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First and foremost, you need to know what you’re looking for in order to find the right online dating service for you. In order to do that, you’ll need to ask yourself a few questions. Who do you want the service to find: Mr. Right Now, Ms. Ms. Right, or a friend? And how will you know when you’ve found that perfect someone?

Next, you need to know yourself and your strengths. With online dating, you’ll need to market your strengths, because you’ll want to convince someone else to market their own strengths to you. This all happens before you ever meet in person. And it’s a good way to start your search.

There are, of course, the general dating sites: a huge mix of everyone, but perhaps with a slight leaning to one kind of politics or worldview. I’d call these places of last resort because they take a lot more messages to narrow your choices down into what you want. The up side is you may run across someone who is a bit outside what you thought you wanted, but ends up being what you really need.

Perhaps a better place to start your search is with one of the more specialized dating sites. Look for sites that focus on your religion, such as Judaism, Hindu, Christian, and Atheist. Or find one that finds matches based on political affiliation, be it Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, or the Green Party. There are also dating sites that cater to \”alternative\” lifestyles.

There are even dating sites for those who are just looking for a \”good time.\” It’s a good idea to avoid these sites. Guys generally outnumber the women. And there are also numerous ads for escorts masquerading as average people, but they are simply looking to make money, not a connection.

The next step, after finding the right online dating service, is to set up your profile. Men and women will need to do this differently. For men, since you’ll most likely be the hunter here, keep in mind that your profile will probably be read after you’ve actually contacted your potential date. What would you like her to know about you?

Good news, women, your looks aren’t as important in an online dating situation. In fact, some women refuse to describe themselves. A little bit of mystery isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The less confident men (who are still great catches) might be more willing to approach you. While the confident men might even assume you’re purposefully hiding your good looks, and will want to get to know you. That said, good looks do still count for something. A study found that blond hair is just as attractive as a college degree.

If you’ve read this far and are feeling confidence about finding the perfect online dating service for you, two places you might want to try are date.com and PerfectMatch.

Last 5 posts by Pam Baldwin

• Finding The Right Dating Service - August 11th, 2008
• Zeroing In On The Perfect Online Dating Service - August 11th, 2008
• Real Women Are Looking For A Manas Man - August 11th, 2008
• What Men Really Want In A Woman - August 6th, 2008
• Why Are Women Attracted To Certain Men? - July 21st, 2008

Tags: Marriage and Relationships