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David Roy's blog - September 2007
The main goal of this blog is to help men to be successful at meeting and dating women on dating websites. Get online dating website reviews and insider tips and secrets to meet the right women for you on the Internet.
Posted by David Roy on: September 15, 2007 View comments (0) Add comments
Five reasons why every man should add a photo to his online profile
Many men overlook the importance of putting a photo on their online profiles. There are several common reasons for this. Some men think that they are not good-looking enough, or that they are too fat or too old. Some men just don't think that looks are an important factor.
The fact is that a photo on your profile will most certainly speed up the process and increase your chances of successfully meeting women on the Internet.
Here are five reasons why every man should put a photo on his profile.
First, adding a photo to your profile will increase your chances of exposure tenfold. When online dating websites display their search results and send each woman her matches via email, they order the profiles by putting those with photos first. Without a photo, there is a good chance that you will end up on the second, fourth, or even tenth page of search results. You may not even show up at all on some search results, as the dating websites usually limit the amount of profiles that can be viewed.
Second is the fact that a profile with a photo will grab people's attention before a profile without a photo. Let's say, for example, that a woman gets 10 matches on a page of results. Two of those profiles include a thumbnail photo, while eight do not. Which profile do you think would get a woman's attention first? The two profiles with the photo will, of course.
Women are just instinctively more interested in profiles with photos than they are in those without.
Here is one fact about online dating versus real-life dating: In real life, you are able to determine whether there is a physical attraction first, and then you proceed to get to know the woman. When you're online, you get to know the person first, before meeting to find out about the physical attraction. The photo, then, becomes important because even in the virtual world of online dating, it gives the woman a sense of something that is a key aspect of dating: the physical attraction. Women will enjoy any opportunity to see how you look in real life and to get a feel of the physical attraction factor.
Third, many women don't reply or pay attention to profiles without a picture. Dating websites give you the option to receive only matched profiles with photos only. Most women do choose that option, which means that without a photo, you will not show up on most women's search results.
The fourth reason for adding a profile photo is the online dating ratio of men to women. Most dating websites have a membership of approximately 60% men and 40% women. Only a few dating websites manage to get more men than women. When that happens, they use it as a sales pitch to promote their Internet dating services to men.
Men are also more aggressive online. They, and not women, often are the first to make contact. This means that women often get overwhelmed with plenty of messages from admirers, and they consequently end up having plenty of choices about whom to pursue in their online experience. After all, why bother replying to an incomplete profile—one without a photo—if you have three other profiles with photos in your in-box, behind each of which is a man interested in knowing more about you.
The fifth reason is that putting a photo on your profile shows you're legit, you're real. It also shows your seriousness about wanting and trying to find a woman you'd like to date. Women do sense this, even online. Like anybody else, they do not want to waste their time with liars or with men who are not really interested or serious about finding a woman online. A photo can make women feel more secure and confident about contacting you.
As you can see, there are important reasons why you should add a photo to your profile. This does not mean that you cannot have any success without a photo, but having a photo will certainly help.
Posted by David Roy on: September 12, 2007 View comments (0) Add comments
Five tips for men to ensure a good first impression with great online photos
If you are serious about meeting someone online, you should definitely put at least one good picture of yourself on your profile. The main or default photo that shows up first on your profile ad should the best one you have, since that's the first image of you that women will see. This is actually your first chance, as far as online dating goes, to make a good impression. You should make sure not to miss that first opportunity.
Here are five tips for a great photo that will increase your success when dating online.
First, you should definitely use a recent photo. You might look much better in a 10- or 15-year-old picture, but the fact is that this does not represent the person you are today.
Women will contact you thinking that you are the good-looking man you were 10 or 15 years ago. Chances are that you do not look the same or better today. You may have gained a few pounds and most certainly a few wrinkles.
The fact is that the photo itself may not hurt you as it is, but when women find out how old the picture is, that may change. This may turn them off, and if you do not tell them the truth before your first meeting, your first chance to make a good impression in real life will have gone down the drain. You may not only spoil the first physical impression, but the first emotional impression too, as the woman may feel disappointed that you have tricked her.
