Dating Tips

Can a Summer Romance be TOO Hot?

Julie — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 16:32:34 +0000

Now that we’re entering the sweltering days of summer, it’s time to rethink your current dating plans.

After all, it’s a little too hot for the beach and even hotter for that long romantic walk you had planned. So, it’s time to go to Plan B, C, D, E….

There are plenty of ways to stay cool and have a great time on a date.

Go to the movies – Try heading to your local movie theatre for some back to back flicks. Each of you can choose one movie to see and hang out in their air conditioned rec area between the show times.
Head to the bookstore – Since bookstores often have much more than just books these days, why not take a date there. Split up to look at things you might want to buy and then find one of those comfy couches to read until the sun goes down.
Try the museum – If you’re looking for a little culture, head to the museum. It’s generally free for the regular exhibits and it’s always cool. They also tend to have great eating spaces where you can discuss your favorite artists.
Go for a drive – If you one of you owns a convertible or isn’t opposed to renting one for a day, take a drive around the town or to any nearby tourist areas. Sure, gas is pricey these days, but one day on the road might be just the right way to start a relationship. And that’s worth it.
Dating in the heat doesn’t have to make you sweat!

Feng Shui for Dating - Can’t Hurt, Right?

Julie — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 16:22:11 +0000

If you’re having difficulties dating, why not use what the Chinese have been using for centuries – Feng Shui.

Feng Shui takes into consideration the idea of energy and what that means to your life. If your life is out of balance, you might have troubles dating, as the logic follows. Thus, here are some ways to rebalance your life in order to attract love and romance.

The first thing you want to do is to find the relationship areas of your home. Now, there are various types and styles of Feng Shui, so you can find different answers to this area’s location. But your bedroom is a good place to start.

This is generally considered to be the seat of your love energy. To help inspire new love, make sure you’re not cluttering up your space and that your bed is large enough to accommodate two people. This doesn’t mean you need to sleep with people, but allowing the space for someone to be in your life eventually is going to help you increase your love energy.

In addition, make sure to remove any evidence of past relationships from your room. This will help you to keep positive energy in the space, and it will help you begin to realize just how much possibility there is out there for you and for your romantic life.

Another good thing to do is to place pairs of things in your bedroom, just as you want to be a part of a pair – pairs of candles, photos, vases, etc. These will all help you begin to pull in more love energy.

There are plenty of other ways you can enhance your love energy, but get started with these. Who knows where they might lead?

Summer Romance Anyone?

Julie — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 18:04:21 +0000

Who needs a long term relationship when you can have a summer fling? Well, a late summer fling anyway. Even if you want marriage and partnership in the future, there’s nothing wrong with getting into a relationship right now – just for fun. Here are some of the reasons you need a fling now!

It’s fun – Instead of feeling the pressure of making a relationship work, you get to focus on how you and your fling can make the most of the time you have. Each date is better than the one before.
It’s harmless – As long as you and your date know that you’re not looking for anything serious, you can enjoy each other’s company guilt-free.
It helps you meet new people – Not only are you getting a date night companion, but you can also meet his or her friends, extending your future potential dates and just platonic relationships.
You can have your space – Since you’re not going to be changing your life for this person, you have the freedom to still do whatever you want and then see them when you like.
You learn about your needs – When you focus only on what YOU desire, you actually are getting a great learning opportunity. You get to learn more about yourself and more about your needs in terms of relationships in general. This is only going to help your future dates.

Online dating is a great place to find that summer (or fall) fling, so why not start updating that profile. Who knows? Maybe a fling will become more than you expect and all that you’ve wanted?

Take a Tip or Follow Your Heart?

Julie — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 17:59:33 +0000

When it comes to online dating, it seems that everyone has an opinion. Some people tell you to be aggressive, while others tell you to be a bit more reserved. So who can you believe?

No matter who you talk to, you might want to think about online dating like any other goal in your life.

Think about what you want.
Figure out the action steps you need to take.
Then take them.

While the formula seems simple, and it is, the results aren’t as quick and as easy as some sites might have you think. And this is the main reason why online dating tips aren’t always as helpful as they seem.

And let’s be honest – they’re also pretty redundant after a while.

A better approach might be to not strategize about the way you are dating, but rather to be yourself and support the person you are and the person you want to be with. If you’re constantly trying to win someone else, you’re going to miss out on meeting up with someone who likes you for you – and not just for the person that you seem to be online.

So, should you take dating tips to heart? Maybe, but with a grain of salt. What seems to be reasonable, use; what seems to be useless, toss.

Now, get out there!

Why You’re NOT Getting Asked Out Again

Julie — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 10:22:36 +0000

Why didn’t he/she call? You seemed to really hit it off, there was playful banter, even some touching and canoodling. So, why didn’t you get that call for a second date?

First of all, it’s probably not your fault. You just didn’t know the ‘rules.’ (No, not those other rules.)

Rule #1 – Don’t get too personal

While you might want to profess your entire life story to this new person, it’s not generally the best idea. So, leave the stories about your exes at home and try to talk about them instead.

Rule #2 – Don’t be rude

Always bring enough money to pay, cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze, don’t talk with your mouth open, etc. All of those manners that your mother tried to teach you? Use them. And don’t even think about arguing that ‘Well, this is just the way I am.’ It’s still rude and it’s certainly not going to win you any points.

Rule #3 – Don’t try to be crazy

Somewhere along the line, the idea that quirky = good got passed along to singles around the world. So, people began to try to be overly funny or weird as they thought it might appeal to a prospective partner.

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

Being odd, if that’s a part of your personality, is fine, but being weird for the sake of being weird – not so great. Leave your singing of the names on the menu and rhyming everything that you say at home, locked far away from sunlight.

