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.

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.

Dating Safety Tips

When you talk to older people about “the good old days,” they’ll all tell you that things have really changed over the years when it comes to safety. Teens used to date by having a milk shake at the local ice cream shop, or going to a movie and having a hamburger before or after. No one worried so much about things such as date rape, kidnapping and murder because you happened to have agreed to go out with the wrong person. The biggest worries back then were not getting caught at the local Lover’s Lane or missing curfew.

These days, there are so many things to take into consideration when dating someone new. This becomes especially serious when you factor in that there is now online dating and simply carrying over an online connection into a real world meeting can have risks. There are now very real concerns when it comes to dating. This is particularly true with online dating. You should always remember that people can be whoever or whatever they want to be on the Internet. They don’t have to be truthful. The only thing they have to do is to convince someone they’re interested in that they are who they say they are.

Therefore, one of the first things you may want to do if you’re thinking about dating someone you’ve become acquainted with online is make sure that they’re who they say they are. This can be done several ways. One of them is to have them checked out through a private investigator. This is a rather reliable way of ensuring that someone isn’t trying to pull a fast one on you but it can also be rather costly. There are also online services that help you check out someone that are maybe less reliable but are more affordable and better than not checking at all.

Another method you may employ is chatting with them by webcam. In this way, you can at least see them and be able to see what they look like. If you’re good at reading people, seeing them face to face in this way may help you tell if they’re being truthful with you about who they are. Granted, this doesn’t ensure that you’re completely safe but at least you know a little more about who you’ve been chatting with.

If you do decide to meet face to face, always meet the person somewhere. Don’t be giving out directions to your home right away. This first meeting should take place in a very active location with plenty of people around.  You may also want to consider taking a friend with you the first time so that it’s clear that someone knows where you went and who you met there.

If this meeting goes well, and you feel as if you’re comfortable setting up another date, take some more precautions and make sure that your date knows you’re doing so. They may not be thrilled with your safety tactics but they should understand. If they get unreasonable about it, you have every reason to be suspicious and cut off all contact with them.

Basically, use your common sense as well as any intuition you may have, and you should be fine.

Sleeping Arrangements When Taking Your Boyfriend Home

When you meet a new guy and the two of you connect, it’s only a matter of time before you decide to take him home to meet your family. This can become a bit of a sticky situation if your parents are from the era where couples don’t sleep in the same bed unless they’re married and the two of you haven’t reached that particular stage in your relationship. While you may not want to be sleeping apart from your boyfriend, you’ll also want to be sure that your parents aren’t upset or outraged at you sleeping together in their home.

There are a few ways to get through this without upsetting anyone. The obvious solution is to stay in a local hotel and just spend the days and evenings with your parents. They may not approve of you sleeping together without benefit of marriage, but at least you won’t be doing it under their roof. That’s a very respectful way to handle the situation as long as you have enough money to afford a few nights in a hotel. In fact, it may even be the best idea so that you and your boyfriend aren’t under foot at your parents’ house the entire time you’re visiting them.

However, suppose your parents are the type that expects you to stay with them when you visit and they would be highly insulted if you and your boyfriend chose to stay in a hotel. Along with that, they also aren’t going to approve or allow you and your boyfriend to sleep together under their roof. Yes, there’s a lot to be said about everyone being adults, but your parents do rule the roost at their house. Of course, it’s not actually fair that you’re not only being forced to stay at your parents’ home or risk being disinherited, but on top of that, they’re refusing to let you sleep together at their house. This is a very difficult situation but if you want to keep the peace, you’ll just have to plan a shorter visit, like a weekend, and then just grin and bear it for two nights.

Then there are those parents that are more enlightened than others. These are the ones that will welcome you warmly into their home and will have only one guestroom made up for the two of you. If they know that you’re already sleeping together, they see no need to be hypocritical about things. Plus, this shows that they’re very respectful of your relationship. They take it seriously enough to treat you like the adults you are.

Whatever situation you have to deal with regarding your parents and introducing them to your boyfriend, it’s usually best to go with whatever will keep the peace. This is particularly true when there’s quite distance between where you and your boyfriend live and where your parents live. You most likely don’t see them all that often so it’s better to keep things as peaceful and happy as possible. Also, remember that if you have the enlightened parents, you’re very lucky!

Got Psoriasis? Dating Tips To Help You Cope

CNN published another great article today that touched on the subject of dating when you have the skin condition called psoriasis.  These same dating tips can also apply just as well to many other conditions or disabilities such as depression, eczema, herpes or other STDs, loss of mobility, etc.

