Top 10 Online Dating Mistakes

Thursday, July 31st, 2014

Close up of a pug dogHere are some of the most common mistakes people make on online dating websites, along with tips about to avoid making the same mistakes yourself.

  1. Writing one line – Writing only one line of text for your dating profile looks lazy and doesn’t tell anyone enough about you to draw their attention.
  2. Writing too much – On the other end of the scale, it’s not a good idea to write 20 paragraphs with every detail of your life.  Tell people enough to catch their interest, but not so much that you have nothing to talk about if you meet in person.
  3. Putting yourself down – Being super positive about yourself may seem very unnatural, but it helps others to see you in a positive light.
  4. Not posting a photo – Some people can’t add photos to their profile for work or personal reasons, but for those who can post a photo it is a great way to draw people to your profile. Profiles with photos appear higher in searches and it allows people to see who they are talking to.
  5. Not sending any messages – Sitting back and waiting for people to contact you isn’t the most efficient way to find someone on a dating website. If you like someone, send them a message to let them know!
  6. Sending your contact details straight away – When you do send someone a message, don’t just send your contact details straight away for your own safety. It also seems a bit scammerish to try to draw people away from the dating website straight away.
  7. Sending the same message to lots of people –If you send the same message to lots of people, you are less likely to get a response as people like to know that you are interested in them in particular, rather than just anyone. Read through each person’s profile and tailor your message to them.
  8. Being impatient – Some people may reply within minutes, but others might not read your message straight away, or might be thinking about what to say.
  9. Being too pushy – On the note of being impatient, try not to send pushy messages like “Why haven’t you replied to the message I sent yesterday?”
  10. Becoming pen pals – Lastly, the point of getting in touch with someone on an online dating site is to meet up with them, so it’s a good idea to meet up once you are comfortable with one another.