One of the major changes in terms of dating over the past fifteen years is the possibility of dating online without leaving your home. It is something revolutionary and facilitates meetings, especially for those who are shy or who do not have confidence in their body and personality.
So while dating sites are everywhere and often free, not everyone wants to use them. There are still a good number of single people who refuse to register on one of these sites, such as Meetic, for a lot of different reasons, but if it could help them find a partner.
SOME REASONS FOR THE FEAR OF ONLINE DATING
Bad encounter
Chatting with someone on the internet is still dangerous. You can’t be one hundred percent sure who is on the other side of the computer.
Of course in the majority of cases, this is really the person as described in their profile, but it is not impossible that you are actually chatting with a pervert.
There have already been several cases of rape where the victim had made an appointment with her attacker whom she had known on a dating site.
My advice: These cases are rare. There are several ways to verify someone’s identity by asking specific questions. Also make an appointment in a public place such as a café, a metro station, etc. Never give your address to a stranger.
Reputation
Creating a profile on a dating site can also be scary for reputation reasons. By creating a profile, we post a photo, an attractive description, etc … We clearly say: “I am single and I want to meet people, quickly”. If it is a website that is dedicated for one night stands, it is even more embarrassing if his boss, parents, or friends fall on it. The equivalent could be walking down the street with a sign on your forehead saying “I’m looking for a partner”. Not everyone assumes.
My advice: Do not use your real first name on the site and do not give too many personal descriptions that could easily identify you. If you want to be even more anonymous, put a profile picture on which you have sunglasses, are in the shade, etc.
Lack of interaction
The very principle of an online dating site is that meetings are done on the internet, remotely, and not face to face.
A lot of people find it hard to deal with and don’t understand how you can hit on someone without seeing their face, their emotions. It is true that you cannot really tell if your correspondent seemed rather happy, surprised, terrified when you wrote to him that you were a fan of Justin Bieber. Even though his answer was “lol”, it’s hard to know what he really thinks about it without being able to see the reaction on his face.
My advice: Some sites have therefore improved and offer to talk to each other directly via webcam. The experience and interaction are therefore much better. Then make an appointment to check your first feeling.
If you’re still one of those online dating skeptics, go back to the good old fashioned ways and read our article on ideal dating spots.