The beauty of online dating sites is the fact that you can get to know a person for a bit BEFORE you meet them in person for the first time.  First impressions count heavily, and you can take advantage of flattering profile pictures, chat, and messaging features on online dating sites to put your best-self out there as a great first impression.

Once you meet in person, the bottom line is that you have to emphasize your positive traits and radiate confidence and positive energy.  Smiling, good posture, and a positive attitude can do a lot for one who is trying to date while dealing with a setback of some sort.  It may be difficult to do, but you must do your best to put forth this effort so you can greatly improve your dating possibilities.

Here is the original article:  Dating Tips: Don’t Let Psoriasis Keep You at Home

How to Know When It’s Time to Start Dating Again

One of the questions that come up time and time again following either a divorce or the death of a spouse is how to know when it’s time to start dating again. This is a tricky situation because if you start dating too soon, you’re doomed to fail. Not only that, people will start talking about you in a not so flattering way. On the other hand, if you wait too long to take the plunge, you may find that you just have lost interest in dating. There’s a delicate balance here and you need to find it.

There are some signs that will point you in the right direction when it comes to knowing when it’s time to step out into the world of dating. The first one of these signs is that you’re no longer in love with your ex-spouse. For a widowed partner, the love may still be there but when you can stop comparing everyone you may go out with to your deceased partner, then you’re ready to get proactive about dating.

In addition, with a divorce behind you, it may be difficult to stop comparing, in a negative way, everyone that you may feel an interest in dating. In other words, when you feel that you have totally dealt with and put the past where it belongs, you’re ready to get your feet wet again, and start taking some steps to meet the right dating partners.

Trust is another thing that comes up. It may seem that divorced people have more trouble with that issue than widowed ones but that’s not exactly the case. Obviously, a divorce can bring on many doubts about starting a new relationship. So, if you’re divorced, that’s an issue you need to resolve before saying yes to that first cup of coffee or dinner date. However, if you’re widowed, you may doubt your ability to find another partner that you can trust as much as you trusted your late spouse. You got comfortable in your marriage and now you just don’t want to start all over again.

Work on your self-confidence if you don’t feel that you’re in “dating” shape. If you feel that you need to lose a little weight or tone up, start eating healthy and hit the gym a few days a week. For older women, gray hair can be hidden. In that same vein, you may consider a new haircut or style to enhance your looks. Go shopping and get some new clothes that will flatter you and make you feel good about yourself. Once you’ve invested a bit in some self-improvement methods, you may find that you’re even excited about getting out and about.

If you’re really worried about going out with people you don’t know, have a friend or relative introduce you to someone eligible. Even if that date doesn’t work out to be anything important, it will at least give you a practice run. After that, you’ll be ready to re-enter the dating game.  A great place to start testing the dating waters again if you are over 50 is All Senior Dating.  Join free today and read our tips on how to set up a great dating profile to get started.

Personality Plus: Beauty is Only Skin Deep

Just about everyone is familiar with the old joke about a guy telling his friend that his girlfriend wants to set him up with a friend of hers. The friend asks what the friend of the girlfriend looks like. The guy’s friend says “She’s got a GREAT personality.” His friend looks at him and says “So she’s a dog, huh?” While that’s a very rude and disrespectful joke, it seems to have become the basis that all blind dates are founded upon. So what does that say about someone with a great personality?

There are much fewer physically beautiful people in the world than there are normal, or ordinary, people. That lessens the odds that you’ll actually hook up with one of these physically perfect individuals. However, there are many attractive people in the world that you have a good chance of meeting and having a relationship. A good number of THOSE people are going to have engaging personalities that enhance their physical appearance even more.

Nearly everyone has known a few people at some point in their lives that are plain, and some that are even vastly unattractive. However, they have such amazing energy and personalities that they appear to be much more attractive than they actually are. These people are in high demand by others. People want to be around them, date them, and be involved with them, in any way that will allow them to be in the sphere of these lovely individuals. What is it that makes these people so popular and sought after?

Surprisingly enough, it’s their personalities.

The kind of person that someone IS nearly always means more in the end than what someone LOOKS like. It’s true that beauty really is only skin deep in many cases. Beautiful people don’t always have beautiful personalities. This is something that becomes evident very early upon meeting these people. Vanity isn’t an attractive quality and neither is snobbery.

A lot of beautiful people tend to believe that they should only be around OTHER physically beautiful people. These individuals are actually doing the rest of the world of normal people a huge favor by believing that. This avoids a lot of hurt feelings and insults among those people that are considered ordinary.

