PlanJam!From your screen to the scene

I’m no stranger to the internet dating game. But if you seriously want to take that route, you need to be open and honest with what you want and what you’re looking for. If you’re not honest about your intentions, you’re only going to set yourself up for disappointment.

When I first hopped on the internet dating bandwagon, I wasn’t truthful about what I was interested in. As a result, I ended up going on a date with a balding, 50 year old divorced male who brought his kids along on the date. Needless to say, I got the heck out of dodge as soon as I could. If I had crafted my online dating profile the correct way (and if HE had been honest, too!) that disastrous scenario would never have happened.

Before you can even think about joining an online dating site, you need to review a few of them and see what suits your purposes. Are you looking for a casual fling? An intimate relationship? Marriage? Figure out what you want, and choose an internet dating site that matches what you need. Certain sites are geared more towards long-term relationships, while others offer the chance to meet up with interested parties for a casual fling. Whatever the case may be, you might have to try a few sites before you find one that works for you.

Another thing to keep in mind is the demographic of the particular site you sign up with. I completely ignored my own advice and signed up for several different dating sites that offered very few “matches” I was actually interested in! If you know what you like, find a site that seems to cater to the demographic of people you’re interested in. Seriously, save yourself the trouble of finding out you aren’t compatible with anyone, like I discovered!

While most of the online dating sites I signed up for were free, I did accept a free trial at a few paid dating sites, which brings me to my next point. And although free dating services are great because they are, well… free, I noticed I had more luck finding compatible matches on the paid membership sites. Why is that?

Well, with a free online dating site, everyone and their brother can sign up. They might not be really serious about finding the love of their life online, or their profile remains inactive and you’re unable to contact them.

A paid membership site, on the other hand, offers a little more security. If you’re paying for the privilege of matching up with potential dates, you’re probably more serious about your intentions – and other members who use that site probably are, too! As a matter of fact, a potential match from a dating site I belonged to ended up in a long-term relationship with me. While we didn’t ultimately work out, it’s a little evidence on my part that paid membership sites typically have better odds than free sites.

If you’re tired of the traditional dating scene in your city, you may want to give online dating a try. While you may not meet the perfect match, it can’t be any worse than bar hopping every weekend!