Online dating for young people can often times be intimidating and scary.  Luckily, Sexpert, a Leftos.com user, was able to provide us some tips, opinions, and advice on how young people can use online dating to benefit their love life.  Sexpert, a 22 year old Female, has been using online dating sites for 3-4 years and feels that it’s “far superior to traditional dating practices.”  Below, she explains why….

1. You Can Learn About a Person Instantly

You can figure out if someone is compatible with you BEFORE you talk to them. If you meet someone in a bar, or at a party, or a friend of a friend, there are certain things that you probably want to know about them. Do they smoke? Do they do drugs? What religious beliefs do they have, and how serious are they about them? Do they want kids, do they like pets, do you like the same movies, etc. I always found myself getting to know people for a couple weeks only to discover that they had beliefs/behaviors that made them absolutely incompatible with me, and I felt like I was going nowhere. I needed to narrow down my search for people.

2. All The Single People Are in One Place

Even if you know that there are compatible people out there for you, it can be hard to meet them where you are both open to talking to each other. Some girls don’t like to be picked up at bars, some people don’t do well at parties, you may not go to the same school, etc. Online dating broadens the range of potential partners to include people that you wouldn’t otherwise meet.

3. You Don’t Have to Beat Around The Bush

You can make your intentions known from the beginning. You can say if you are looking for a short term thing, casual sex partners, or the love of your life. If I’m looking for a long term partner, I don’t really want to spend two months developing feelings for a guy only to have him tell me that “he’s just not in the right place for that right now”.

How Can You Build a More Appealing Profile?

(According to Sexpert)

1. Have pictures. Lack of pictures is shifty.

2. Show your personality when you fill out your profile. Don’t just make lists, but tell stories, emphasize things, make your profile fun to read. And humour. Add humour.

3. Have good spelling and grammar. I can tell from your question that this shouldn’t be a problem for you, but most people aren’t interested in reading profiles that read like a 10 yo girl.

4. If you message someone, don’t just say “hi – how are you?” That’s what you say to a bus driver or the person you order coffee from. Say something interesting that shows your personality. Give them a taste of who you are and make them want to message you back.

5. Be prepared for long msn/IM chats. I usually talk to someone online for 1-3 weeks before meeting them. I actually prefer this method, because that way when you do finally get together you know something about each other and your sense of humour. It feels more natural.

6. Don’t ask to webcam, especially before you actually meet. It’s just creepy. People record that stuff”