the ultimate guide to online dating5 min read

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Hey, ya’ll!

As someone who has online dated for a few years now, I consider myself fairly knowledgeable about the ins-and-outs of online dating. And while I am by no means an expert. I, do, however, have experience in the online dating world and have learned from mistakes along the way. And trust me, I have made several…

Let’s face it — online dating can be intimidating, stressful and scary!

So, that is why I have created this post — the ultimate online dating guide where I will share with you my personal tips and tricks to navigating the online dating world and meeting some awesome people! Are you ready to rock online dating!? Good, let’s do this, pal!

First and foremost, be sure to ask yourself this question: are you ok with online dating and meeting people from the internet? Do you want to meet people online? If no, stop reading (kidding, you can keep reading if you’d like to ). If you do want to meet local singles, here are some online dating tips and tricks —

know what you want

This is huge and the most important. Seriously. Because let’s be honest, knowing what we know about the various dating apps out there and the stigmas that each of them carries, does someone wanting a long-term relationship really want to start by looking on Tinder? And before all of you come at me saying that you’ve been with your significant other that you met on Tinder for 3+ years (which yay, I am really happy for you), I only make this point because I made the mistake of looking for something serious on Tinder far too many times for me to want to publicly admit. But, I learned from it. As I said, everybody experiences will be different, but knowing what you want and being honest with yourself about your intention is so damn important and will save you 1. heartbreak 2. time and 3. effort. Just saying.

Are you just wanting something…

• causal? (which is totally fine and acceptable), consider the following dating sites: tinder | bumble | pof | other casual/hookup apps
• serious? consider the following dating sites: hinge | okcupid | pof
• friendly? consider the following dating sites: bumble | tinder | pof
• don’t know? tinder | bumble | hinge | pof | okcupid

perfect the profile 

Raise your hand if you’ve ever come across a profile that made you stop and think, “What in the world were/are they thinking putting that on their profile?” 🙋🏾‍♀️ And raise your hand again if you’ve ever met up with someone who didn’t quite look like their profile. 🙋🏾‍♀️.

Yeah, it sucks. Trust me, I know. So, this is why it is oh so important to be honest about everything that makes you, you. So, remember this: the truth always comes out. So, to avoid any catfishing (on your behalf) or embellishment of the truth, follow these online dating tips when creating your profile:

1. be 100% honest about your intentions
   1. if you are looking to hookup, DO NOT fool people into talking to you by putting “looking for a serious relationship” on your profile; it’s rude and misleading…
2. use clear AND up-to-date pictures
3. do not embellish anything about your life; the truth always comes out
4. add as many details as possible
5. take the extra time to fill out the “about me” section even if it’s just two or three sentences; effort is attractive
6. do not put any personal information (phone number, email, or address) anywhere visible on your profile

Here are a few picture tips to keep in mind, too:

1. do not upload pics with any filters
2. do not NOT upload pics, it’s just weird seeing blank profiles…
3. upload a pic or two of you doing something you love (ex: if you love your dog, post a pic of you WITH your dog (not just of your dog even though dogs are totally cute and deserve to be shown off at all times)
4. post a pic of your out with friends (to show that you are social and enjoy the presence of others)
   1. if you’re introverted, that is ok, too!

be safe 

Even if you want to just hookup, be smart and be safe. Meet somewhere public first to see if 1. they actually look like their profile, 2. you feel comfortable around them, and 3. there is some sort of (basic) connection. If something feels off, trust your gut and leave. Always tell a friend or family member where you’re going. In fact, a lot of my good friends have my location via Apple’s awesome ‘Find My Friends’ feature. And even if they do have my location, I always tell at least one or two of my friends.

Here are a few pieces of advice — 

• share your location with friends
• look them up on facebook and other media to make sure they’re real
• meet in public
• drive yourself to the first few dates
• leave as soon as you feel uncomfortable
• be upfront about your intentions from the start

And that is my advice for successfully online dating!

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Do you like online dating? Have you been succesful with it? Let me know your thoughts and experiences below in the comment section! 

Thanks for reading! Love to you all and happy online dating! 😉