How to Find a Date Online
Decide what type of online dating site best suits the type of people you are looking to meet as well as your budget., Subscribe., Take (at least) one good picture., Create your profile., Identify people you would like to meet., Check for reviews...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Decide what type of online dating site best suits the type of people you are looking to meet as well as your budget.
If you are looking to meet a broad spectrum of people, you might try a large public site like Match.com or Yahoo! personals.
If you are looking to meet a specific type of person you might try a more niche-focused site like JDate or AsianFriendFinder.com. -
Step 2: Subscribe.
Keep in mind, there is a broad range of prices for online dating sites.
More expensive sites can charge as much as $50 per month.
Most sites offer discounts for multiple months purchased at one time.
When you are just starting, you should probably buy just one month and see how well you like that site.
If you do and want to continue, you can re-subscribe for a larger number of months at a lower monthly rate.
Many sites (like EZDate 123 and Plenty of Fish) also have free trials. , Whether you are a male or female, having at least one flattering, recent photo will dramatically increase your chances for success.
Profiles with good pics usually get as much as 10 to 20 times as many e-mails.
If you get an overwhelming number of e-mails (often happens for especially attractive females), you can always choose to hide your pic later.
If you don't have a good recent pic, some sites offer links to professional photographers.
But usually just a digital camera with some decent lighting will do the trick. , Each site asks for slightly different information and/or essays.
Try to keep it simple, but if you're witty, let that show.
Your opening line is important and usually what will set you apart from others.
The best advice is to just be yourself, since you will find it is very difficult to be convincing acting like someone else.
Even still, you definitely want to put your best foot forward.
No need to disclose that you're still hurting from your recent break-up or you visit a therapist 5 times per week here.
There will be time for that later once someone gets to see the fun, easy-going, more attractive side of you. , Now for the fun part, browse through profiles or search by keywords to find the people you think you might like to meet.
Women, don't feel like you have to wait for men to contact you.
It is perfectly acceptable to make the first contact with a man, and you will often have excellent results when you do. , Before you meet someone online, or even before you contact them, you should check to see if other people who have met them have entered reviews regarding the truthfulness of their profile.
Do this by visiting a review site like and entering the correct dating site and profile ID for the person in question.
If you date the person yourself, you can also enter a review yourself to help future people who will meet them. , Send them an email or if you prefer, IM them.
Be natural, be conversational, mention a detail from their profile so they know you really read it, and make a little joke.
Humor is great for breaking the ice and starting the conversation. , After you've traded enough emails to feel comfortable, the next step is usually to talk by phone.
This gives you a chance to get to know the other person a little better and get a feel for whether you will have chemistry in person.
Don't feel obligated to meet someone in person just because you have talked to them by phone.
If you feel uncomfortable or not attracted, you can tell them, "It's been great talking with you.
I'm busy the rest of this week.
Why don't we talk again next week." This way you can harmlessly end the call without an outright rejection, and if you find you change your mind you can always call them or accept their call next week. -
Step 3: Take (at least) one good picture.
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Step 4: Create your profile.
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Step 5: Identify people you would like to meet.
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Step 6: Check for reviews about them.
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Step 7: Contact them.
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Step 8: Talk by phone.
Detailed Guide
If you are looking to meet a broad spectrum of people, you might try a large public site like Match.com or Yahoo! personals.
If you are looking to meet a specific type of person you might try a more niche-focused site like JDate or AsianFriendFinder.com.
Keep in mind, there is a broad range of prices for online dating sites.
More expensive sites can charge as much as $50 per month.
Most sites offer discounts for multiple months purchased at one time.
When you are just starting, you should probably buy just one month and see how well you like that site.
If you do and want to continue, you can re-subscribe for a larger number of months at a lower monthly rate.
Many sites (like EZDate 123 and Plenty of Fish) also have free trials. , Whether you are a male or female, having at least one flattering, recent photo will dramatically increase your chances for success.
Profiles with good pics usually get as much as 10 to 20 times as many e-mails.
If you get an overwhelming number of e-mails (often happens for especially attractive females), you can always choose to hide your pic later.
If you don't have a good recent pic, some sites offer links to professional photographers.
But usually just a digital camera with some decent lighting will do the trick. , Each site asks for slightly different information and/or essays.
Try to keep it simple, but if you're witty, let that show.
Your opening line is important and usually what will set you apart from others.
The best advice is to just be yourself, since you will find it is very difficult to be convincing acting like someone else.
Even still, you definitely want to put your best foot forward.
No need to disclose that you're still hurting from your recent break-up or you visit a therapist 5 times per week here.
There will be time for that later once someone gets to see the fun, easy-going, more attractive side of you. , Now for the fun part, browse through profiles or search by keywords to find the people you think you might like to meet.
Women, don't feel like you have to wait for men to contact you.
It is perfectly acceptable to make the first contact with a man, and you will often have excellent results when you do. , Before you meet someone online, or even before you contact them, you should check to see if other people who have met them have entered reviews regarding the truthfulness of their profile.
Do this by visiting a review site like and entering the correct dating site and profile ID for the person in question.
If you date the person yourself, you can also enter a review yourself to help future people who will meet them. , Send them an email or if you prefer, IM them.
Be natural, be conversational, mention a detail from their profile so they know you really read it, and make a little joke.
Humor is great for breaking the ice and starting the conversation. , After you've traded enough emails to feel comfortable, the next step is usually to talk by phone.
This gives you a chance to get to know the other person a little better and get a feel for whether you will have chemistry in person.
Don't feel obligated to meet someone in person just because you have talked to them by phone.
If you feel uncomfortable or not attracted, you can tell them, "It's been great talking with you.
I'm busy the rest of this week.
Why don't we talk again next week." This way you can harmlessly end the call without an outright rejection, and if you find you change your mind you can always call them or accept their call next week.
About the Author
Jordan Gonzalez
Jordan Gonzalez has dedicated 24 years to mastering technology and innovation. As a content creator, Jordan focuses on providing actionable tips and step-by-step guides.
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