"Another night alone in front of the TV.
I had a great time with the girls last night, but what I really want is someone special.
" Taking the first steps to dating online can be a daunting prospect for many, especially with so many horror stories around.
Putting your photo online for all to see is scary.
"I can't believe I'm doing this! I must be so sad, I'm advertising for someone to love me? Where's my pride? But I keep meeting people in the gym, bars and clubs.
They're just not right for me and works out of the question" Now imagine meeting a complete stranger in a bar on your own.
"What if I know I don't like the person straight away? what if he's got a knife? Now I am being ridiculous! Maybe I could find the one!" Being nervous is totally understandable, so many concerns and questions.
Today hundreds of thousands of people around the globe are reaping the rewards of being online.
So we have made your life a little easier by putting together information to help you avoid the pitfalls and keep you safe! So where do I start...
Which dating site should I choose? We have narrowed some searches down for you and have picked the best of the bunch for you to choose from.
Start by looking at the mainstream sites such as Match.
com, Perfect Match, Yahoo Personals which claim to cater for all needs and then consider the niche sites that are targeted at individuals with specific needs or specialisms.
The first thing to decide is what do you want from an dating site? For example "eharmony.
com" have quite a lengthy sign up process designed to put off time wasters.
This site is reported to have attracted more women than men, where as the ratio of men to women is usually higher on other mainstream sites.
Harmony asks a lot of questions so they can get a more targeted match for you.
Other sites make the sign up process quick and easy, only you can decide what is right for you.
Some sites are offering video chat facilities, for those of you who want to get to know someone before you take the leap to meet in the flesh.
It's also great for knowing that the person you are meeting is the person in the photo.
Sometimes an issue! Other sites offer games or virtual dating (this is where the site generates a character for you and you go into virtual cities to meet other virtual people).
These are great functions for safely meeting new people and great for breaking the ice.
Most of all they are different from the main stream sites by offering a less serious way to meet people.
We have come across one just launched and has great functionality and also has a great virtual city.
The first 1000 members are free! [http://www.
kanooka.
com] Price is also important.
Most paid for sites let you register for free.
This allows you to enter the site place a profile and upload a photo.
You will usually not be able to interact but you may get messages from others showing interest in you.
This could be your incentive to join if you like someone who has shown an interest in you.
There are also many free sites.
This at first glance is great but check the site out.
On a free site the sites objective will be to attract advertisers so this will be their main focus.
On a paid site you will be the focus of that dating site.
So lets get started Our advice is to join at least 2 sites that you feel that you can trust and maybe a specialist one.
Put up your profile and get a feel for what happens on the site and how it works before you decide to part with your cash.
Safety first! Always go with your gut feeling, if something feels wrong it probably is.
Always stay in control of what happens to you as your safety is critical.
Click here for safety guidelines.
Most importantly have fun and keep safe.
I had a great time with the girls last night, but what I really want is someone special.
" Taking the first steps to dating online can be a daunting prospect for many, especially with so many horror stories around.
Putting your photo online for all to see is scary.
"I can't believe I'm doing this! I must be so sad, I'm advertising for someone to love me? Where's my pride? But I keep meeting people in the gym, bars and clubs.
They're just not right for me and works out of the question" Now imagine meeting a complete stranger in a bar on your own.
"What if I know I don't like the person straight away? what if he's got a knife? Now I am being ridiculous! Maybe I could find the one!" Being nervous is totally understandable, so many concerns and questions.
Today hundreds of thousands of people around the globe are reaping the rewards of being online.
So we have made your life a little easier by putting together information to help you avoid the pitfalls and keep you safe! So where do I start...
Which dating site should I choose? We have narrowed some searches down for you and have picked the best of the bunch for you to choose from.
Start by looking at the mainstream sites such as Match.
com, Perfect Match, Yahoo Personals which claim to cater for all needs and then consider the niche sites that are targeted at individuals with specific needs or specialisms.
The first thing to decide is what do you want from an dating site? For example "eharmony.
com" have quite a lengthy sign up process designed to put off time wasters.
This site is reported to have attracted more women than men, where as the ratio of men to women is usually higher on other mainstream sites.
Harmony asks a lot of questions so they can get a more targeted match for you.
Other sites make the sign up process quick and easy, only you can decide what is right for you.
Some sites are offering video chat facilities, for those of you who want to get to know someone before you take the leap to meet in the flesh.
It's also great for knowing that the person you are meeting is the person in the photo.
Sometimes an issue! Other sites offer games or virtual dating (this is where the site generates a character for you and you go into virtual cities to meet other virtual people).
These are great functions for safely meeting new people and great for breaking the ice.
Most of all they are different from the main stream sites by offering a less serious way to meet people.
We have come across one just launched and has great functionality and also has a great virtual city.
The first 1000 members are free! [http://www.
kanooka.
com] Price is also important.
Most paid for sites let you register for free.
This allows you to enter the site place a profile and upload a photo.
You will usually not be able to interact but you may get messages from others showing interest in you.
This could be your incentive to join if you like someone who has shown an interest in you.
There are also many free sites.
This at first glance is great but check the site out.
On a free site the sites objective will be to attract advertisers so this will be their main focus.
On a paid site you will be the focus of that dating site.
So lets get started Our advice is to join at least 2 sites that you feel that you can trust and maybe a specialist one.
Put up your profile and get a feel for what happens on the site and how it works before you decide to part with your cash.
Safety first! Always go with your gut feeling, if something feels wrong it probably is.
Always stay in control of what happens to you as your safety is critical.
Click here for safety guidelines.
Most importantly have fun and keep safe.