Just as with normal off-line relationships, online relationships need to be tended and to be allowed to grow over time. Here are some quick growing tips:
1. Take Time and Make Time: Does your online date email you regularly? Do you do it too? Ignoring virtual meetings is considered rude, so treat each other’s time respectfully. If that respect seems lacking, it might mean that it is time to move on.
2. Communication Needs to “Feel” Right For Both of You: If one of you is too hasty about having a meeting, for instance, that can create bad feelings. Therefore, please, don’t rush things; just take your time to learn more about each other and engender trust.
3. Respect Each Other’s Privacy: Don’t send the other person’s email addresses or digital photos to your friends, for example; especially if your online friend emailed you the information in privatley.
4. Share Special Online and Offline Enjoyable Times: Online: send online greeting cards; links to favorite places to upload digital photos of your favorite pet; download music and video clips; post on favourite forums of interest. Offline: if you’re exchanging addresses or post office boxes, send printed greeting cards and postcards, small items from your area (like a key chain with your state tree).
5. Share Recipes: People get tired of just talking about the weather, so a very popular subject to turn to is food. Sharing information about favourite foods and recipes will break the ice and even help form a friendship; talk about your culinary skills, or the lack thereof, and preferences. Search online for free recipes to share and take photos of your culinary masterpieces and share them with your online date too.
6. Bidding at Auctions: Ebay auctions sell anything and everything! Therefore, look about and enter searches like the dates you were in middle school. Share nostalgic memorabilia of old games and toys from when you were a child or when your parents or grandparents were little.
Online dating can be an educational and fun experience. So, go on, learn more about each other and have fun while youre doing it! Take a cyber-stroll down ol’ memory lane together and see what’s cookin’. Tend your online friendship, water it with care and over time it can sprout and grow.