Entering
the volatile world of online dating is a lot like charging into battle. If you
don’t have the right tools and knowledge under your belt, you’ll soon find
yourself waving the white flag of defeat. Fortunately, the Internet offers
daters endless ways to screen lousy dates, get the facts you need to find
someone special, and keep the conversation going on the first dates.
If you’re on the battlefield of online dating, here are five tools you need to use.
1) Instant Checkmate
When people write their dating profile, they understandably leave out the bits they don’t want you to know about. But just because they don’t tell you the truth about their past, that doesn’t mean you can’t find out. Instant Checkmate is a service that allows you to instantly view public records, including arrest records, marriage licenses, and known addresses. If you run your potential date’s name through their database, you’ll be able to see if they are covering up an assault charge or are secretly married.
2) Dating Advice
Sometimes we all need a little guidance on the path to romance. DatingAdvice reguarly publishes tips from dating experts, summaries of scientific studies about dating, and even includes a forum where you can pose your own dating dilemmas. When you know what you’re doing, it makes online dating feel a whole lot easier. They have a section especially for online daters so you can be up-to-date on the best strategies to get the most out of your ventures in digital romance.
3) Gravy App
Never be at a loss for a first date idea when you have the handy Gravy app. You enter a mood, and the gravy app gives you tons of cool local events, restaurants, and venues to check out. It even includes shows and concerts that you can only catch on one night. If you are on the street, you can ask it to show you the best events that are within walking distance. You’ll look like a hip, knowledgeable expert when you go out on dates to cool secret spots, plus you’ll get the opportunity to explore your city while dating. Win-win!
4) First Date Questions App
Are you not a gifted conversationalist? The nifty iPhone app First Date Questions is designed to help you always have something to say. It’s filled with ice breakers like “If you could stop one bad habit, what would it be?” and “What does an ideal relationship look like to you?” You can choose questions by category or select one entirely at random. The countless questions ensures that you’ll never have to suffer an uncomfortable silence on your first date.
5) Cheater Registry
If fidelity is one of your top priorities in a relationship, do a search on the Cheater Registry before you agree to a date. On this website, men and women who have been burned by a partner with a wandering eye can register the cheaters with a name and photograph. Some serial cheaters even have multiple entries from the many partners they burned.
Author Bio:
Toby Mudd is a blogger living in Augusta, Maine. He writes about online dating, romance, and relationships.