When it comes to trying online dating, one of the most common objections I hear goes something like this: “But I just want to meet someone in person…the old fashioned way.” In the spirit of tough love, I’ll tell you this: that’s all a bunch of malarkey. Sure, it would be awesome if we all found our partners through a “meet cute” scenario (for example, by bumping into someone in a totally adorable way while at the dog park), but life isn’t a rom-com and Zac Efron isn’t waiting around every corner to tell us that we have beautiful eyes over a spilled latte.
I’m not saying that it’s impossible to meet an attractive stranger “the old fashioned way” – it’s just the odds are stacked against you. Think about your social life and everywhere you go and who you come in contact with at these places – for example, work, the gym, Starbucks, the grocery store. Unless you’re a hermit, you’ll definitely come in contact with people you could potentially date. However, of these people, how many of them do you share common interests with or are actually single?! After all, it’s not like we all walk around with floating bubbles above our heads which list our relationship status and what we’re into (Jerry. 32. Single. Likes hockey).
That’s where online dating comes in. Signing up for online dating is a bit like walking into a giant room where you’re pretty much guaranteed that everyone you meet is single and ready to date. If you’re looking for a boyfriend or girlfriend, stop waiting around for them to find you and instead go to where everyone is already hanging out: online. It makes a lot of sense doesn’t it?
Not only is online dating going to expose you to thousands of eligible singles like yourself, sites like Match.com, eHarmony and OurTime.com provide you with much more control when it comes to finding people with common interests, lifestyles, goals and compatible personalities, than meeting people “the old fashioned way.”
Take Match.com for example. Launched in 1995, Match.com pioneered the Internet dating industry and now serves millions of singles in 24 countries. Match prides itself on being responsible for more dates, relationships, and marriages than other free dating sites and is home to the largest and best pool of personals in online dating (who can argue with that?) If you’re looking for something very specific in a partner – for example, a love of table tennis and marine biology – Match.com is the perfect place to start.
Match.com lives by it’s name. With it’s advanced search functionality, you can actually build your perfect match, based on interests, background, and lifestyle. Advanced search filters contain detailed sorting of lifestyle features, such as exercise frequency and occupation, but also physical appearance, such as hair color and eye color. Similar to using Google, Match.com’s search functions will allow you to search under specific keywords in profiles, such as “table-tennis player” or “foodie” by using the MatchWords™ feature. You can even choose a set list of words that other users can search you with. Would you have access to this kind of information if you were trying to meet someone randomly in a bar?! My point exactly.
Another great option when it comes to finding a boyfriend or girlfriend online is eHarmony, which prides itself on being very relationship and compatibility focused. eHarmony really likes to get to know their users, so that they can help you find great long term relationships.With over 20 million registered users worldwide, eHarmony is responsible for 600, 000 marriages. In fact, one of their bragging rights is that they help 438 people get married every day!
The eHarmony Compatibility Matching System® matches singles based on 29 Dimensions® of Compatibility for lasting and fulfilling relationships. They accomplish this by learning as much as possible about your dating personality, values and lifestyle through their signature questionnaire, so that they can match you with people that you’re “deeply compatible with.” If your end goal is to get married and you’re highly detail focused, eHarmony is a great place to start. With one of largest user bases and a scientific approach to dating, you’re stacking the odds in your favor when it comes to finding a boyfriend or girlfriend. So, unless you’re going to come up with your own personality survey and start handing it out at your local watering hole, eHarmony is a solid bet.
Lastly, if you’re over the age 50, make sure you check out OurTime.com which has one of the largest user bases of singles over the age of 50 who are looking for all types of relationships, including marriage, travel companionship or even pen pals. The great thing about using a mature dating site like OurTime.com is that it’s designed with the needs of mature daters in mind. If dating someone your age or younger isn’t something you desire, you’ll never have to reject the online advances of people outside of your desired age range. It also doesn’t hurt that OurTime.com has a lot of great features that make it very easy and straightforward to use. The sign-up process is extremely simple and the basic search function allows you to search by gender, age and location. The advanced search function includes additional options such as marital status, relationship expectations, zodiac, and religion. Without a lot of techy bells and whistles, OurTime.com allows you to focus on what matters: finding the boyfriend or girlfriend of your dreams, no matter what age you might be.
