Over the past 20 years the face of dating has gone through some noticeable changes. Online meeting has become a norm, and is gaining in acceptability. You can choose the online dating site that suits you best, look for people who have the features you desire along with common interests and contact them immediately.

As more people flock online, there are companies ever more eager to jump on the dating bandwagon. Dating has become easier for everyone due to the emergence and success of online dating websites. You can upload a picture to your online dating service if you want, but it is not required. The online dating sites are pretty simple to interact with. When you answer an online dating email, keep the tone light and friendly. Be yourself but avoid talking about your struggles or bragging about your success in life.

Keep your tone conversational but remember that in a real conversation we can tell the listeners reactions by subtle clues such as their posture or eye contact and even their feedback with smiles or small comments. When conversing in the presence of someone you know when you are treading on boring them or worse yet on turning them off. Online communication does not provide that kind of feedback. The closest you will get to knowing this is when you either get no reply email or you never see them in chat again. Make sure you know about online dating safety and how to protect yourself from unwanted attention.

Most online dating sites will not allow you to place any personally identifying information in your profile. You will not be allowed to put your phone number, your address or your email address. This is really to protect you from harm even though you might be tempted to think it is solely to make money from you by forcing you to buy a membership in order to share freely those details. Even if you have a membership you really need to refrain from putting those details in such a public place. This is equivalent to putting a sign over your house saying "single and alone woman lives here".

You need to consider your personal safety. Even men can cause themselves unwanted attention by placing too much information in their profiles. Women can become stalkers or invade your privacy too. It is important to take a moment to scan the information that you do give out with an eye for safety.

Did you just explain that you live on a sail boat at the marina and you are the only one that owns a sail boat? Did you just put your home or business email address in as a way to contact you? Both of those addresses will provide a wealth of information for anyone that put them into a search engine. Getting a free email address at hotmail or yahoo would be a better idea. You also want to be very careful when choosing a first meeting location. Public places really are a good idea. Do not lock yourself into hours with someone. Going to the show or theatre for a first date may seem like a good idea but if you meet the person and you know instantly that there is no attraction; make sure you have a quick out.

More and more people are meeting for a quick coffee and then plan more dates if mutually agreed upon. There are more then a few stories of people who met and communicated a long while on the net. They then felt such a close connection to their new found acquaintance that logic slipped away when they met for the first time. First meetings should never be in a private place where you may be inclined to have sex on your first date and you should not travel a long distance and stay in the house of someone you have spent time with.

Both of these activities are very risky. If you do find yourself in a long distance relationship you should do some research on your new found friend. You can do this research yourself or hire someone to do a background check. They can uncover any criminal charges and confirm their name and address and marital status is what you believe. You need to know their real name for this.

Consider getting a web cam as well. This can help both of you to see that attractor factor that you need in order to have a real offline relationship. With a responsible attitude and an open mind, online dating can be fun, safe, and exciting. Whether you find your date online or in person, you could end up with a true love or a broken heart.

Despite what the advertising on the online dating websites want you to believe, your perfect match isn't going to just fall out of the sky one day. It will take some work; you will need to find them in the proverbial haystack. Like with any great love story, it isn't worth it unless you put in the effort.

Susanna has tried and won at online dating. She has written about her experiences with online dating and how to fully access online dating sites for free. Access her online dating ebook at http://freeinternetdating.andsusanna.com.