Second, make sure to put a photo of yourself alone. Having a photo of you in between some of your friends or with your ex or somebody else is not recommended. Make it clear to a woman that she is looking at you, and that there is no need to specify which one is you. You do not want to confuse her, and you want to make sure that she does not end up thinking that you are somebody else.
Third, have a clear photo of yourself. The photo should not be blurry, and you should not appear too small or too big. It should be easy to see your face and maybe the rest of your body also.
Fourth, have a decent photo, which means a picture that has not been torn apart to remove the other people in it. Do not use a photo of you while drunk or with a glass of beer or alcohol in your hand, or passed out on the couch. Remember that you are trying to make a good first impression with your picture on your profile ad.
Make sure that you are also smiling. I have seen photos of people online in which they would have looked much better if they had smiled or had not looked so sad or upset. Don't forget: For women, a smile is a real turn-on.
Last, if you are serious about finding someone online, why not go to a photographer and get a really nice-looking picture taken of yourself? That would not cost you much more than a dinner out, and you would be sure of having a very good photo of yourself on your profile.
Having a great photo on your profile ad can make a world of difference. You never know what can happen when you do things right and stack all the chips on your side. This can only have a positive effect toward your desired outcome. You may end up with the woman of your dreams taking the first step in making contact with you.
Posted by David Roy on: September 9, 2007 View comments (0) Add comments
Eight safety tips for the first date with someone you met online
We all have heard stories about people who met favorably online but then were disappointed when they met for the first time in the real world. Sometimes, these stories can even be scary, although the reality is that truly bad experiences have happened to very few people.
However, if you are nervous or if you just want to set your mind at ease when meeting for the first time, please follow these eight safety tips to ensure a safe first meeting and keep any disappointments to a minimum.
1. Tell a friend about whom you are meeting, where you are going, and what time you should be back. If you have a photo of the person you are meeting, you can give a copy to your friend. You may also wish to call this friend during the date to share how everything is going.
2. Meet in a busy place, such as a restaurant or a coffee shop. Having people around you will create a safety zone, and you will know that nothing can really harm you with all those witnesses around.
3. Have your own transportation. Do not allow this person to pick you up at your home for the first date. Set up a place and a time, and get there a bit earlier so you can see this person coming.
4. Follow your instinct. If you do not feel good or comfortable about meeting someone, then do not meet that person. Never agree to meet someone because he or she is being insistent about it. Meet someone only when you feel comfortable doing so. Remember that you always have the choice to say no. If this person does not respect your choice, you should question his or her credibility as a caring and respectful person.
5. Bring your cellular phone with you. As I said, you can call your friend during the meeting to report how you are doing, and it will also be handy in case of an emergency.
6. Plan a short first date. Meet during lunchtime or for coffee. If you find that you do not really like the person, than you won't have to put up with him or her for hours on end. After that first half-hour or maybe hour-long meeting, you can go back to work or home and decide if you want to pursue a longer date at later time.
7. Have a phone conversation before you meet. This will give you a sense of the person. Ask as many questions as you want. Then, after a conversation (or several), you can agree to meet.
8. If you must travel out of town, plan your own accommodations. You don't have to say where you are staying. As I said above, plan your own transportation to travel between your accommodations and your date.
Men and women have different approaches when meeting for the first time. I know a woman who wanted to meet in person within the first or second week after meeting a man online. She made sure the coffee date was in a busy area. That was her way of finding out more about the person she was meeting and whether he was worth it. She could then weed out those she did not like or did not feel good about.
She met many men that way, without having to take extreme safety precautions, and she never got into trouble. She liked to meet for a first short date in a busy area, and then she would follow her instincts. If the man she was meeting was clearly looking for just a quick one-night, or if she simply did not feel good about him, she would just stop interacting with him right then and there.
Whatever you do, have a safety plan when meeting for the first time. The odds are that you are meeting a good person, but you never know—and you certainly don't want to become a statistic.
Posted by David Roy on: September 6, 2007 View comments (0) Add comments
Six safety tips for dating online
It is always good to be safe when dating online. You really don't know with whom you are talking in your virtual communications—you in front of your computer and someone, somewhere in the world, in front of another.
Scammers are usually really easy for an experienced Internet user to spot. After exchanging messages for a while, chances are that you are talking with a good person, but you can't know for sure unless you meet him or her and enjoy a real-time relationship.
