How to make online dating work?

Rebecca, who is 33 years old and lives in a small town in Wisconsin, listened to our advice on finding a husband, and placed her personal ad on a couple of online dating website. She dated a few men, even spent a couple of weekends with two men, but at the end of it all, she realized that none of the men were "marriage" material. "I don't know what to do. What to do when online dating does not work? Should I try something else?"

So we at LuvCube, are not sure that it is online dating that is to blame. You have to ask what went wrong and try to answer that by thinking about the following questions:

• Did you have success in meeting men (or women, if you are a man reading this article)?
• Were these the kind of people you were looking for?
• Were you honest in your profile? Were these people honest in their profiles?
• Are you being too choosy since online dating seems to offer almost limitless choices?
• If you abandon online dating, how else will you find a husband/wife/date?

No dating technique is perfect

Online dating merely allows you to find dates without necessarily hanging out in bars each night. Plus you can be more selective and you can disclose who you are and what you are looking for to a lot of people without going through the usual bar or singles events routine. Or in other words, it is far more efficient.

How to make online dating work?

• Invest in a good personal ad. If you do not know how to write, read as many personal ads that you can on the Internet and jot down what seems to be catchy and is suitable for you. Show the draft to a friend or two and get some feedback. And if you do not have friends who have the right skills, then just ask a professional to write it for you. You have complete confidentiality and you get a quality ad in return. (Related article: Tips on writing a personal ad)
• Keep changing your ad as you go along. As you join the dating game, you will learn what is working for you and what is not working. For instance, if you go on some dates and always get praised for your style or smile or sense of humor but you have not mentioned this in your ad, it is a great idea to edit your ad.
• If you are a woman, do not think that you should not respond to personal ads. If you see a man who meets your criteria, by all means, respond to that ad. While men are often known to take more chances and do a reasonable job dealing with rejection, many men are either too shy or might not respond wondering if they are good enough for you.
• Do not limit yourself to just one website. We typically recommend that you try at least three for 3 months and drop the ones that do not work and try other ones. People get attracted to different websites for different reasons and you should spread out your efforts.

Finally, do not put all your eggs into one basket. While we recommend to our readers that they do their best with online dating, they may also want to use other dating techniques like attending social events, asking friends and family members to introduce someone, and of course, going to bars once in a while.

Recommended article: How to find a soul mate?