Secrets of Online Dating
I’ve tried online dating for the last 6 months. I’ve gone on date after date – some good and some bad. But I have to admit that the best part for me hasn’t been all the new people that I’ve met. I’ve figured out a way to reap many, many rewards from online dating. Want to know my secrets? Well read on…
1) Free Magazines!
I signed up for a one-month membership with Match.com, one of the most popular online dating sites, a while ago. I figured one month was long enough to give it a try. So with hopes set high I set up a profile and then forked over my credit card.
Well, here’s the thing – Match.com offers you a FREE subscription to a magazine of your choice with your paid membership. So like any magazine-loving girl, I took it! Now, months later, the guys that I found on Match.com are long gone… but my magazine subscription just keeps on giving.
2) Free Laughs!
Shortly after signing up for my Match.com subscription, I ran across a few profiles of people that I knew in real life. One of them was a manager at the company that I work at! You do not know how much fun I had reading and re-reading his online dating profile. I even printed out his profile so that I’d have an actual hard copy of it.
This particular manager had a repuation at work for being hard to work with and basically being a real asshole. So weeks later when I had a run-in with him at a staff meeting (he ridiculed my team’s ideas), I knew that I had the perfect opportunity for revenge.
Using the company copier, I made dozens of copies of his online dating profile, taking special care to highlight phrases like “lonely at the top” and “misunderstood, sensitive guy”. After work one day, I stuffed the copies into every mailbox and under every office door that I could think of. The next morning he was pulled into his manager’s office and reprimanded for mixing his personal and work life. Not to mention that people at work were talking about it for WEEKS. Ha!
3) Free Movies!
I love Craigslist. I mean, I really, really, really love Craigslist. Why, you ask? There’s no quicker and easier way to find something to do for the night. Here’s what I do. Head over to your local Craiglist site. Scour the Personals for Men Seeking Women, and look for the ads where the guy mentions a particular movie (or sports game, club, etc.).
Once you find one, send him a short, sweet email and be sure to include a hot pic or the link to your online dating profile! Tell him that you were so bored that you decided to check out Craigslist and it’s a lucky thing you did because otherwise you never would’ve seen his listing…. and presto! You’ve got yourself an automatic date and a free ticket to that movie you’ve been dying to see.
If you don’t see a listing that you like, you can post your own. Simply mention that you’re “dying to see this movie” or “heard great things about this club” so that you attract guys who will ask you out to do those things (otherwise you’ll be stuck with some dud who’ll want to have exchange boring emails for weeks) then just wait for the replies to start coming in.
4) Free Forums!
If you’re the kind of person who likes to share dating horror stories or relationship advice, then you really should check out the Plentyoffish forums. Plentyoffish is a free online dating site… and about the only dating site to offer forums. So you sign up for a free account, set up your profile and then head over to the forums, where the real fun is.
Here you can join in on discussions such as “What do women really think of short men?” or “Would you date a guy with no car?” or more serious discussions on “STDs”, “single-parent dating” or “those other online dating sites”. Most of the people on the Plentyoffish forums have been on one of the major online dating sites (Match, eharmony, Yahoo Personals) at one time or another, so they have a wealth of experience to share.
5) Free Money!
Believe it or not there is some serious money to be made from online dating… and no, I’m not talking about setting up your own dating site. Instead, you can write about your online dating experiences in a blog.
Anything goes in a blog – you can rate guys, keep track of your stats (who emailed you, who’s called you, etc.), even talk about your dates. Be sure to include links to your profile(s) and pics.
Why does this work? Everyday new people join one of the many online dating sites out there and they are looking for information or advice. YOU have that information!
To monetize your blog add Google Adsense or Adbrite ads. This way it won’t matter if you meet someone or not… you’ll be making money and laughing all the way to the bank.
So there you have it! Online dating does NOT have to be a pain. There is so much out there for you… you just need to know where to look. Good luck!
