The single person’s dilemma
Do I attempt internet dating? And where the hell do I start?
I found the whole idea of internet dating a daunting and terrifying prospect. However I decided that I’d been single for far too long and that I needed to put myself out there.
I’m pretty shy and the thought of having to do the so-called ‘selling yourself’ pitch was a hurdle that I felt even Jessica Ennis would struggle to jump.
So I roped in my best mates for their help. There would be no ‘marking myself down’ or putting random, desperate answers down without having thoroughly thought things through with their assistance.
After deciding to take the plunge, the next stage was to decide on which site to use.
There are numerous dating sites available on line and highly dependent on what sort of relationship you’re looking for. These range from sites where you can be the true romantic and look for love and companionship to adult sites that specialise hooking you up with ‘sex buddies’ in your local area.
I registered with a couple of the big names; Match.com, e-harmony, my single friend.com, plenty of fish as well as a couple of relatively unknown sites, singles4mingles and smile4love.
I was extremely thankful of the help from my best mate when it came to completing the registration for the e-harmony site; between us it took over 2.5 hours to complete the incredibly thorough and time consuming process. Despite the intel they ask you for to enable them to match you with your ideal person, I found this site to be disappointing.
The same can be said for some of the other big names, I felt like I was just a number, which was probably the truth, as long as you’re making your monthly payments, they’re happy. I received numerous bog standard emails offering banal suggestions and encouragement.
Having said that, the smaller sites offer a much more personalised interaction with you. The communication from the teams at singles4mingles and smile4love is excellent; you only receive relevant emails from them. The registration process is simple and straightforward and is fantastic value for money.
The matches made for me were far more aptly made and things are looking promising.
I would say to any singleton out there, yes the prospect is scary, however with on-line dating, you have the control and ability to take things at a speed you’re comfortable with and it can actually be confidence boost. You’ve got nothing to lose!
So don’t wait – get yourself out there and get looking.
Good luck xx
