Never Tried Online Dating? Maybe You Should See What It’s All About

How’s your dating life? Not to ambush you or anything, but there are a lot of people out there who want more out of their dating experience – and maybe you’re one of them. If this is the case, you don’t necessarily have to stick with visiting the same old bars, or hoping that the next blind date your family sets you up with will be less disastrous than the others. Rather than trying to make something happen the old-fashioned way, it could be time for you to take your dating adventures online.

Never Tried Online Dating? Maybe You Should See What It’s All About
[image: pexels by mikhail nilov]

Just to be clear, there are all different kinds of online dating. There’s the standard Match.com experience on one side, where you meet people on the platform, and eventually get together in person if there’s a connection. On the other side there are video sex chat sites like Flingster, where you can have anonymous one-time dalliances with strangers via video chats. In the middle you have adult dating sites, where you can browse member’s profiles, see who you like, and connect with them using text or video chats. The main advantage, of course, is that you don’t have to skirt around strict user policies – you can enjoy the full spectrum of dating activities, or as much as you can within the limitations of video chatting. 

The type of dating site you choose will depend on the kind of date you’re looking for. Do you want someone you can bring along to a cousin’s wedding so you’ll look a little less single? Are you looking for a life partner, and you’ve exhausted all your options in the real world? Whatever the case, there’s probably already a site out there that’s the perfect fit. 

Online dating advantages

#1. Video chats have already been mentioned, but they’re worth expanding on. After all, they’re the reason why it’s even possible to maintain a long-term online relationship. You may not be able to get physically intimate with your partner, but for some, getting virtually intimate is enough to keep the flames burning. Even if you’re just looking for the online version of a one-night stand, video chats can certainly deliver.

#2. Rejection doesn’t hurt as much if you know that there are more options just a few clicks away. Rather than pinning all your hopes on a single date, you can try several times before finding what you want. Does this mean that you could get rejected a few times before finding a date? Sure, but it also means that you don’t have to take it as hard when it happens.

#3. With more potential dates than you could shake a stick at, online dating means you won’t work nearly as hard to find people you like. There’s no need to rely on having large social circles, friends who make great wing-men, or sheer luck to find your next date; instead, you can depend on the dating site’s algorithm to bring the matches to you. 

#4. Your wallet may be especially happy once you’ve started online dating. Instead of shelling out all kinds of money for personal grooming, a nice meal, or creative activities that’ll impress your date, all you have to do is own a decent webcam and wear clean clothes. Whether you’re looking at the total cost, or the cost per date, the price tag for online dating will be lower each time. 

Online dating disadvantages

#1. This is more of a misconception than a disadvantage, but sometimes people forget that not everyone will find love on an online dating site. A lot of discussions about online dating fail to mention the fact that it doesn’t have a 100% success rate, but that’s just how it works out for some people. 

#2. It’s a bit harder to have variety in your dates; if you want to keep things feeling fresh, you’ll need to get creative. Since the best tool you have to work with is video chatting, whatever you do will have to be something that fits onto your screens. This still leaves you with plenty of options, but it won’t feel as effortless as a more typical dating scenario.

#3. Unless you’re planning on keeping things totally platonic, the fact that online dating won’t involve physical contact has probably crossed your mind. Video chatting can certainly bridge the gap to an extent, and for some people that’s enough; however, it still isn’t the real thing. 

Why online dating can be easier than dating in real life

Sometimes it boils down to availability. Nobody in your friend-group is an option, blind dates have yet to yield a positive result, and leaving things to chance hasn’t worked out either. You could keep trying to make something happen with the same methods, or you could introduce something new to your strategy – and suddenly expand your potential dating pool by several thousand people.

Again, this isn’t to say that you’ll definitely find the right person if you try online dating; it’s just that your chances are better if you use both online dating and more traditional methods. It’s simple mathematics. 

Why boundaries are still important while online dating

One of the main risks of dating in real life is the possibility of getting pressured to cross personal (and often physical) boundaries. While you won’t have to worry about being physically harmed if you’re on a video chat, an online date could still cross plenty of personal boundaries using nothing but a webcam connection. 

If the person you’re talking with is clearly in it for themselves, there’s no reason for you to stick around – after all, this is supposed to be a two-way street! 

What’s the verdict – could online dating be the next adventure on the list?

Even if you do alright when dating in the real world, why not give online dating a try? It’s a whole new dynamic to explore, and you’ll be able to see options beyond what your current social circles have to offer. And besides all that, it’s just fun!