Sunday, August 16, 2009

Practice Online Dating Etiquette Always

By Alan Bentley

In our society, we are used to behaving in a certain way when we interact with other people. There is no reason why this should be any different if we are interacting with people via the Internet, or virtually. Many people turn to the World Wide Web to try and make an initial contact when they are looking to try and develop a relationship and as such online dating etiquette must be observed if you expect to be successful at your endeavors.

As opposed to a real world situation, when we go online to a chat room or to a specially targeted forum, we can be as anonymous as we want to. Some people choose to be very anonymous, whilst others are quite open. Understand that you should not hide behind your anonymity in these environments and that you must maintain online dating etiquette or all the members of the site, including yourself, will not have such an enjoyable time.

If you start up a conversation with someone online and find that you are not really interested in him, then you should always be honest and up front. This is one of the first rules of online dating etiquette and it ensures that there is no confusion. If you're honest with him then he will know where he is and will not be left hanging.

People tend to be overenthusiastic when they first discover those Internet dating sites and it's normal to feel some excitement and anticipation as you go through the discovery process. You may interact with many guys but should be careful how you proceed and take it slowly. Don't ask too many personal questions as you start off.

You may need to ask yourself some fundamental questions when you are considering using any online dating website. For some people displaying their information can be a little troublesome as they were worried that business contacts or other friends may see the data. Take time to make this decision, but when you have decided to go ahead never be tempted to lie about your age or any personal situation as this is very bad online dating etiquette.

Many websites exist that are specifically tailored to matters of a sexual nature. Note that you are very unlikely to find any long-term relationships at these websites and you should avoid visiting them. When you do visit sites that are more tailored to the development of long-term relationships, online dating etiquette dictates that you put the discussion of sexual issues last in line of priority.

You must be very thick-skinned if you intend to try and develop relationships online. Websites are very impersonal and there are certain people who really don't care if they hurt other people's feelings. Unfortunately, many people don't practice good online dating etiquette and will not be too concerned if they cause you to be upset, so be prepared for that eventuality.

Take a deep breath and with no expectations, open up and see where you get online. Dating etiquette should be at the forefront of your mind at all times, as you are not seeing some one face-to-face but rather via a keyboard.

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