Five Reasons You Show Date Online

Online dating was probably inevitable in the 21st Century. It's a simple matter of tempo. Most professional women I know report issues with getting to the grocery store and the cleaners; never mind having time for the contrived meeting advice some dating advice columns still suggest for meeting Mr. Right.

So in 2010 and beyond, what viable options are there? Change and unpredictability are not going away, but there's at least one thing you can be sure you won't have to puzzle over. "Where do I go to meet "him?"

The answer? Nowhere...for now. That's for later. For now let's agree that with gas at $3.00+/gallon, Friday nights clubbing or joining a drama club, hoping to meet someone while indulging your marginal interest in drama may not the best use of your limited time or gas money. You're probably doing three people's job at work, anyway; assuming you're lucky enough to still be employed. But you knew all this, right?

What follows are my top five reasons you really want to be meeting online, assuming you aren't already.

1. You're not limited by who you know. In times past, if you didn't work with them, know them socially or go to church with them, about the only way to meet them was clubbing. You put on your best hunting dress and prowled for him. If you had "interests," you tried to fold meeting "someone" in with other social activities. Maybe it worked...maybe not. If you're reading this, we probably know the answer. But on an online meeting site, within the limits of your willingness (and his) to drive for a good cause, you can find each other online. Effectively, online dating gives you a dating network on steroids.

2. You own more of your own time. This is huge for professional women. As we've already mentioned, most of you are busier than a one-armed paper hanger, these days. The fact that you don't have to carve out a time when your favorite club is open is a huge plus in terms of organizing your days. In addition, online meeting spares you the indignity of having to fend someone off half a drink short of comatose. Think how much you'll miss all that, ladies!

3. You know they're looking...they know you're looking. There's no potential embarrassment about availability. Are there men out there who are looking that shouldn't be? Yep. But they're more likely to be in the bars than online, particularly if they are at all concerned about wives or a girlfriend finding out. Take the time to get to know them via email and the phone first and you'll weed most of those out.

4. Profiles are very revealing. You're likely to know a good deal more from a well written profile than a chance meeting in a grocery store on your way home from Pilates class. Are there profiles out there that don't tell you much? Yes, there are. But you don't have to get any closer to them! Send them a polite "no thanks" and concentrate on the profiles that suggest some substance. Are there guys out with there ghost-written profiles? You bet. That's why you chat via email and on the phone before meeting. If their phone persona doesn't match their profile, you know what you need to know.

5. It doesn't get any easier to take the initiative. It's up to you, of course, but if I were you, I'd do it. Provided you're what he's looking for, he's going to respond. Read his profile, compare how you might stack up from the perspective of attractiveness as he is likely to define it and if you think you might click, email him. I can tell you from personal experience it works and you'll never have as much opportunity with less risk. Success in any form is usually preceded by preparation and some growing pains. So what else is new? It's rare when success comes easily or without challenge. Can you still pub crawl along with your online searching if you want? Sure. There's nothing like diversification to keep yourself fresh and upbeat. But in the end, you're much more likely to find what you want online; especially if you're over thirty, single or single again and busy. Don't trust me on this one. Try it and see!


Copyright (c) 2010 Dirk Sayers