The proliferation of online dating sites makes the process of qualifying potential mates fast and efficient. This can be both a good and a bad thing. As one begins using online dating sites they can quickly find themselves deluged with emails and interested parties. To avoid moving to quickly or becoming overloaded with conversations with people who are not your "match" use a good model for screening and qualifying dates. This will help save you time, money and spare you drawn out long dates with individuals you know are not a fit in the first 5 minutes.
Things You'll Need:
One or more reputable online dating sites
Patience
Charm
Discipline
Good qualification skills
Steps:
Step One:
Don't lie on your profile (tall claims, pictures from 10 lbs ago, etc.) The online dating process works best if you are honest. Pretend you are something you are not and you will soon find yourself juggling a maze lies. Put the real you out there and trust the process.
Step Two:
Always exchange at least 3 emails before speaking on the phone. Ask questions that reveal more details as the conversation progresses. Offer some insight in to yourself also. Don't hide potential deal killers- I am married, I have kids, I live abroad, I am in prison. Be suspicious of vague and short responses.
Step Three:
After 3 preferably detailed emails are exchanged, and no sooner than two emails into a discourse, ask for pictures. The more the better. Anyone can take ONE good picture.
Step Four:
If you are still interested you are now ready to move to a phone conversation. Ask for their number. Many things can be revealed over the phone. The lack of time available to craft an email is eliminated. You now see how the person responds to questions and conversations on the fly. If voice is important to you, you now have another piece of the puzzle.
Step Five:
Once you have exchanged emails, photos, and spoken on the phone you can now consider a face to face date. I suggest meeting for drinks in an intimate, but not overly romantic or dark setting, at a venue where drinks can easily be extended to dinner. This provides the invaluable options of having one drink and ending the date without appearing rude or extending a date to multiple drinks or dinner if things go well.
Furthermore, you can manage cost and time spent until such time as you confirm that you really want to spend more time with the person. Many an active dater finds themselves spending hundreds of dollars a month on dates with people they have no interest in seeing second time.
