Step-by-Step Online Dating Guide

Are Online Dating Services for You? Does it Work? Get Photos Create Your Profile Anonymous Email Safety Choosing an Online Dating Service Finding Your Match Making Online Contact Making Real-World Contact Enjoy Yourself

Choosing an Online Dating Service

Target audience

Since you will be using a dating service to meet new people, it's important to consider whom the site is targeting. You want your profile to be seen by potential partners who are "your type." By joining a site that attracts those people, you've won half the battle.

For example, if you do not want to have children, then signing up with a site that brings together single parents is not your best option.

One thing to consider is a free or trial membership to start. This will allow you to check out several different sites without wasting your money. You'll be able to compare the types of people who are on the site and get a feel for the community. By signing up for a one-week membership in the middle of the week, you can have your profile approved and posted by the weekend - giving you exposure during the highest traffic time period.

Unless you're open to a long-distance relationship, look to see if there are enough people in your area using a particular service. If you live in a major metropolitan area, this won't be a problem.

How many members?

The more users there are on a site, the more people you'll have to choose from. And the greater the chance that potential partners in your area will see your profile and photo.

Subscription costs

Keep in mind that you get what you pay for; in other words, there's no such thing as a good free dating site. These sites are expensive to run. If they're well established, there could be well over a million users. With that comes higher administration and web hosting costs.

The subscription costs are usually a very good value, particularly on sites that offer features like voice and video interaction. Most people do not subscribe for a full year. Usually they will meet someone who they will correspond with outside the service - via phone, email, or even in person if things are going well.

People who are willing to pay the subscription service are genuinely interested in meeting someone online and forming a relationship. It also means they will be more active on the site to ensure they get their money's worth. All this makes it easier for you to actually meet someone interesting.

When you finally find a site that's appealing to you, sign up for one month first. Renew for a longer period if you are enjoying yourself and see the possibility of finding a partner. If not, you can try another site. The monthly average goes down when you sign up for longer periods of time.

Free trials

All the reputable dating sites will offer a free trial period. While you may not be able to access all of the advanced features, you will be able to look around and see if it's right for you. What a great opportunity. You have no risk and nothing to lose. After the trial period, you'll be able to decide if you want to continue with a paid subscription to the site.

Communication features

How are you going to want to communicate with the people you meet online?

Most sites offer you a "mail box" on their site. This guarantees your privacy and keeps you from having to share the free email address mentioned earlier with everyone who seems interested or interesting.

Another common feature is the well-known chat rooms. This is a great place to get to know people, especially if the site also offers private chat rooms. You'll be able to have a private chat with someone without the rest of the online community eavesdropping.

Dating sites are starting to offer even more interactive possibilities by using voice or video communication. With microphones and web cams becoming more popular, this is a great addition. And it's cheaper than a phone call.

Even if you don't think you'll be interested in some of these high-tech features, consider selecting a site that offers them anyway. You never know when you'll start communicating with someone that you want to hear or see online.

Search features

Remember to test this feature if you do sign up for a trial membership. Just because a site has a search feature doesn't mean it's any good.

Some sites offer a matchmaking feature. Many are actually based on psychological studies and can be quite effective. If you're having trouble finding someone with your own searching, this is an alternative that you might yourself pleasantly surprised.

Offline Event

Some of the larger dating sites offer offline events. What a great opportunity to meet new people that are looking for the same thing as you. A lot of effort goes into making these events enjoyable.

When you reach a point with someone where you are ready to meet, this is a great opportunity. We've covered safety earlier. What better way than to meet your new friend at one of these events.

These are not that common yet, so if this is something that you think you'd be interested in participating, make sure the site you sign up with offers this.