WHY YOU SHOULD GIVE ONLINE DATING A TRY
We’ve got some pro tips to help you decide why you should give online dating a try.
It’s popular, have led to true love for people all over the world and it’s so convenient. So, why are you against trying online dating? Here are 10 reasons why we think you should give online dating a try.
1. Anonymous
Most online dating sites allow you to be as anonymous as you want to be. If you want to put several photos up on your profile you can, or you can choose to only use one or even none at all. If you’d like to be a spectator to see how this online dating thing works before you give it a proper go, then this is ideal. You don’t have to put yourself out there and face public humiliation. You can watch from afar or even start joining in and go from anonymous to maybe putting up one photo of yourself. The beauty of staying anonymous in the world of online dating is that you can decide when you’re ready to show the world who you are.
2. Meeting new people
So, you basically know everyone at your local pub, your favourite restaurant, gym, and even the few friendly faces you see while walking your dog every now and then. Have you ever thought about what it would be like if you moved out of your comfort zone to meet new people? We’re not saying you have to throw yourself out there and go in guns blazing (although we’re also not saying you don’t have to if you want to!) to meet as many new people as you possibly can, but just think about it: How long do you have to wait before your best friend and her boyfriend bring another ‘perfect match’ to the BBQ? You move around in the same circles so your chances of meeting someone new in those circles aren’t that good at all. If you start moving in other circles through online dating, you’re much more likely to meet someone who’s also looking to meet new people and see where it goes from there.
3. Easy to be yourself
Because you’re hiding behind a keyboard, it’s often much easier to just be yourself when you’re doing the online dating thing. You don’t have to worry that the other person will see that you’re sitting in your PJ’s eating leftover pizza for breakfast while chatting to them. For all they know your hair is shiny, you look spectacular and you’re sitting in a perfect location. You have the luxury of being yourself without judgment. Imagine being able to get to know a person really well even before you meet them for the first time? Wouldn’t it be easier for you to be able to really be yourself behind the keyboard and then by the time you meet you can relax knowing that they already know you. There’s no pretending or trying to impress, they know you already. And you know them.
4. Background checks for safety
If you feel that online dating might be a bit on the unsafe side, why not sign up for a site where a background check is a requirement for all members? There are many online dating sites where all members are required to undergo a background check. While different sites have different requirements, some of them even ask for ITC and criminal checks. If safety is a main concern for you, then playing it safe with one of these online dating sites might just do the trick.
5. You choose the pace
Sometimes you feel that you’re ready for a relationship and want to speed things up a bit. Other times you feel that you really prefer to take it easy and want to slow things down. One of the many reasons why you should give online dating a try is because you can choose the pace of this dating game. Faster or slower? It’s up to you. If you feel like chatting online for a very long time before you meet face-to-face, that’s completely OK. With online dating, you can choose the pace and if you feel that it’s either going too slow or too fast for you, you have the chance to do something about it before it becomes awkward for anyone.
6. Choose what you want
This is probably one of the most popular reasons why you should try online dating. You can filter the heck out of the database and end up with exactly what you want, or at least the closest thing you’re going to get to it. From what the other person does for a living, to what they look like, where they live and the impact of their past relationships on your potential future. Online dating gives you the freedom to choose who you want to start chatting to. This helps a lot if you want to get rid of those weird first dates where you have to ask all these questions only to realise that this is exactly the type of person you wouldn’t want to go on a date with. With online dating you can mix, match, pick and choose until you’re happy and ready to chat. And to add to that, you can get to know the person inside out before you even have to go on a first date.
7. Zoom in on your speciality
If number 6 is still not close enough to what you want and you find that there are still way too many people to go through before you find one you like, then you can always zoom in by using speciality sites. These sites are there to bring likeminded people together. What if you absolutely can’t stand cats or you’re extremely allergic to them and you meet the man of your dreams… Only to find out that he’s got 12 cats, works at a cat rescue centre and can’t wait to buy another cat with you. Yes, it could happen and no, it probably won’t happen if you’re both on an online dating site where everybody’s clearly not fans of cats at all. Even if you’ve got some or other weird fetish that no one knows about, there might be someone else out there who’s also got that weird fetish and you could meet up in your little community where everyone has that weird fetish. You never know…
8. You can be picky
In real life, most people don’t have the guts to get up from the table in a public setting and just leave. For some or other reason most of us feel obliged to sit through the entire date because we don’t want to hurt the other person’s feelings. Even though we know from the second we meet the other person that it’s just not going to go anywhere. It’s probably got to do with the fact that you’re looking them in the eye and most of us are nice people… and Murphy’s law is always in play so you’re probably going to see them again soon in the future and that awkwardness is just unbearable. Thanks to online dating you can be picky and choose not to continue chatting with another person or even just choose not to start a conversation with them at all. Being picky in the online dating site environment isn’t rude, it’s the norm. That’s because you have the luxury of not having to face that person in real life. Let’s face it, life’s too short to go on boring first dates and not have the fun of being picky with your time.
9. The proof is in the pudding
There are so many people who have met through online dating and are now living the happily ever after life. If you think you don’t know any of these lucky people, then just start asking around. You’ll soon find out that a lot of people you know have probably met through online dating. Whether it worked out and they’re now lifelong partners, or it didn’t work out but they’re still friends, the proof about online dating really is in the pudding. Online dating sites aren’t places where creeps or losers hang out, it’s the preferred way for people just like you to get to know other people. It’s a sign of the times as we’re moving forward, and technology helps us to make life easier.
10. Date on your watch
You know you’ve got a big project coming up at work and it will take most of your time up, so just mute your profile around that time. Then other dating site members won’t hassle you while you’re trying to concentrate on work. Or you could go the opposite way… You’ve got your cousin’s wedding coming up soon and you’d like to take a date with you, preferably one that you’ve known for more than 12 minutes. Online dating sites give you the freedom to date on your watch when it suits you.
We’ve given you 10 reasons why you should give online dating a try. There are many more reasons, but you’ll probably be able to come up with those once you’ve dipped your toes in the online dating pool. Have fun with online dating, what have you got to lose?