Online Dating Tips: Do’s Don’ts and What to Expect

Looking for a SWF that Drinks daily

This is a guest post from my close friend Dating Diva, over at Tales from an Internet Dater

Online Dating Tips: Do’s, Don’ts and What to Expect

In this age of technology, online dating no longer has the stigma it once held. Although you can totally tell when someone who previously used the personals the old fashioned way (ie. the newspaper) is internet dating for the first time by all of the “SWM seeking a SWF…” If you are new to online dating yourself, there are some “unspoken rules” you should follow in order to get the guy and things you should be weary of so that you don’t get taken for a fool…or avoid having the worst date ever.

Dating Profile Picture Do’s and Don’ts:

Do: Post a picture of you smiling; can be with friends or you solo.
Don’t: Post a picture of you and your dentist. (I get it, you have good hygiene.)

Do: Post a picture of you involved in a fun hobby or activity you love.
Don’t: Post a picture of you having sex. (Because I will critique the hell out of it.)

Do: Post a picture of you with children; can be your own or nieces/nephews. (Makes you look caring.)
Don’t: Post pictures if you are Octomom or Jim Bob Duggar (Makes you look crazy.)

Do: Post a picture of you with a pet. (Shows sensitivity.)
Don’t: Post pictures of the 50 deer heads on your wall or your 100 cats. (Self explanatory.)

One thing you need to learn up front is that people lie on their dating profiles.  (Or sometimes they tell the truth: aka “I drink daily.”) Here are 3 things you will discover time and again:

Guys don’t always post current pictures. That athletic build and head full of hair that I saw in the picture? Yeah, not so much when I met him in person. I was disappointed, but trying not to be shallow (my friends often say I am), I chose to look past that, however I recognized as time has gone on, that this is very common in the online dating world.

People lie about their job status and income. Naturally you want to make sure a guy is financially secure (or at least understands the word J.O.B.), but be forewarned, guys like to embellish a little. Such as this guy. His dating profile said he was a manager at a car dealership making $80K a year. However, he forgot to mention that he had been laid off for over a year since creating the profile. He wasn’t the first to do this.

Guys tell you what you want to hear. If you come across a profile that says, “likes to cuddle and hold hands,” please move on! Would any person of the masculine variety really say that out loud? Certainly not. But they have quickly learned that it’s what women want to hear. Sure in reality it may be true (but many times not), but I want to read what the guy wants to tell me, not what he thinks I want to hear.

Have an online dating tip or advice? I’d love to hear it.

Dating Diva writes Tales from an Internet Dater and tries to find humor in all of her dating situations (especially the bad ones, which she hopes to have less of.)

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