Here are a few tips to keep your identity safe and help you stay out of trouble when dating online.
1. Don't reveal your last name. You can tell the other person your first name if you like, but do not give both first name and last name. It is almost impossible to find someone with the first name only, but if you give both, then chances are you could be tracked down.
2. Do not give information about your work. Don't tell too many details about what you do for a living, and certainly not about where you are or for what company you are working.
3. When corresponding with someone online, ask a lot of questions and see if there is any kind of discrepancy in what they are telling you. You can ask the same questions differently each time to see if someone is really telling the truth.
4. Follow your instinct. If you have a bad feeling about someone online, you do not have to pursue a further relationship with that person. Most websites give you tools to block communication with certain people. If you have not given out any personal information, then that person will never be able to track you down.
5. Remember that you can always say no. If someone is insistent about getting personal information from you, even if you have repeatedly said no, you should be wondering about what kind of relationship you would end up having with this person in the future, and you should also question his or her intentions. Good people with good intentions understand why someone can be reluctant about sharing personal information online.
6. Make sure that the photos you are sending to your correspondent do not show some information about where you are or where you hang out. I have seen some young people in their profile photos wearing T-shirts of the universities they attend. I once saw a photo of a person beside the back of his car, where I could clearly see the license plate number. Someone can easily find you with that type of information.
My thinking is that dating online is safer than dating in a bar. You are in front of your computer and nothing can really happen to you, but it is always good to follow a minimum of safety precautions.
When you have an online profile, you are exposed to thousands, if not millions, of people, and you never know who you can come across.
Posted by David Roy on: September 3, 2007 View comments (0) Add comments
Five reasons why you should be dating online
Online dating, a new way to meet people and even to find a girlfriend or a boyfriend, is embraced by more and more people every day.
Some people may think that online dating is for losers or for people who just can't attract someone in real life. The fact is, though, that many educated and intelligent people are now using the Internet to find a date—or the love of their life.
Here are a few different reasons why people date on the Internet, and why you should also jump in and take your chance on a dating website.
1. One reason for online dating is diversity. There are millions of people dating online, all looking for a date and possibly a long-term relationship. With that number comes diversity—all types of people. There are even dating websites that exist out there based on religions, lifestyles, and interests.
However, most dating websites do not have any kind of specific theme. Since all major dating websites have millions of subscribers, you will find all kinds of people, with different incomes, ages, and interests.
With all those people searching online, your chances of finding someone who meets your requirements and who has the same interests as you can increase greatly.
2. Another reason is convenience. You do not have to dress up and look good to sit down at your computer and look for a date. In fact, you could be in your underwear and no one would know or care.
Many people with tight schedules use online dating for the convenience of it. They can get home after a long day at work and, without needing to shower or get dressed up, they can spend some time on the computer making contact with prospects. They can do this seven days a week, at any time of a day.
Another convenience of online dating is that you are only a few clicks away from making contact with interesting people. You have the opportunity to read and learn about a person first, which makes it easy for you to weed out people who do not interest you and to contact those people you do like.
3. Online dating is cheap. You get much more for your buck than with any other way of meeting singles. A membership on a dating website can cost between US$20 and US$60 per month. That is easily the price of one night out, during which you are not even sure of meeting or talking with someone who has the same interests as you.
Online you have access to thousands or even millions of profiles leading to prospects whom you can contact while paying much less. That's more people than you will ever meet in real life. The only thing remaining for you to do is to narrow your search using your own criteria, and to contact those you are interested in.
4. Dating websites help you to actually make contact with people you are interested in. They all have a some kind of system that matches your criteria or the characteristics you are looking for in someone—age, gender, income, location, etc.
This system matches your criteria with the profiles in its database and sends you via email all the profiles of people who might interest you. This feature is really helpful, and if you set your criteria properly, you can have lots of success that way.
Online dating is really for everyone. All kinds of people date online and there are many good reasons to do so.
Millions of singles are searching online right now, and the numbers grow every day. Millions of people have been successful, have found the men or women of their dreams, and are in very satisfying and happy relationships—some have even gotten married.
Online dating is not any better or worse than other ways to find a lover. But it is a new, modern way that is becoming well established in our society. |
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