Trying Someone Different
- Wednesday, January 25 2012 @ 11:06 am
- Contributed by: Jet
- Views: 1,128
One of the obvious benefits of online dating is that you can tailor your searches to your own interests. Want to find another rock climber? Maybe someone who shares the same political views? If you’re the odd man out in your area, an online dating site is your best bet.
But let’s not forget the other benefit to online dating - that you can easily meet someone that you might never run in to otherwise. Someone who doesn’t travel in the same social circles, who wouldn’t show up at the same rock concerts, who doesn’t go to your church. Someone completely different and outside your personal box.
A friend of mine, Katie, decided to give online dating a whirl. After a month or so, she realized she was contacting the same sort of men she might check out in public. “I might have changed the venue, but my dating habits were exactly the same,” she told me later. “And those kinds of guys haven’t worked for me so far, so why should they now? Meanwhile, there’s all sorts of different kinds of men right at my fingertips.” For fun, she started contacting those she found interesting, even if they weren’t her type or didn’t have much in common.
More often than not, contact didn’t last longer than a few emails. “Okay, so maybe you have to have at least a little bit in common, so you feel like you’re speaking the same language,” Katie concedes. However, there were a handful that led to more. “I went on a date to an indoor football game - and I’m a nerd!” Katie says. “I never would have done that otherwise, and it was really fun. Ultimately we decided we didn’t have chemistry, but I may have one sports buddy now.”
Others were less fruitful. “One guy seemed offended that I’d contact him when we clearly didn’t have much in common,” says Katie. “Some seemed intrigued by someone different, just like I was, but there were plenty who simply never responded.” Luckily, Katie has a pretty thick skin, and the negative responses weren’t major blows to her ego. “I view this as something extra - dating-plus,” Katie says. “And it makes me feel like I’m really getting the whole online dating experience.”
As you venture into the world of online dating, it might not be a bad idea to step out of your own personal box. It can be fun to specifically tailor a search, but try making your parameters as broad as possible, too. Who knows what you might find?
If you are new to online dating and are looking for a site, you should start by looking at our complete list of reviewed online dating sites.
But let’s not forget the other benefit to online dating - that you can easily meet someone that you might never run in to otherwise. Someone who doesn’t travel in the same social circles, who wouldn’t show up at the same rock concerts, who doesn’t go to your church. Someone completely different and outside your personal box.
A friend of mine, Katie, decided to give online dating a whirl. After a month or so, she realized she was contacting the same sort of men she might check out in public. “I might have changed the venue, but my dating habits were exactly the same,” she told me later. “And those kinds of guys haven’t worked for me so far, so why should they now? Meanwhile, there’s all sorts of different kinds of men right at my fingertips.” For fun, she started contacting those she found interesting, even if they weren’t her type or didn’t have much in common.
More often than not, contact didn’t last longer than a few emails. “Okay, so maybe you have to have at least a little bit in common, so you feel like you’re speaking the same language,” Katie concedes. However, there were a handful that led to more. “I went on a date to an indoor football game - and I’m a nerd!” Katie says. “I never would have done that otherwise, and it was really fun. Ultimately we decided we didn’t have chemistry, but I may have one sports buddy now.”
Others were less fruitful. “One guy seemed offended that I’d contact him when we clearly didn’t have much in common,” says Katie. “Some seemed intrigued by someone different, just like I was, but there were plenty who simply never responded.” Luckily, Katie has a pretty thick skin, and the negative responses weren’t major blows to her ego. “I view this as something extra - dating-plus,” Katie says. “And it makes me feel like I’m really getting the whole online dating experience.”
As you venture into the world of online dating, it might not be a bad idea to step out of your own personal box. It can be fun to specifically tailor a search, but try making your parameters as broad as possible, too. Who knows what you might find?
If you are new to online dating and are looking for a site, you should start by looking at our complete list of reviewed online dating sites.
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