How to Streamline the Online Dating Process

Do you feel that you spend a lot of time sifting through countless profiles, responding to numerous email requests, or trying to construct the perfect profile? You're not alone. Many people get caught up in the excitement of searching for a love interest online - after all, there's a seemingly endless number of candidates. So how do you efficiently sort through them all so you can get to the more exciting part of actually dating?

Following are some ways to streamline the process:

Shorten your login time. Instead of spending three hours in the evening scrolling through profiles and sending out emails or obsessively refreshing your screen throughout the work day, try allowing yourself an hour, or thirty minutes at lunch to scroll through new profiles or read emails. It's also nerve-wracking to wait around for a response, so instead of checking in obsessively, choosing a time of day to login will help curb those tendencies.

Don't respond to everyone. It may seem rude, but you don't have to respond to every email you get if certain people don't interest you at all. This is a big time waster, especially since many people are sending mass emails and hoping someone responds. They will get the hint if they don't hear back. If they send you repeated emails, then send them a short response of "thanks but no thanks" - keep it brief and polite.

Outline what you want. I'm not a fan of narrowing your choices down so much that you only have a few candidates to choose from. Keep your options open - but do set some limits. Sort through your matches according to what's most important to you - whether it's a religious belief, an interest or hobby, or how far you're willing to drive to meet them. If you get too few matches, you know you're being too picky - but if you get hundreds, you might try filtering your preferences a little more.

Keep it simple. When you exchange emails with another online dater, there's no need to go into a long story about your past or try to woo her with the perfect email. Instead, keep your exchanges brief and flirtatious or funny, depending on your tendencies. You can get into the stories of your lives later - think of an email as more of a teaser for meeting you.

Cut to the chase. I'm a big fan of meeting in person sooner rather than later. Some people become emotionally invested in an online relationship before they've ever met, and then become disappointed when they finally do. Instead of letting yourself get carried away with online exchanges, ask for the other person's number and give them a call! Then (if you're still interested) ask them out.