Folks... relationship sites work! Yes! And a lot! It’s possible to find through the internet several stories of passionate couples who met in one of these sites and are together and happy until today. And if you read my blog posts, you know I’m one of them.
The internet is increasingly present in everyone's life today and is in virtually every area of a person's life. And you've probably used them or know a friend who has stories about how dating sites work.
If studies prove that the internet is increasingly used to shopping, studying and especially for fun, why there is such a big prejudice with dating sites, right?
There are times in life when loneliness can be really a nuisance. But it's not all the people who manage to go to a bar or a party and have the nerve to talk to strangers. For this reason, dating sites are highly sought on the internet all over the world and this has been happening for more than 20 years.
It may seem like a whole new thing to a lot of people, but long-distance relationships have existed since the time of our grandparents. Not infrequently, a couple needed to temporarily date through letter. Or even if they didn’t know each other previously, they could exchange letters thanks to the correspondence section of some magazines that circulated in the old days.
There are dating sites for all types of people and what they’re looking for: serious relationships, friendships, casual sex and even for lovers.
The fact is, regardless of your choice, dating sites are practical and that's why they're getting more popular these days, making it easier for most busy people to start new relationships.
Although a lot of people still wring their noses at online dating, millions use dating sites every day. Despite the prejudices and criticisms, the so-called virtual cupids move billions of dollars worldwide.
People are studying this
It’s no wonder that the topic is even the subject of scientific studies. Yes, there are researchers working to find out if the "new" way to find our other half is capable of even replacing St. Valentine, also known as a matchmaker, or whether the critics are right.
Love scientists have been trying for years to know whether the online dating relationship negatively or positively influences the couple's future. If dating sites actually bring together people who would have a great chance of going out offline, if they had a chance.
But we are there, living and sharing our experiences and ourselves in social networks. And there seems to have less and less division between virtual world and real one. What you live in the internet is real, it involves feelings, it’s not something that is kept in a box and is disconnect as soon as we go to sleep. We meet people, have fun, fall in love and suffer, as if we had met the person in the bakery queue.
Leah is dating at Amo. Join for free you too!
Don’t give up
What we need to keep in mind is that every story is its own story. There are couples who knew each other in chat rooms, and whether they have been together for one, two, five years or have been together until now, they have managed to maintain a quality relationship. There are those who did not.
When you hear or read about a success story from a friend or blog, who met her husband on a dating site, the natural tendency for many girls is to run to the same site to try their luck too. It may work, but it can also go wrong, and that's fine. One can’t think that just because she wasn’t successful this time, this will never happen and she’ll never find someone. Your story will certainly be different from your peers, if only for one or two details.
Online dating sites have the great advantage of getting people who live far away to meet face-to-face, which would almost certainly not happen if this tool didn’t exist.
Meeting with people, even if only marginally compatible, increases the chance of finding a true partner.
In addition, online chats and messages sent through these services can even help undo a negative initial impression, since partner searchers tend to meet in person very quickly.
To pay or not to pay?
The first thing you should keep in mind is that each relationship site has a particular feature, so what I suggest is that you don’t sign up for just one, but multiple relationship sites and review the following criteria:
Is the site interface user friendly and easy to use?
It’s important that everything you want to do on the site is well documented in a help section if you need it. It’s crucial to have all the options menu at hand when using a dating website interface.
Do the registered people seem to be real?
Many dating sites have fake profiles to attract more users.
Find out how the site policies are for profile verification. The more rigorous the check, the better it will be to find real people using the service. This keeps us away mainly from those dangerous situations that some usually associate with these sites.
The relationship site has a large volume of registrations and is quite mature in the market?
With so many sites available on the market, the trend is to look for the most established. However, don’t completely leave out your options of dating sites just because they are relatively new. Follow your personal criteria and consider these tips for breaking out relationship websites out of the box.
Can I find people with the profile I'm looking for?
The more you filter your partner's search, the less results you'll find though the refinement, and it will turn out to show you near exactly what you want.
Cost X benefit
Consider the following as additional criteria in deciding to sign up for an online dating service:
- You have a full collection of people of all kinds to have a chat with;
- You can think calmly about what you are going to say to the person. You don’t have that anxiety of when you meet someone in a club;
- You don’t need to get dressed. You can be in your pajamas, having a beer and talking to several people;
- It exercises your ability to develop topics of conversation;
- The cost for you to go out in search of dates will be VERY low compared to the investment you make to go to clubs and bars. A quick listing of expenses of 1 to 2 go outs per week (considering weekend only), including tickets to the club and consummation, shows that the cost is far higher than a paid online relationship site service;
- There will always be someone looking for a date for the same night;
- You have the opportunity to get to know several people simultaneously and more deeply than in a club (in which the loud sound gets in the way);
- People that you may never have the opportunity or the courage to approach, is a click away to chat with you. It may be that your self-esteem is not so high and you can’t get to that attractive person at the club. That person who would look at you. This may be totally different in an initial approach online. This person can become the love of your life;
- There are people to talk to 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It’s as if you are "on the hunt" at all times;
But remember, to succeed in social networking sites, you need to have an interesting profile. Don’t think that it’s only by registering and by clicking NEXT that the magic will happen.
The opportunities are huge
We can’t deny that dating sites work like real cupids, don’t they? In this case, the one who does the research is you, but the results can be incredible.
If you are picky and have some preferences, a dating site is ideal! Do you want to meet that girl that plays sports and enjoys a rock'n roll? Or do you prefer a princess with green eyes that enjoys classical music? Or even a geek girl who will play games with you?
In real life you would probably have to wait an eternity to find a perfect match. But in a relationship site this is entirely possible.
There are large user-base portals to millions of unmarried (or even committed) people. Of course, among so many singles hitting on you through the internet, you’ll find someone who at least gets close to your ideal type.
And reading my tips will get you to a particular relationship site that attract you the most, so this is where you think about the possibility of paying for this type of service.
Relationship sites for all types
There are many factors that lead people to fail to flirt with someone nice outside their social circle. Whether out of shame, low self-esteem, difficulty in socializing, shyness, lack of companionship, of friends and even laziness to go out at night.
But thanks to the internet you can meet one person or several “crushes” in the comfort of your sofa, in pajamas and eating good pizza. That sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it?
Relationship sites work to make it easier for a princess (or princesses) to come to you. And this happens easily and practically. If it’s Saturday night and you're not in the mood to go out hunting to come back with your hands empty, surfing through a dating site might be the ideal solution and yield much more.
So, if you are shy or too lazy to seek relationship in the traditional way, a dating site is the best option to finally get a boyfriend or a girlfriend.
Sharing personal experiences
As I said before in previous posts, I've dated online more than once. In one of these online dating adventures, I met a girl through a dating site, which was even paid for. I paid for the experience, which was very valid and made me know this wonderful Brazilian girl who is now my friend and helped me discover a lot of things about myself (you can read through the whole experience in previous posts). On another dating site that was free, based on musical tastes, I made some friendships and even had a date, which was less successful than the paid website and that didn’t even give me a lasting friendship in the end.
In both cases, what helped me was to have clearly know what I wanted: dates. But also knowing well my tastes and what I was looking for in men (and eventually, women). That way, I was able to limit my sample of "targets". To have a clear purpose may help you to better enjoy these sites and apps.
Do you also have this purpose? How do you use dating and relationship sites and apps? Comment down below and share your strategies with us!