Online dating is a huge trend now. Almost everyone has access to a computer, and online dating and matchmaking sites are a booming industry. Is it a good idea for you to sign up with an online dating site?

Here are the pros and cons of online dating:

Pros: If you’re too busy to get out to the usual places to meet women, online dating can be done from your home computer. You already know the women you meet online are looking for a relationship, and they’ll say up front what it is that they want. It’s also a great alternative if it’s physically hard for you to get out.

Cons: There’s no telling who you’re really meeting online – a person can say anything he or she wants to about themselves and you have to take their word for it. If your schedule is too full to go out and meet women in person, it might also be too full to maintain a relationship.

Without a face-to-face meeting, you miss out on tone of voice and body language cues. And, you might find yourself attracted to someone whom it’s impossible to ever meet. You also might build up a fantasy about the woman you meet online that she can’t live up to.

The women you’ll meet: Computer-savvy women who want a relationship, who are either too busy to look for one in person, or who are insecure about who they are in person. You may also find a few women who have trouble leaving home for some reason, whether it’s a handicap or a lack of babysitters for their kids.

The relationship you can expect: Casual and virtual. If it’s too much trouble to go out in person to meet, it’s likely to be too much trouble to go out in person to date. You’ll both be able to date other people, and the only thing that would change that is if you start meeting in real life more than you do on the computer.

What to avoid: Women who aren’t who they say they are. If there’s a picture of a fabulous model next to the profile, that probably isn’t really her. Smart women actually don’t put their pictures next to their profiles – it attracts too much of the wrong kind of attention. Pay attention to what she tells you about herself, and if the details don’t match up, something may be wrong.

The bottom line: The Internet is a great place for people to meet, but not always the best place for people to date. The importance of physical attraction is cut down to zero, so you do get to know the women who are being honest, but then you’re likely to create a fantasy about their appearance instead of being prepared to accept them for who they are.

You have made the decision to enter the exciting and hopeful world of online dating. You are eager to meet that special man or woman and fall in love. You are eager to start join an online dating service, writing your profile and start searching for matches. You just need to determine which dating site you should use.

Use these guidelines to help you decide which online dating service to join.

(1) Set a budget for yourself. Decide how much money you are willing and able to spend on an online dating service. Most dating sites offer memberships for one month, three months, six months and one year. If you are planning on staying on a dating site for several months, it is often more economical to register for a three month membership rather than a one month membership which then has to be renewed. Fill out the basic personal registration information on a dating website and see if they email you any discounted membership offers. There are a variety of quality, popular online dating services that are free that are worth checking out.

(2) Ask trusted family members, friends or colleagues who have experience with online dating sites to give you their recommendations for the best service to join. Ask them to give you an honest opinion. If they had negative experiences with a certain dating site, take their advice seriously in making your final decision about what service to join. Once you have made a decision about the online dating service that you will join, ask these people for advice regarding writing your dating profile, posting photos and responding to matches’ emails and messages. Consider these friends, family members or colleagues to be valuable resources for you.

(3) Invest time in searching through popular and reputable online dating sites. Research as many different dating services as you can before deciding on one to join. Try to figure out which online dating services are the most popular, especially for singles in your state or province or even country.

(4) Think about joining a specialized online dating service. There are a wonderful variety of specialized dating sites available that cater to a specific market. Some dating websites are for a specific country or geographical region. Some dating websites have a religious orientation and are geared toward people of a certain faith, such as Christian or Jewish dating sites. Some dating websites are for seniors.

(5) Reduce your choices down to your favorite three online dating services. Compare them with one another, making note of the advantages and disadvantages of each dating site. Read each site’s “About Us” page, “Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)” page and “Privacy” page to gather detailed information. Consider each dating service’s success rate, membership fees, number of members, special features, profile formats, and customer service.

After several of your good friends met their romantic partners through online dating services, you have decided to give the world of internet dating a go. You will be more successful and have a more enjoyable experience if you follow these beginner’s tips.

