If you thought you have had bad luck dating around in real life, you are not alone. Welcome to the world of online dating. Here you will find millions of people from anywhere in the world who decide to search for their perfect companion online. It seems that for as long as humans have felt the need to mate, there have been problems on finding an appropriate partner. Online dating exists to facilitate the whole process. Its popularity seems to grow in the blink of the eye and online dating today is everywhere. Your friends do it. Your colleagues do it. Some of your family members might have tried it too. The key thing never to forget is not get dependent on it. Below you can find all the details you need to know about dating sites. Use them as a guide to decide which one fits perfectly to your search.
You might be single, but not alone!
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If we go by the book, all people aged 18 and older who are unmarried are considered to be single. However, this is not how we see things in the dating world. To be part of it, it doesn`t matter if you are married/single or straight/gay. Everybody feeling an emotional or physical need to find a partner and love is welcomed. The first thing to be understood is the fact that being single is a transitory state. If you are single now, it does not mean that you will not find your perfect match for the rest of your life. And let`s get things straight from the start, being single does not always mean feeling alone. There are millions of people who are single not because they cannot find someone to be with them, but on the contrary they do not feel the need to be with somebody. Online dating is dedicated to the single people wishing to find a partner for the night, for the following month or the love for a life companion.
As statistics show, the number of single people in the world is witnessing a constant rise. For instance, if 37.4 % of the adult US population in 1976 was single, by 2013 this percentage was just below 50, only to reach 50.2 % in 2014. This means that single adult Americans outnumber their married counterparts today. The situation is similar in England and Wales, where 51% of the adult population is single. The analyses of the 2011 Census, serve as a proof of this. In 2011, there were 23 million (51%) not married people, which is a rise from 19.4 million (47%) in 2001. It has been also shown that the singe population in 2011 was older than in 2001.
Advantages of online dating
One thing to be sure of is the fact that online dating has revolutionized the way people meet and mix. Probably the greatest advantage of dating is the chance people get to meet others they wouldn`t normally meet. This means that dating over the internet gives individuals an open access to many more potential candidates than the ones they meet on daily basis. This is especially true when trying to find partners in a particular area or with a specific interest. And, to be honest, there is much logic to this. The whole process of finding out whether a person is single or not, whether you are compatible with him/her is cut short and is made more straightforward. From the very beginning, it is clear that they are into dating and the thing you are about to do next is check their profile and find something in common.
Another reason, why people decide to join the dating world is the fact that it is an incredible timesaver for busy people. You no longer have to beat around the bush since online dating gets straight to the point. The only thing you do is sign up and set an account with your details. Once the account is ready you are given a huge collection of like-minded people who are there for the same adventure as you are. Sending and receiving messages and searching for a potential candidate is an easy process similar to the one you find on Facebook or other social media. Plus you do it from the comfort of your home. You can even search people based on their interests, lifestyle, keyword, appearance etc. For instance, at Match.com you can specify the height, the eye color, the education and many other values shared by your future companion.
Online dating seems to be extreme popular among people with specific preferences and fetishes. The most important thing is to define what you are looking for. Depending on your wishes, you choose the dating site you want to join. For instance, if you would like to hook up without extra baggage you can join sex-only sites which focus on your desires and needs. Some of them, such as Friend Finder-X, even guarantee a hook up within three months of the membership. Gaydar.com is a free dating site dedicated to gay people from all around the world.
Specific search – how to pick the right site
Even if you are experienced in the world of online dating, picking the right site might seem an exhausting process. And you are not to be blamed, since new dating sites are blooming each and every day. So, if you want to have a promising experience which you will cherish in the future, the first thing to do is check the different types of dating sites available on the market. The basic distinction is between the free ones and the paid ones. So if you are a newbie, you will probably go with the free ones. Next, let`s make the pursuit of a romance a hell of an experience by choosing what is best for you. The first type of dating sites is the socialization type, where first you make friends and then it is up to you to decide whether the relationship will progress or not. Another type is the preference online dating sites or the targeted group dating sites in which you can become a member only if you cherish some trait: for instance there are gay dating sites, Catholic Match sites, Animal attraction for pet lovers etc. The most popular dating sites are the romance dating sites where people meet to find a lover or a life companion.
Once you`ve decided that you are ready to join a particular type of a dating site, let`s say a romance one, the question is which one to join. Here is where you narrow down the numerous available sites to two or three which suit you best. But, how do you choose which are the most compatible ones? Check the target audience of the site: some dating sites tend to focus on older people married/divorced, while others are filled with registered members in their 30s. You can narrow down the search by adding additional filters such as education and income, sport and leisure time etc. It is also crucial to check the sexual preferences of the site you are to join. You probably don`t want to end up being in a community filled with straight people when you are gay.
General tips on how to improve your result
You have finally decided which dating site to join based on your preferences and wishes. You are now a part of a community of people similar to you and you are ready to go on a hunt. But the question here is what`s the best approach and how can you improve your results? Will there be any fruits if you just sit and wait someone to message you, or is it better if you act proactively and start going through different profiles excessively. Balance is the key.
Before you take any action make sure you adjust your profile description to the target audience and write as many details as possible. This may scare some potential candidates, but the good thing is that the ones that will take the courage to contact you will have a better understanding of you as a person and the possibility of a wrong match will be brought to minimum. Also, make sure you keep things positive on your profile. No one wants to date a desperate woman with suicidal thoughts. And keep it short, clean, concise and precise.
Here comes the to be or not to be part of your profile. Choose your profile picture and be wise when doing so since most people browse photos for pre-selection. Always avoid the trendy selfie and ask your friends to take a photo of you, preferably in nature. According to Zoosk`s data, the response rate of profiles with a selfie cover is negative. An interesting fact about the response rate is the notion that messages increase by amazing 203% if you have a profile picture with your whole body, not just your face.
There is some truth in the saying “waiting for someone else to make you happy is the best way to be sad”. So, just by sitting and waiting you will get nothing. Instead, try being proactive. This means that you will have to pull the strings and establish a contact. First impressions count most, so try to be as polite as possible, use good language and wait for a response.
Don`t give up too early. If you thought that finding a perfect match will take only a few hours or days, you were wrong. As dating is not easy in real life, it is not easy online too. So, be patient and try harder. This probably means that you will have to establish a contact with several people maybe 10, 20 or 100, before you find what you`ve been looking for.
If you tried the regular version and still didn`t get any results, maybe it is time to try the premium membership. All dating sites usually offer premium membership for cheap money. The premium membership usually provides a fuller access, unlimited site communication, gives information about visitors to your profile, allows you to view all photos on a user`s profile, receive confirmation of read messages etc. You can even pay for a better visibility i.e. your profile will appear as suggested when other users are signed into their accounts.
Be aware of security and privacy policy
Whenever using a particular dating site, make sure you check the users` ratings on the internet. The privacy policy of a dating site is regularly examined through some standard encryption practices and it has been found that many dating sites do not take even basic security precautions. This means that personal information is easily exposed and even confidential information end up being visible to other users.
Also, whenever making payments, as for instance when upgrading to a premium membership, check how all data transfers and payments are secured. Always remember that paying by credit cards offers a greater protection in comparison to many other methods. Before you confirm your payment, double check all the details and ensure that the link is safe. After you make the payment, check your credit card statement and see if the correct amount has been debited.
For maximum security check the privacy policy of the dating site. Here you can find a description of the information being collected, how it can be used, with whom it may be shared, and your choices about such uses and disclosures. Be careful before you join the site. Joining in by default means accepting the privacy policy of the dating site.