Blind Dates Aren’t Always Nightmares

Blind dates have always received a bad rep for the most part. These are events that truly frighten people whether they’ve ever been on a blind date or not. That’s because, many times, they were set up by thoughtless people that didn’t even really consider how much the potential couple may actually have in common. Admittedly, these types of blind dates CAN and usually ARE complete nightmares, but it doesn’t have to always be that way.

In this current age of dating services and online dating websites, blind dates are almost the norm now. Of course, you DO have the option of getting to know the person you’re considering going on a date with prior to the date itself because of the online contact between the two of you. There’s chatting, exchange of emails, and even phone calls, if you want. By the time you actually meet for coffee or dinner, you’ve got somewhat of an idea about the person you’re meeting.

True blind dates are an entirely different matter. These happen when your best friend sets you up with her brother in law, cousin in law, guy from her husband’s office, or a variety of other choices. You’ve never laid eyes on this guy and know absolutely NOTHING about him, yet, you’ll be having dinner with him at your friend’s home. It is blind dates of this sort that can be trouble. If you haven’t been consulted at all prior to this date, it can be even worse.

However, look at it from another viewpoint. Suppose that your friend, sister, or whoever is setting you up on this blind date, has spoken at length with you about the qualities you must have in any man that you would consider having a relationship with. Suppose, also, that this person has spent time telling you all about the man that you’ll be meeting. In fact, you almost feel as if you know this man by the time the actual date comes about. Assume that the man in question has also undergone the same process regarding you. When it’s these things that have been considered before a blind date, there’s a very good chance that you and this new man will hit it off.

Another thing that is a better idea for blind dates is to double date. So when you meet this new man, you know that there won’t be any chances of those uncomfortable silences when you don’t know what to say. If you’ve got really good friends, they’ll know if the time comes that they should make themselves scarce and let the two of you get better acquainted. On the other hand, they’ll also be able to see if the entire exercise is one in futility, and they’ll know to call it a night at an appropriate time.

When there’s enough preparation beforehand, many blind dates turn out to be very successful and can even end in marriage. The thing to remember is that they must be orchestrated in just the right way to stand a chance of working out.

Making Online Dating Less Scary

Online dating has become one of the more popular ways of meeting people for possible romance these days. There are hundreds of thousands of dating websites online now. They cover every type of dating and interacting that you can possibly think of. People join these sites every day and start their search for the perfect companion.

Even though this type of dating has really caught on, there are still some people that find the entire process quite scary. They don’t like the idea of hooking up with someone that they’ve only chatted to over the computer or on the phone. These are the same people that dislike blind dates even when they’re introduced by trusted friends. However, you shouldn’t back away from online dating just because you’re afraid. There are ways to make this experience a lot less scary and a lot more fun.

Decide ahead of time what your personal boundaries will be when it comes online dating. For instance, there may be certain days of the week that work better as date nights for you. If so, you need to stick to those nights even if his schedule doesn’t match yours. Try to work out something for the next week, instead. If he tries to push you for something faster, you may want to drop him because there should be no sense of urgency about a date. He may be looking for something else.

You also need to be yourself on a dating site. Just because you’re meeting someone in a more unconventional way doesn’t mean that you should pretend to be someone you’re not. Remember, whoever you are when you meet someone is who you’ll have to continue to be. That’s why it’s always best to be exactly who you are.

Another thing you need to do is be clear about what you want. If you’re looking for a relationship, then say so. If you just want someone to have sex with, be honest about that, too. Don’t send mixed signals and, hopefully, you won’t receive any in return. When you state the type of relationship that you’re looking for, that will usually stop you from wasting time with someone that wants something completely different.

Make a list of qualities that you want in a potential partner. You’ll probably have trouble finding someone that ticks all the boxes on your list, but if you keep to the most important qualities, that should point you in a good direction. If you’re not TOO particular about what you want, you’ll find someone a lot faster.

Make some dating rules that will keep you safe. Don’t give someone your home address or let him come to pick you up on the first date. Agree to meet at the place of your date as long as this place is well lit and has plenty of people around. Take your own transportation in case you need to make a fast exit. It’s also a good idea to take along your cell phone.

Once you have connected with someone that seems promising, stay true to your dating rules. Don’t meet him until YOU’RE ready. If he isn’t patient enough to wait, he’s not worth your time.

