Online dating is one of the few things in the dating world that doesn’t have any rules. You can talk to whomever you want, break up on a whim, and generally just have fun meeting new people. But in all of this fun and freedom, you might want to remember that if you’re serious about meeting someone, you need to learn the rules of wooing – that is, how to flirt with someone you like.

When you’re out on date with someone, flirting is almost too easy. You simply touch their arm, laugh at all their jokes, etc. They know that you’re into them without your having to say it. But when you’re online, things change. You don’t have that face to face time at first, which can limit the ‘woo’ factor that keeps new relationships exciting.

You need to start flirting in the virtual world:

• Compliments still go a long way – By taking the time to notice things about the person you like, you can compliment them honestly to make them blush.
• Pay attention to them – Respond to your emails and make sure you show up for chat times. This shows that you care and that you’re interested in pleasing them.
• Ask questions – While this doesn’t seem like a flirting tip, just watch what happens when you ask someone questions about themselves; they’re going to respond much more favorably to you.

Though you aren’t able to give your ‘date’ a wink or a smile, you can give them a few flirtatious messages that get your point across – that you like them and you want them to like you too.

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While other dating websites focus on getting you to meet Mr. or Miss Right, what do you do if you’ve already found them? You need a strategy for making sure that you’re giving your relationship the best chance it can have.

• Do unto others – While this phrase might seem cliched by now, you really need to remember that the things you like are also probably the things that your new partner likes. For example, if you like doors held open for you or a date that shows up on time, why not provide them with the same behavior?
• Remember the date – Things like birthdays anniversaries, and holidays become special times to celebrate with someone else. Try to use these specials days to your relationship advantage. Buy small gifts or write a meaningful card – every little bit helps.
• Make them smile – While life isn’t always happy and exciting, making sure to keep the humor in your relationship will do more than you think is possible. Try to keep some problems or complaints to yourself so that you can focus on the positives in the world as well as your relationship.
• Get away from each other – You don’t have to spend every waking hour together and it’s generally good advice not to. Try to have your own separate interests outside of your relationship in order to keep things exciting.

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While you might think that online dating is tough – listen to this.

Zookeepers in the Netherlands are trying to play matchmaker to Indonesian and Dutch orangutans over the Internet. Seriously.

It works by connecting various zookeepers and letting them talk about the various orangutans that they have and who they think might get along best as mates. There are even video feeds that will ‘introduce’ the primates to each other to see if there’s a positive reaction.

They can even feed each other by means of a button. When the orangutan pushes the button during a video meeting, the other orangutan will receive a treat.

Dinner for two, anyone?

However, just like any relationship, it seems that there are troubles ahead for those long distance animal lovers – the trip from Apeldoorn and Indonesia is a long one. And this means that many of the orangutans may never meet.

But the inventions of web cams and computer systems that will allow them to ‘date’ online gives many daters hope that things will work better for them.

However, a word of advice for all online daters: there are monkeys looking for love online too, so you should try to be as specific as you can about the species that you’re willing to meet for coffee.

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