(1) Decide on which online dating website you wish to join.

Visit each website. Look at the special features and format that each site offers. Look at the costs involved with membership. Look at the payment types accepted, such as VISA, Mastercard, and PayPal. Ensure that the site offers secure and safe payment options.  For detailed information, read the “About Us” page, the “Frequently Asked Questions” page and the “Privacy Page.”  Find out if the service caters to professional people, seniors, single parents, people from special ethnic  groups or members from specific religious groups.

Some online dating services offer you a chance to search through profiles and photos before you commit to joining. Some dating sites offer a free trial period.  Search for a dating service that offers members the ability to send email messages through a special email address provided by the service and the ability to send instant messages (IMs) to fellow members.

Talk to friends and family who have participated in online dating for their personal recommendations. Ask them to share their personal experiences with you about the various dating services that they utilized. Value your friends and family’s advice, as it is more authentic than the advertisements and testimonials used by dating websites.

(2) Decide what characteristics and values you are searching for in your “perfect match.”

Work on building self-awareness so that you know your own abilities, preferences and relational needs. Take time to reflect seriously on the traits and values you desire in a future romantic partner. In a journal or using a word processor, record a list of “Top 10″ or “Top 20″ characteristics that you want most in a mate. Think about your dreams for yourself and your future relationship partner. Characteristics including intelligence, sense of humor, integrity, honesty, faithfulness, patience,  playfulness, and respectfulness usually rank among the top traits people desire in their romantic companion.

Decide on the items that are “Deal Breakers” for you, such as someone who smokes cigarettes, does drugs, drinks too much alcohol, gambles, is disrespectful or has anger management problems. Decide whether you would prefer someone who has never been married and has no children, or it you are okay with dating someone who has been married or who has children. If your religion is very important to you, then make finding someone who shares your moral and religious values a priority for you in your search for your ideal partner.

Once you have selected which online dating service to join, it is time for writing a captivating and humorous dating profile that will catch the attention of would-be suitors. Follow these guidelines to ensure that your profile stands out from the crowd.

(1) Create a clever and fun username. This is the name that other members will refer to you by, instead of you having to reveal your real first name. Think carefully while creating your username or “handle.” You want to create a name that is original, personal and inviting, without making it too long or complicated. Avoid names that are cliche or too cutesy, such as “YourFutureWife23″ or “GirlOfYourDreams31.” For safety reasons, do not use your real name in your username.

(2) Create a memorable tag line. A tag line is a one-line statement that introduces you to singles searching the online dating site. The tag line is usually featured prominently along side your primary photo and username when you appear in a potential suitor’s search list. Avoid using a clichΘd statement and opt instead for writing a one-liner that is insightful and creative. It is recommended that you change your tag line once in a while to keep your profile fresh and updated.

(3) Take time to seriously reflect upon what qualities and characteristics are most important to you in your future romantic partner. Think about what type of man you hope to attract into your life before your writing your dating profile. Reflect on the most essential personality traits that you need in a romantic partner and make a note of them to include in your profile. Consider also the traits or habits that you can’t stand in a partner, your “deal breakers,” as this will help you refine your search for Mr. Right. You should define the kind of relationship you are looking for.

(4) Carefully write your dating profile essay. Concentrate on the primary “About Me” section, which will be the first part that male matches will see when they arrive at your profile. Before writing, brainstorm in a journal or in a word processing document all of the important parts about yourself that you plan on incorporating into your “About Me” essay. List your personal interests, hobbies, general information about your education and career, and interesting details about your family and pet(s). After brainstorming your ideas, go back and decide upon the information that you think is the most entertaining and endearing. Create an interesting story using the important information about yourself that you have selected. You make wish to write about your favourite place, such as your family’s cottage or a state or provincial park. You should try to craft an amusing anecdote for your matches to read that will make them laugh and encourage them to remember your profile.

