HEALTH - INTERNET DATING

Internet dating is one way of meeting new friends, getting your end wet, chatting, and meeting Mr. or Ms. Right. It’s time consuming, potentially addictive, fraught with rejections, weirdos and liars, but is also pulsating with opportunity and fabulousness! I have personally made great friends and met several partners through the net. Here are a few tips that may make navigating gay dating sites net a little less challenging.

The main thing to keep in mind is that it is like finding a needle in a gay-stack. So prepare yourself for a significant investment of time and energy.

Internet dating is a numbers game. If you persist for long enough, your number will eventually come up! In the mean time, be prepared for endless rejections! You will message many and most will not be returned, and some will be nasty. Don’t take this personally. They are not rejecting you, only your profile.

One problem that puts people off persisting is generalising. So if you’ve had many similar experiences, you’ll find yourself saying things like: “all guys on the net are only interested in sex,” or “they are all liars.” Whilst a majority of people might be exactly what you are thinking there are always the exceptions.

This is a marketing exercise where people will come to conclusions about who you are based on one or two photos of you and what you say in your profile. So make sure you have a few pics and a profile that show you in your best possible light. Show your profile to a few friends and get their feedback.

There are plenty of fish in the sea, so cast out your cyber fishing net of desire, keep a positive attitude and persist so you can seductively savour the sumptuous morsels from the seafood basket of life.

By Paul Martin | Principal Psychologist | Centre for Human Potential | P (07) 3211 1117