Back in the 1990s, blind dates were the most common way to meet your better half. A friend of yours would have a friend who knows somebody they think you might like. They would introduce you to each other because they thought you were compatible. But in this day and age of technology? It is now online dating. Is traditional courtship still practiced? Is it taboo or trending? When you meet online, what safety precautions should you take?
People go online because whether we admit it or not, we are a lonely breed of people. We resort to finding “the gap” in the virtual world we yearn for from the physical world. In today’s digital age, when everyone is online, it has become part of the culture to have “met” someone on the internet. There are chat groups and online dating sites. On Facebook, we search for people we once knew and fall in love with again. Exactly, what are we searching for? Why do people like chatting?
ONLINE DATING TIPS
1. Build a profile that speaks of the true you. If you meet someone online, you wouldn’t want to be disappointed when you see them in person, right? Don’t fake your profile picture. One way or the other, the person you are talking to is going to find out what you look like. Don’t put a fake profile.
2. Getting to know each other. In other words, be yourself. You do not communicate effectively if you do all the talking. If you repeatedly talk about the same subject, that is not an effective communication but rather simply talking. Let the other person know the “real you” without pretension. For example: If you love movies, say so. But if you are clueless about reading sci-fi books, then don’t act like you’re a know-it-all on that subject. When someone gets to know you, he or she would love to know you for you and not just a fabrication but the real you. It is better to love someone for who they really are than for somebody who painted a beautiful picture of themselves but is the exact opposite of what they’ve been talking about.
3. Meet. You cannot just live in a relationship that’s stuck in the virtual world. You need to connect. One good way to do that is to set an actual date and place to see each other. Don’t base a relationship only by technology. To see and know each other on face-to-face basis weighs far more than just by technology alone. When you know there are sparks in real life and not only on the digital world, then you can pretty much tell that the relationship is heading in the right direction.
4. Conduct a bit of background check. Better to know who you are dating. Aside from getting to know each other, it also means checking to see if who you met on the internet is not a serial criminal, burglar or a murderer. Know what s/he associates him/herself with. Check if what other people are saying about your “partner” is true or not. Not saying you should trust the rumor mill but it is also a safety precaution not only for you but on the relationship itself.
5. Let the sparks fly! When you already feel there is a connection and the sparks are not shallow, then take the plunge in taking the relationship to the next level. You would want to see each other more. You would love to meet their parents. But more than that, you need to have a relationship built on trust and good communication. You cannot find someone trustworthy if you do not understand each other. One way of doing that would be to always communicate. No matter how hard an LDR is, make the relationship “work.” Work in the sense that you “invest” time and effort in building that trust with each other that makes you believe the relationship will work itself out, difficult as it might seem.
For a relationship to work whether LDR or living nearby to each other, it becomes effective when there is “faithfulness.” Always finding time for each other no matter how busy you are gives importance to the relationship. Showing your loved one that you want to spend quality time together, makes the bond tight whether it is as simple as having late night talks or snuggling to each other and always making up at the end of each day because you always choose to love, loving your special one rather than fighting.
Not all love stories have their happy endings. No matter the circumstances of how you met, it is not by fate alone but with faith. And when you have finally found love? Is it the true kind, real and loving you faithfully? Then you are amongst the blessed ones.
