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Online Dating Newsletter
Volume 1, Number 5 - July 14,
2004
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Table of Contents
1. From the Editor
2. Creative Date Ideas: Watch the Moon
Set
3. Online Dating Tips: A Picture is
Worth a Thousand Words
4. Relationship Tips: Follow a Compliment
with a Question
5. Relationship Quote of the Week
6. Inspirational Quote of the Week
7. Romantic Ideas: Make Your Own Monopoly
Game
8. News: Earthlink Internet Lifestyles
Survey Covers Online Dating
9. Feature Link: Online Dating Works
From the Editor
It's interesting to note that very few online dating
services put customer service over the almighty dollar.
When online dating services first started out, the
general rule of thumb was that when you became a paying
member, you could communicate with anyone on the service,
whether they were a paying member or not. Then one
day some suits in a board meeting got the bright idea
that they could "double" their profits by
forcing a person to have to pay in order to read a
message from someone else. Greed was born.
Today the majority of online dating services won't
let you read a message from a paid member unless you
also become a paid member. Not only is this system
highly unfair to the paid member sending the message,
but it potentially cheats thousands of people from
ever having that first communication or meeting.
In future issues of this column, it will be my goal
to mention some of the services that still cater to
the original philosophy that when a person pays to
send a message, the recipient of that message shouldn't
have to pay to read it.
One of the largest online dating services still putting
the customer first in this regard is LavaLife. LavaLife is
one of the most unique online dating services out there
in that instead of a monthly fee, you buy "credits" which
are used to send an email or instant message to someone
else. But when you do send an email, the person you
sent it to can read it for free and communicate with
you ongoing for free even if they are not a paying
member. While LavaLife is
far from perfect, the service has at least maintained
a sense of knowing how to treat a paying customer.
And for that, we give them kudos.
In the future I'll highlight more online dating services
that allow paying members to communicate with anyone,
regardless of their status. And if there's a particular
one you think should be mentioned, let me know by emailing
me via jtracy@onlinedatingmagazine.com.
Best Wishes,
Joe Tracy, editor
Online
Dating Newsletter
P.S. I hope you enjoy this new edition of the Online
Dating Newsletter, which includes one of my favorite
ideas/concepts that you'll read about under Romance
Ideas and that's creating your own Monopoly game
- a priceless addition to your board game collection
(and easy to do with the Make Your Own Opoly kit).
***
Creative Date Ideas:
Watch the Moon Set
Like the sun, the moon also sets in the West. If you
happen to be in the right place, on the right day, and
at the right time then you and your date can watch
the moon slowly set. Seeing the moon set amongs a backdrop of the ocean or mountains
is particularly enjoyable. During the moon's "waning gibbous phase" you
can see it set between sunset and midnight. (SOURCE: Online Dating Newsletter
- www.onlinedatingnewsletter.com)
***
Online Dating Tips:
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
Your picture is one of the key elements of your profile and is, unfortunately,
the
most
determining
factor as to whether or not someone will read your profile. With this in mind,
it is vital that you have nice recent photographs taken of you for your profile.
Prepare for the picture like you would a first date. Here are a few tips for
great pictures:
1) Have a friend spend 2-3 hours with you taking
pictures from a digital camera.
2) Have a change of clothes handy to get you in
different outfits.
3) Get some fun action shots. Pictures of people
having fun pass on to others that you are a fun person.
4) Let your friend go crazy with the digital camera.
5) The more interesting or creative the picture,
the better reason it gives for someone to contact
you and ask you about the photo (or comment on it).
6) Make sure your clearly visible in the pictures
and that the outfits you wear flatter your complexion.
7) Download the photos to your computer and select
the 3-4 that you like the best. Use these in your
profile. Every couple of weeks, change your main
profile picture so that your listing doesn't get
stale.
(SOURCE: Online Dating Newsletter - www.onlinedatingnewsletter.com)
***
Relationship Tips:
Follow a Compliment with a Question
"After giving a personal compliment, it is usually good to follow it with
a question. Ultimately a man can best get to know a woman if he asks questions
and she talks. The more he gets her to talk and share, the more opportunity
there is for her to discover how much she is attracted to him. Asking a question
after making a compliment also helps a woman to open up to receive the compliment.
From this more receptive place, she can begin to share herself by answering
his questions.
Example: 'That's a pretty necklace. Where did you get it?' or "You have
such
pretty eyes. Did you get them from your mother or your father?'" (SOURCE: Mars
and Venus on a Date, by John Gray, Ph.D. - in bookstores everywhere)
***
Relationship Quote
of the Week
"Loving someone does not happen by accident. Love is a choice. We choose
either to love or not to love. What makes a marriage work is when you and your
spouse keep choosing to love one another. Your love is defined by a specific
choice demonstrated by a firm commitment to love your spouse through the inevitable
ups and downs, twists and turns, mountains and valleys, conflicts and problems,
frustrations and tensions that are a part of every marriage." (SOURCE:
Have Your
Wedding Cake and Eat it Too, by Joey O'Connor)
***
Inspirational Quote
of the Week
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't
do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the
safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." -
Mark Twain
***
Romantic Ideas:
Make Your Own Monopoly Game
Monopoly is a fun game to play, but how much more fun (and romantic) would
it be if the game was customized just to your relationship? What if the game
could
outline major events between you and your partner? What if "Boardwalk" was
instead
the property of the place you met?
TDS Games has put out a game called "Make Your
Own Opoly" that literally allows you to craft
your own game! Using your computer printer, you create
the real estate cards and special game cards. Not only
would this make an excellent (and creative) gift, but
it is also a wonderful way to spice a little romance
into the relationship by reliving some special memories
in a fun and exciting game.
You
can purchase "Make Your Own Opoly" here.
(SOURCE: Online Dating Newsletter - www.onlinedatingnewsletter.com)
***
News: Earthlink
Internet Lifestyles Survey Covers Online Dating
(July 14, 2004 - onlinedatingnewsletter.com) Earthlink's recent in-depth "Internet
Lifestyles" survey tackled many online topics, including online dating.
In regards to online dating, here's what the survey found:
"People across the country are using the Internet
to find new friends, and with numerous dating Web sites
like Match.com, online dating is no surprise. In fact,
men and women who have never been married are heading
to the Internet in search of love with nearly 70 percent
(68 percent) of them successfully finding dates. Which
sex has the upper hand? Men, with 40 percent of those
who have never been married finding a date on line,
compared to only 28 percent of single women."
The survey covered a variety of topics, including
what historical event people would have liked to have
watched online. The winner was the lunar landing. Coming
in second was JFK's assassination.
1,200 people were questioned for Earthlink's Internet
Lifestyles survey.
***
Feature Link: Online
Dating Works
By Online Dating Magazine Reader
"Online dating is just another way to meet potential
dates. As in real life, you have to separate the wheat
from the chaff. There are so many pieces that need
to fall into place to make that happen: chemistry,
both being in "that place" at the same time,
making a relationship one of your priorities, etc.
My best friend and I figured it would take 50 or 100
dates before we found one guy we were interested in
dating exclusively who was also interested in us. You
can't meet two people, have it not work out, and think "online
dating stinks."
As a single mom, I found online personal ads the easiest,
quickest way to meet new people since I didn't have
the luxury of many free weekend nights. Another bonus:
my personal stated I had kids, so there was no need
for me to "drop the bomb" on some guy I'd
just met at a bar or out dancing...
For the full Online Dating Works article, click
here.
***
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Dating Newsletter is emailed free of charge
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Editor: Joe Tracy (jtracy@onlinedatingmagazine.com)
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