The 15 Minute Dating Blog

by Carly Schuna

You’ve flirted, chatted, seen pictures of each other, and (hopefully) talked on the phone. You’re reasonably sure your target of affection is neither an axe murderer nor a megalomaniac. You’re standing at the crossroads all online daters anticipate, dread, covet, and fear: the point at which Internet dating becomes real dating.

At this stage, preparation is key. You want your date to end your meeting by thinking, “Damn… not only is s/he way hotter in person, but s/he is also way funnier, way smarter, and waaaay more desirable!” How is this accomplished? Read on.

First, dress to impress. Make sure you look gorgeous, whether you’re a girl or a guy. You don’t want to out-dress your date, but you do want to look good enough so that s/he would notice you even without scanning every person entering the coffee shop. If you’re a girl, that means preparing for your date the same way you’d prepare for prom: take a bath, wax or shave your legs, put on a light set of attractive makeup, do something with your hair, and choose a hot but elegant outfit. If you’re a guy, do your prep work in the same way you would if you were heading out to meet Angelina Jolie or Scarlett Johansson (or Chad Allen or Anderson Cooper, as the case may be).

Next, prepare for conversation. If you know your date talks a lot, then just wing it and try to make the conversation flow naturally. On the other hand, if you are shy or your date is shy or both, you’ll have more work to do. Find a Post-it note or index card and brainstorm topic ideas. Ask questions about subjects that you know your date is interested in, or think of a few stories you could tell about yourself that you know have been conversation-starters in the past.

Finally, think about extra touches that can be personalized to your date. If you know the person you’re going to see loves flowers, bring her/him a small bouquet (stay away from red roses for a first date). If the guy or girl you’re meeting is a terrible cook, bake some brownies or cupcakes and bring them along in a tin. Doing something extra will set you apart from other online daters that s/he may have met in the past, and put you in your date’s good graces right away. And that, if you’re lucky, might just mean that s/he will want to see you again, pronto.

Another thing you can do on the Web is online paralegal training, which can help you to prepare for earning yourself an online paralegal certificate. Many people out there who want to become paralegals are finding that attending an online paralegal school is easier than ever.

About the author: Carly Schuna is a 2006 graduate of Grinnell College and an aspiring children’s book author. She has been writing since the age of eight and her work has most recently appeared in Angels on Earth Magazine; the Collegiate Magazine; Ephemera, Inc.; and the book Chemistry and Numbers Volume 2. Carly speaks three languages, likes to juggle and unicycle, and sometimes talks to squirrels. The link to Carly’s Blog

Popularity: 1% [?]

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 20th, 2007 at 3:36 am and is filed under Dating Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.