Be yourself!

Take Love Lessons from the Other Singles Out There

Julie — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 11:57:35 +0000

From coast to coast, people are looking for one thing – someone to love. And whether they choose to use online dating options or they go the old-fashioned route, there are a few lessons you can learn from the mistakes (and the successes) of others just like you.

Geography doesn’t matter in the land of love – only how you travel to your final destination.

First of all, being yourself is the main lesson that all of us could learn. We often believe that in order to impress someone else, we need to become someone else, but this is far from the truth. What we do need to do is to learn to accept who we are, even with our flaws, and flaunt the positive.

This means – women, don’t spackle on makeup to look ‘perfect’ and men, don’t fluff up your credentials or your achievements to seem successful.

Secondly, you want to make sure that you are clear about what you want from your relationship from the very start. Just want to date someone for fun? Tell your new partner that.

Looking for a long term relationship? Tell them that too.

This way, you can both be on the same page, and no one can ever say, “Oh I didn’t know that you wanted….”

Finally, if there’s any tip that works for both genders in every dating scenario, it’s this one – realize that it might not work. You shouldn’t put all of your hope and your energy into one person because it’s probably fairly reasonable to assume that they might not be the ‘one’ you’ve been looking for.

Go into each date and each relationship as though you could fall in love, but if it doesn’t happen, that’s okay too.

Move onto the next lucky date!

Want to Start Your Own Online Dating Site?

Julie — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 16:04:30 +0000

If you’ve ever signed up for a dating site, used it for a while, only to think to yourself, “Hey, I could do this better,” why not give it a try?

There are a number of books now available on how to start and run a successful online dating site. Not only can you create a site that caters to your own love needs and desires, but you can also start making a living from the ever growing and ever popular world of online dating.

To begin, you need to have an idea that you already know you would sign up for – after all, if you’re not interested in signing up for your site, why would anyone else be? Start by looking around at the various sites that are available, and make lists of what you feel is missing from the other sites. Or you can take one site that you really like and make a list of the things that would make it perfect.

Then, you need to get a little background in how to set up a website – don’t worry, it’s not that difficult. Take a few classes in site building and read as many books as you can.

You will find that once you have the site set up, it’s easy to update and it’s easy to let run on its own. After a while, not only will be make some extra money, but you will also be able to find some dates.

Not a bad combination at all – work and pleasure, combined.

When You’ve Dated Too Many…

Julie — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 16:40:19 +0000

If you’re finding that there’s a theme to your dates, it might be time to find a different kind of site. For example, some people don’t want to date all hippies or conservatives, so they need to head to sites that favor their political flavor.

Or you might want to date all vegans or meat lovers – whatever your thing is.

What you need to know is that you CAN find your dating niche, if you look for it. Just be specific about what you hate and you’re certain you want. There’s a site for everyone.

And knowing this, you can choose dates that are much more likely to be successful, instead of dates that end up in an awkward moment on the doorstep and many ignored phone calls.

Niches are the next wave in online dating. Instead of just hoping for A date, you can choose THE RIGHT date for you and for your current tastes in men or in women.

After all, if you both are in the niche, you already have something in common – not a bad icebreaker at all.

From political affiliations to gender orientations and fetishes to favorite comic books, you CAN have it all. Finally.

Is Online Dating Good for Your Budget Too?

Julie — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 17:22:37 +0000

When you turn on the news these days, the headlines aren’t just about the latest crime spree or about the hottest celebrity, it’s all about the money woes of the world. Salaries are shrinking and prices are rising. Things are just getting depressing all around.

Who can even think about love at a time like this?

But what some companies have found is that online dating services are booming. Since online dating does help you save money in the long run, this is the one place where people can still look for love, even as their wallets grow thinner.

Online dating…

Is cheaper than going out to bars or clubs.
Lets you scout out prospects before you go out with them.
Lets you talk at length with people before you meet for drinks.

Since you’re not heading to places to (hopefully) find a date, you get to stay at home with your cheap frozen dinners until you find the right person to take you out.

You might also want to make sure that first date is free or just really inexpensive. Go to a coffee shop or to a bookstore to get to know each other before you pull out your wallet.

Tough times call for drastic measures, but just because the economy is in a slump doesn’t mean your love life needs to be too.

Liar, Liar, Date on Fire?

Julie — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 17:12:16 +0000

Yes, people lie. While this isn’t a shocking revelation to anyone, it certainly seems to be forgotten when it comes to online dating. People think that just because they’re meeting others who want to find a date too that everything is going to go perfectly.

Not quite.

Just as in the ‘real’ dating world, some people aren’t all that they seem. To help you spot the liars before they get into your home, here are some red flags that the person you like shouldn’t become a person you love.

They never want to meet in person – If you’re on a dating site, you should be there to actually meet people, not just to ‘hang out’ in IM boards and in chat rooms.
Their picture doesn’t quite match up to how they describe themselves or you meet in person and they’re nothing like their picture – If they lie about what they look like, who knows what else they’ll lie about?
They can’t give you an answer as to why they’re dating online – Everyone has a reason. If they’re honest about what they want and you don’t agree with them, that’s okay. But if they avoid answering that question, they’re hiding a spouse probably.
They only use free sites – If you’re trying to find someone to hook up with, you use free sites. But if you’re looking or something long term, you’re willing to put your money where your motivations are. Many people on free sites are just looking for sex or they’re looking to cheat on a spouse.
They don’t look you in the eye when you meet.
They change your date suddenly at the last minute.

Over time, you’ll be able to spot the liars from their profiles, but until then, it’s best to treat any prospective first date like an employee you might hire. And they have to prove they’re qualified and up to your high standards.