Something that is very important in a person is having a great personality. In fact, it’s difficult to fathom how you can truly love someone that’s devoid of humanity, no matter how beautiful they appear on the outside. If these people are ugly on the inside, they’re hideous on the outside. Physical perfection does little to fully hide a horrible personality once you get to know the person.

This is something you really should think about the next time someone tries to set you up on a date with a person with a good personality. No, that person may not be winning any beauty contests, but if they’re good hearted, funny, and smart, you shouldn’t write them off simply because they’re not physically perfect. You may find yourself in love before you know it.

Dating Issues While Living With Your Parents

In this day and age of economic distress, it’s not surprising at all for adults to move back home with their parents. They can pay a certain amount of money to help with the rent or mortgage, utility bills and food. For the most part, this can be a pretty good arrangement, even if not an ideal one. Everyone can live comfortably and not be overly stressed about how the bills are going to be paid or if they’re going to be on the street in search of a refrigerator box and a quiet corner in an alley somewhere.

There are some dating issues that can come up from time to time, though, when you live with your parents. This usually comes into play when you meet someone that you want to take things to the next level with and don’t exactly have the privacy to do so. Not all families are like the television show with Frasier and his very understanding father. The privacy issues become even worse if you have a bedroom within the house.

If you must live with parents again, it’s better if you can have a separate entrance to your living space. Sometimes homes are large enough to include basement apartments or even guest houses on the property. In those cases, the issue of privacy really becomes a non-issue unless your parents tend to be the type to mind your business. Obviously, you don’t want them bursting in on you in bed with someone you’ve spent the night with.

Some parents are smart enough to realize that if you’re 25 years old, you’re an adult with the right to do your own thing. They treat you as an adult and respect your privacy. If these are your parents, you probably don’t have any dating issues. However, if your parents are those that feel they need to control your life no matter how old you are, there will be some serious problems, and you may want to find someone else to bunk with until you can get back on your feet again.

In the event that it’s not possible to resolve boundaries in your parents’ home, that leaves you with the option of going to your date’s home or even a hotel room. That doesn’t have to be as sleazy as it may sound, either. They can be totally romantic occasions, complete with room service and breakfast in bed. However, if you have over protective parents, you’re probably going to want to alert them that you won’t be home that night, or they’ll have the police out looking for you.

Before you ever move in with your parents, sit down and have a talk with them about what you expect regarding boundaries and privacy. Hopefully, you can all reach an agreement to treat each other with respect. During this talk, you’ll be able to tell if this is something that will work or not. If you get the “under my roof” speech, do your best to make other arrangements, or be prepared to give up dating until you’re financially independent again.

How to Make Blind Dates Work for You

Nearly everyone talks badly about blind dates, and there’s usually a reason for that. What typically happens is you’ve been dateless and on your own for a while and people start to notice. These are usually your happily married best friends, sister, mother, aunt, grandmother, and so on. Rarely do you find men interested in setting up their single buddies with someone unless they are being spurred on by their female better half.

No matter who is doing the arranging, blind dates have developed a bad rep over the years.  You know those jokes about “What does she look like?” and the answer is “She has a really great personality.”  That one seemed to alert the guy being set up that the girl he was meeting might be a lot of fun but she was definitely lacking on looks.

If you’re still living in the past, you should push that fast forward button and consider that things today may not be as bad as they used to be when it comes to blind dates.

These days, it’s perfectly acceptable to let someone you TRUST set you up on a blind date. The word in that sentence is “trust.” For example, if you and your sister don’t get along that well, you may not want to allow her to arrange a date for you with someone sight unseen. On the other hand, your best friend will most likely have your best interests at heart. Therefore, it’s probably fine to let her fix you up with someone she feels would be perfect for you. While your sister may be mean and set you up with a guy that you would just as soon not want to be seen in public with, your friend that loves you will want you to ADORE the man she has found for you.

Blind dates shouldn’t carry the stigma they once did. These days, a blind date is a very respectable way to meet someone with whom you may share common interests. More often than not, a blind date now means that someone has taken two people they care about a lot and have found a way to introduce them to each other. There’s no “throwing them together” as in the past. Now, it’s done in a very comfortable and easy going environment so that if things don’t work out, no one is embarrassed.

All of these reasons are why you should seriously give blind dating a shot. If you trust the person that’s doing the arranging, there’s no need for you to worry about it or be wary of it. Look at it as a way to get out for an evening and have a good time, and possibly a delicious free dinner. If things go well between you and the arranged date, you may end up with more than just a pleasant evening. Many happily married couples first met on a blind date and they highly recommend it as a way for singles to meet.

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