So you’re finally ready to go on that first date, complete with your newly purchased outfit and perfectly coiffed hair. Your heart is likely aflutter with excitement! Now make the most of your new dating opportunity by impressing your guy. It’s best to be yourself in a relationship, but a first date is the time to show off your very best qualities and make a good impression. Avoid being these gals on your first date, and you’ll have a much better shot at that second date.

Meager Bird
This just in: men are becoming wise to the fact that women also need to eat to stay alive. The secret is out; eating two grapes and some lettuce without dressing is not nearly enough to provide the proper nutrition you need to sustain a healthy body. Nevertheless, women often order the most meager selection on the menu for their first date. Contrary to popular belief, this actually makes many men uncomfortable, feeling self-conscious about what they have ordered and wondering if it’s perceived as too much. This doesn’t mean you need to order the biggest steak and potato dinner on the menu, but at least order something you actually enjoy. Your date will notice you enjoying your dinner, and will likely feel you are a confident woman who can order and eat whatever she wants, whether you are a size 2 or 22.

Chatty Cathy
Women have a natural tendency to talk far more than men, and this is only magnified on the first date because of nerves. Because men process information more quietly, they need a break from all the chatter to digest what you are saying. So before your first date, practice allowing moments of silence in your conversations, so you are not perceived as a Chatty Cathy, which can be overwhelming to a man. Practicing these moments of silence and then using this skill on your date may even result in your date taking the opportunity to talk more!

The Princess
So maybe your food is not perfectly prepared, or it’s too humid outside which makes your hair horrible, or perhaps your feet hurt from the four-inch heels you are wearing. Your first date is not the time to complain about every single thing that bothers you slightly. Instead of focusing on the things about your day or week or year that have gone wrong, focus on all those things that have gone wonderfully, and mention those things to your date instead of complaining. Making a list beforehand will do wonders in helping you prepare, so you don’t come off as The Princess to your date.

With a little preparation before your first date, you will be ready to avoid being these types that send your brand new guy running for the door, and it may even lead to another date and another down the line.

Dating Essentials Chat, First Dates, Women

It seems as though everyone has an online profile somewhere on the web. And for most of us, we’re actually on multiple networking sites – some for work, some for fun, and some with a mix of both of our needs.

Let’s look at two of the most popular – Facebook and MySpace.

Both of these sites have ways that you can proclaim your single-ness to the rest of the world, allowing you to have a free way to meet dates online. But is it really as effective as it might seem? Or are traditional dating sites the way to go?

Here are the pros of networking sites:

• They offer you a look into the personality of your date
• They can give you a sense of who they hang out with
• You can look at their profile before talking to them
• They’re free to use!

But here are the cons of using networking sites as dating sites:

• They can lead to long term issues with people bugging you for dates
• They can lure less than truthful people to your profile
• The security risk is higher

Just as with any website for dating, there are positives and negatives, so you need to weigh the risks before heading into the dating pool of these sites. But the good news? You don’t have to accept anyone as a friend until you’re completely sure you want them to be a friend.

Choose your friends wisely, and you might find your dating life spicing up.

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Still not seeing anyone special? You need more strategies…

Without further ado, here are some tips to get some responses for your profile on that online dating site.

Get advice from someone else – Before you post your first profile, have your best friend read it…and then ask them to be brutal about what works and what doesn’t.

Focus on creating contact with someone on a regular basis – Don’t just sit around and wait for people to contact you, try to make contact at least once a week. Email someone or IM someone to get used to talking to others. Soon enough, you’ll be meeting up with all the right ones.

Be honest with those you meet virtually and in person – You want to be make sure you are telling the truth so that you’re actually making a connection with the people who would be the right fit for you.

But…don’t tell everything – Releasing all of your personal history, your divorce, your children, your lack of child support, etc. Until you know that you really like the person, total disclosure just isn’t necessary.

Create time in your life for love – You can’t start dating unless you have time in your schedule to date. You need to start making room for love…before you start adding dates into your day planner.

Good luck!

Dating Essentials Buddy, Chat, IM, Love, Profile