How to Start Online Dating? - Eleven Dating Tips for Beginners and More Mature Daters

1. Choose the right service.
There are many different kind of dating services out there. Each one of these is more or less specified in one field of dating industry. They are ranging from general match making type of services, to direct sex dating services, where people exclusively search others to spice their sexlife. Dating field is so vast, that there is basically a site out there to satisfy every kind of dating wishes you may have. Just look around and choose accordingly.

2. Introduce yourself self in a right manner.
Make your profile in a way, which you think will attract that type of people, who you would like to meet. This is totally up to you. One easy way to do it is to first browse through profiles, and find out if there is some pattern in those profiles you like or don't like. After doing so, make your own profile in a way that it's similar to those you liked. Maybe they'll like your profile also…

3. Add recent photos and videos to your profile.
This plays pretty much the same way like the second tip; add photos of you which send out the message you want to send. There is no set of rules (fortunately), what kind of pictures you should or should not post. You reap what you sow.

Nowadays many sites allow you to add videos also, which is great! Videos can give you much more information about people, than only text or voice, before setting up a date.  Fun to watch too! This is highly recommended.

4. How to avoid "singles", who are actually taken already (married).
If someone of your new single online acquaintances has a blurry picture in their profile, is highly secretive, and seems to be very hard to reach, the reason may very well be that he/she is married. Approximately 25% of online-daters are only "relatively single". There's lots of fish in a pawn, so it's better to move on.

5. Be truthful.
No matter what kind of company you are looking for, it's better to be truthful about who you are right from the start. Before first offline date, things should be on general level anyway, most likely topics you have talked about are looks, likings, disliking etc. Truth will come out on a first date anyway, so it better match to one that has been told online.

6. Stay safe.
As a rule of a thumb, do not give away any personal information (addresses, phone numbers etc.), until you know your new online buddies better. Preferably meet them at least few times in a real world before getting more intimate. This is easily done, by just setting up a date to some public place or a zoo. Especially to the zoo. If you have some common sense, just follow your instincts, and you'll be fine. If not, at least yuo're in a zoo.

A good way for ruling out most of the creeps beforehand, is to use paid services. This is because people need to join these services using their credit card. This provides a great security measure by identifying each member by the card details, and logging them into system. Most services aren't that expensive to join, and it's a small price for added security anyway.

7. First date, make it special!
Making a great first impression is important factor in every kind of communication between individuals. In dating it's one of the keys to successful date. You never get a second chance to make a first impression, so be on time, at ease, confident and present yourself appropriately. So if your first night out together will be in a five star Michelin restaurant, be sure to stuff yourself inside a god damn huge Easter-bunny costume before calling that cab

8. If you are not interested, let him/her know.
If it's obvious, that this is not your soul mate sitting next to you, and you are not interested of taking this particular relationship any further, let your date know about it. Do it in that way, that both parties remain unhurt. That means telling politely and straight that you are not interested. If someone is not happy with that, it's their problem, not yours.

9. What are your expectations?
These can of course change during the course of dating when relationship develops, and almost always they do. Anyway, it is good to know what you are right now looking for, before you start your search. This is because different types of dating sites are specialized different kind of dating services like mentioned before.

10. Overdoing it, takes the fun out of online dating.
Like in any other activity, balance is important in online dating also. There are lots of good actives out there, which when properly consumed, are constructive and fun. However, by overdoing and addicting yourself into anything, turns it into destructive action. In other words, you're dating turns just to be just one more dope to escape from reality.

11. Go For It!
We only live here once, or several times, depends on a point of view and beliefs, but no matter how it may be, what are you waiting for? The point is to enjoy the journey, and you get more out of it when you have that special someone to share it with. Your date won't show up by doing nothing, so go for it!