Online Dating

Online dating is the classic double-edge sword. On one hand, it opens up your dating pool exponentially. Potential partners could be anywhere in the world, and you can surf those infinite matches from the comfort of your couch (preferably while wearing PJs and tucking into your favorite comfort food).

Then there’s the other hand. The PJs are on. You’re curled up on the couch. A package of Oreos awaits. You grab your phone, start browsing and BOOM, there it is: one of these 4 abysmal profiles. Swipe left as fast as your fingers will allow.

Are you an online dating veteran, or new to the process? Regardless of your experience, it’s important to reconsider your strategy from time to time, no matter how seasoned you are with apps like Tinder or setting up a profile on Match.

We tend to approach online dating the same old way, but then we expect different results the next time around. If you really want to be successful with online dating, you have to be willing to try something new, test out different approaches, and see what works best for you. Easier said than done, but it’s true!

Following are five online dating mistakes to avoid now, if you want to see better results:

eHarmony is reporting on their website (homepage and About page) that an average of 438 eHarmony members marry every day in the United States as a result of being matched on their service. This is from a study by Harris Interactive which was done in 2012 for eHarmony. For this study, data was collected from 19,131 people in the United States who were married between 2005 and 2012. The divorce rate of these marriages was 3.86%.

Unfortunately we missed some these statistics when we first reported about this study back in 2013 and have updated our eHarmony Statistics page with the new information.

For comparison sake the previous Harris Interactive Study done in 2010 showed on average 542 eHarmony members get married every day in the United States (see Story).

Astute readers will note that there are still several months of 2016 left, nevertheless, the US Dating Awards have announced this year’s big winners.

Established in 2014 in the UK, the Dating Awards recognize both newcomers and established names in the field. This year marked the first US Awards show in New York City, where journalists, websites, events companies, and bloggers came together to celebrate 2016’s best achievements in Dating Technology, Marketing, Media, Customer Service, Expertise and Entrepreneurship.

The judging panel consisted of a variety of dating experts and industry professionals. Caroline Brealey, founding matchmaker of London dating agency Mutual Attraction, served as head judge. She was joined by Charly Lester, Founder and CEO of the UK Dating Awards, and Charreah Jackson, international coach and the Lifestyle and Relationships Editor for ESSENCE magazine, amongst others.

Dating app Momo, China’s answer to Tinder, has been a popular dating app among the country’s singles with a record 75 million users. But in recent weeks, Momo seems to be expanding out of the dating business and into something more lucrative.

For its latest update, Momo executives decided to supplement the app's location-based dating service that matches people through swiping and messaging. Now, the app offers a live-streaming function, catering to music lovers and even musicians themselves. The update allows users to watch their favorite musicians perform live, as well as giving them the ability to interact with the musicians.

Online dating can be a commitment. It’s very rare that online daters meet a perfect match within the first few weeks of signing up – usually it’s a longer process, and we have to cultivate some patience.

That said, it’s easy to get frustrated and quit, only to sign up again weeks later, hoping for a different experience. Or maybe you approach online dating without much motivation, thinking that if you get excited or put too much hope in it, you’re bound to be disappointed.

These aren’t the best approaches to take, obviously. But many times, the fear and sting of rejection can cause us to second-guess ourselves and whether or not we can find someone special. So instead of focusing so much on the rejection, or the potential for rejection, it’s time we looked at online dating for what it really is – a process. Not everyone is going to be a good match with you – in fact, most people aren’t. And we shouldn’t beat ourselves up when we don’t find a relationship quickly, or within a certain period of time.

Online dating requires perseverance, and a lot of effort. It requires motivation, positive energy and outlook, and hope. If you decide to forgo any of these, you won’t get very far. Online dating will become a vicious cycle of disappointment, instead of a practical and efficient way to meet people you wouldn’t otherwise be able to through your own networks.