Create a Killer Online Dating Profile

So many single people are turning to online dating these days that it’s considered to be just as normal as how dating used to be conducted. Admittedly, though, there are many major differences between the two. One of these is you have to come up with an entirely new way of talking about yourself. You know how when you first meet someone new and you both want to know all about each other’s likes and dislikes? That has to be done with online dating, too, except you’re going to be telling prospective dating partners about yourself BEFORE they even meet you.

That sounds a bit odd, but it’s actually part of the entire online dating experience. People find each other through their dating profiles left on various dating websites. Of course, you must become a member of each website before you’re allowed to put up a profile about yourself, but once you do, you want that profile to be, well, PERFECT! This is the way that people of like minds will find each other so you want yours to be the absolute best that you can make it.

That may sound like a tall order, but it’s not really all THAT hard. Following is a checklist of sorts to help you along in creating a killer online dating profile that will draw the right people to you and have them drooling in anticipation:

• Take a new photo: One of the biggest mistakes that you can make on a dating profile is to put up a picture of yourself taken ten years ago or, even worse, use a photo of someone else. It’s vital to use your own photo. After all, you DO plan to actually MEET one of these people and you want to be upfront about what they’re going to see. It’s good to take a new photo if possible, so that you can take some time to prepare for it and look your most amazing.
• Be honest: Never write down what you THINK people will want to see. You’ve got to be honest about everything. This includes your appearance, your taste in music, movies, and television shows. Don’t make up things just to seem more exciting. Think about it this way: Don’t say that you’re 5’8 and weigh 125 pounds, love metal music, like gory horror flicks and enjoy skydiving if the truth is actually that you’re 5’3, weigh 140 pounds, love country western music, romantic comedies and that you’re terrified of heights. You can see that these two descriptions will attract completely different people and they WILL notice the difference in your tastes.
• Be a little mysterious: Don’t give everything about yourself away where everyone can see it. A little mystery is a good thing. Just be sure to find that delicate balance between being a bit mysterious and an out and out weirdo.

If you take some time to make your online dating profile a work of art, you’ll like the type of people it attracts more than if you just slap something together and stick up there. That’s a guarantee.

Online Dating and Safety

Online dating has become an accepted way of meeting and getting to know people for friendship and prospective romantic partners. It’s so convenient to do things this way since you never have to even leave your home to get the ball rolling. You can visit a variety of online dating websites, or you can hop in and out of some dating chat rooms. It’s also possible to get acquainted with someone you’ve come into contact with in your favorite forum. There are so many ways to do this.

One of the biggest concerns with online dating, however, is the issue of safety. Most of the time this applies to women rather than men, although there are definitely some women that can be just as dangerous as the most frightening of men. In addition, it’s difficult to tell who you can trust and who you need to avoid at all costs. There’s just no sure fire way to know. That’s why safety is so very important.

While you can’t always be 100 percent positive that you’ve hooked up with someone completely trustworthy, you can at least take some sensible measures that give you an advantage in this area.

The first one of these is to never give all of your personal information right off the bat. Sure, you need to give someone your first name, but there’s no reason that you should offer your last night along with your phone number and street address. All you need to chat with each other for a while is first names. Some people even go so far as to use aliases in the beginning.

Talking online is relatively safe. You can chat privatly and get a lot of your questions answered about someone while you’re getting to know each other. When you’re ready, you can move things along by chatting via webcam. In this way, you can see each other, which can tell a lot about what someone is really like. This, too, is a great way to get acquainted while remaining safe.

When you’re ready to meet face to face, make it during the day at a very public place. It’s also a good idea to take a friend along with you. That friend can sit somewhere else where you’re in full view, or they can join you until you give the signal that you’re comfortable enough for them to leave. It’s also a good idea to use your own transportation and meet in the agreed upon location.  In this way, your address is still safe and you’ve got your own way to “escape” if you feel the need.

Never meet someone until you’re completely 100 percent comfortable with that person. There are many ways to run background checks on people these days, too. That’s something else that you may want to consider. It’s also a better idea to keep your home’s location a secret until you’ve been dating for a while. When you’re fully relaxed and confident that someone is safe for you to be seeing, then you can open up a bit more. Until then, never take anything at face value.