable that you let a close friend or relative know that you are dating this guy and where you are meeting up.
After the first meet, you can tell if you want to see him again. And if he doesn't call after the first date, don't despair. He may realize that you aren't the type of person for him. Don't take it personally because at times you would feel the same too.