(1) Post good-quality, flattering photos of yourself on your dating profile. Find several photos of yourself where you look healthy, attractive and confident and add them to your profile. You want your female matches to be drawn into reading your profile from your tasteful photos of yourself.

(2) Post photos of yourself smiling in which you seem friendly. Avoid posting photos where you have a neutral or negative expression on your face. Avoid posting photos where you have closed body language, such as your arms crossed tightly in front of you. You want the women looking at your profile to consider you as a friendly, approachable, down-to-earth guy.

(3) Spend a good amount of time and care while writing your profile. A primary goal to keep in mind is that you want your profile to be original and creative. Since there are thousands of men on the dating site competing for women’s attention, make sure that ladies reading your profile will become intrigued by your imaginative, carefully crafted descriptions of your personality, personal interests, career, life experiences and relationship goals.

(4) Reflect on the top ten qualities that matter most to you in a partner. In a welcoming manner, write a description about the characteristics that you are searching for in your future girlfriend or wife. Be careful however not to appear to be too demanding, too critical, or superficial. Superficiality is a major turn off for any self-respecting woman.

(5) Avoid being boring and uninteresting while writing your profile. Avoid writing something cliche, such as “I am just a nice guy looking for a good woman.” Write your profile in a manner that reveals your special personality. Use tasteful humor in your dating essay. Share several heart-warming stories about yourself that will make you endearing to your female readers.

(6) Avoid posting shirtless photos of yourself. Chose instead photos of you in action, doing favorite activities such as sailing, cycling or playing tennis. Most women will be turned off by revealing photos.

(7) Consider the characteristics that women are searching for in a long-term relationship partner. Communicate the following attributes while writing your profile:
a) Confidence: Show your independence and self-confidence in your profile. Remember to show humility and avoid coming across as macho or arrogant.
b) Ambition: Reveal to your matches that you are educated and intelligent with a good, stable career. Women want a man who is purposeful and goal-oriented.
c) Humor: Communicate through your profile that you are a fun and playful man who will be a fun-loving and entertaining boyfriend.

So you’ve met someone online and you’re interested in getting to know them better. Where do you go from here? What do you ask that will engage them in conversation while at the same time not make them feel like they are being interrogated? Those early email conversations can be a very useful screening tool to help you figure out if you want to go further.

The main things that you have to determine right from the beginning are:

a) What is their relationship status?
b) What kind of relationship they are looking for?

The answers to these two questions should be answered in their profile on the online dating service. There is a good chance that you would not be matched with a person who is not what you are looking for in this regard. It’s a good idea, however, to be sure that the two of you are clear on these issues before you invest any of your time in this person. As a safety precaution, make sure that you match is not married, engaged or already in a long-term relationship.

Certainly, you should ask their age, their occupation, their religious beliefs and their thoughts about marriage and children. All these things typically matter a great deal and again you want to screen out right from the start those people who are not right for you.

If the person meets with your approval with the above criterion, you can progress to the business of finding out their interests and hobbies, their likes and dislikes.

Here are some unique questions you might ask:

• What is on your iPod right now? (What would you put on an iPod if you had one?)
• If you could only watch three TV show a week, what would they be?
• If you could eat any food that you wanted without any negative results, what would it be?
• Have you ever won an award or a contest?
• If you could have chosen to be born at any time in history, when would you choose?
• What jobs did you have as a teenager?
• What are your favorite fiction and non-fiction books?
• What the most memorable class you’ve ever taken?

Finally, if you are really interested in that person as more than an online fling, you will want to discern their values and gain insight into their personality.

If you determine the answers to these three questions, you will know a great deal about that person:

• What makes them laugh?
• What makes them cry?
• What makes them angry?

You will want to skillfully and intelligently navigate your way through this phase and you just might find a person with whom you are truly compatible.

You are seriously considering joining a reputable online dating service. You are hopeful at the prospect of possibly meeting your soulmate. You are eager to get started with the process of receiving matches and reading dating profiles. However, you want to stay safe and approach online dating in a smart way.

Although the majority of members of online dating services are honest, good and genuine people, unfortunately hundreds of thousands of people are taken advantage of by internet dating scams. Be aware of any “red flags” that you notice with any of your matches.

Follow these helpful tips to avoid an online dating scam.

Be observant of discrepancies in your match’s emails. Be very cautious if you experience any of the following problems:

a) The email communication from your match is difficult to understand, is repeated or is oddly vague.
b) You receive a response from the match within ten to twenty minutes every time you send him/her a message, even though you never discussed when you would be online again.
c) You notice that emails from your match change in grammar, spelling, style, language or overall tone throughout your communication with him/ her.
d) Early on in your communication, your match shares a heart-wrenching story that quickly turns into an emergency, and he/she informs you that you are the only one who can help.
e) Your match fails to offer you any personal or detailed information about himself/herself.
f) He or she does not respond to your emails or messages in a personal way, but instead change the topic each time he/ she sends another email.
g) You sense that the emails or messages that you are receiving from this match don’t contain meaningful and appropriate responses. Consider whether or not the person is sending you copied-and-pasted responses from a pre-written script or outline.
h) The person asks you to cash someone’s money order or check for him/her. Say no!
i) The person asks you for money. Avoid giving anyone any money.
j) Be weary if the match’s profile photos look fake or unrealistic. It likely means that the photos have been tampered with, or worse, the photos might be of another person entirely and just used to hook potential matches into communicating with him/her.

Safety and Privacy Tips

Be very careful not to reveal you actual last name to a match until you feel that you have gotten to know the person and you feel that they are trustworthy. Be careful not to reveal your personal email address until you have been communicating for a good while through the online dating service and you feel comfortable sharing your email address with them. Do not share your phone number with a match until you feel very safe and comfortable with them over email. Never reveal your personal address until you have gone through the process of communicating online for a good amount of time, have had many successful phone conversations, and have met in person in safe, public places a variety of times.

You are at a place in your life in which you are ready to settle down. You have a good college or university education, and you are established or getting established in your chosen career. Something, more precisely, someone, is missing though. You long to be in a long-term committed relationship with a loving, intelligent, caring woman or man who would one day become your future spouse. You have had several long-term relationships, but unfortunately they didn’t work out. You are busy with your career and you don’t have any friends or co-workers that would be good possible girlfriends or boyfriends. Several of your friends from university suggest to you that you join an online dating service. They were able to meet their wives through online dating services, which is a good testimonial in itself.

Your friends try to encourage you to register with an online dating service. They offer you several compelling reasons why you should give online dating serious consideration.

1) As a member of an online dating service, you are enabling yourself to be matched with and interact with possibly hundreds if not thousands of fellow members. Many popular dating services have millions of members. You are increasing your potential “dating pool” of possible matches exponentially.

2) As a member, you are expanding your geographical search for your future mate beyond just your own city or town to include your state or province, your entire country, or even several other countries if you choose to look for love in a broader geographical setting. Many online dating services allow you to list the states or provinces or countries that you would like your matches to live in, and some services allow you to type in a specific distance, such as a 500 mile radius or a 1000 mile radius.

3) A high percentage of men and women discover their wives or husbands through online dating services. Many people met their current girlfriend or boyfriend online.

4) If you take a relaxed and positive attitude, joining an online dating service can be a fun and rewarding experience. It is an easy and exciting way to receive matches from various states, provinces or even countries, all from the comfort of your home computer. Members find it to be a memorable time in their lives, as they look forward every day to discovering their new matches and reading new messages from matches.

5) Online dating services offer helpful and easy-to-use features. Members are able to easily access a tremendous variety of personal profiles which contain information about each match’s personal interests, career, relationship goals, religion, age and place of residence. Members can view one another’s photos, which is a popular feature.