In my previous post, I have mentioned online dating as the reason why I am living in the UK for five years now. Yes, I am one of the many Filipinas who found their significant others in the internet.
We can’t deny the fact that online dating is such a big thing nowadays and it's very popular for those who are looking for real love or a “fling” for some (be careful with this kind of relationship) in the internet. I can understand why it is popular because;
- It is easy to sign-up and quicker compare to the old “mail order bride” or “pen pal” system of dating)
- convenient (you can access your account in your own time and place via your computer/phone) and
- its free to join for women but I think men must pay to join (not so sure)
Online dating has its advantages and disadvantages and if you want to join, you must be aware of these and must be responsible of your own act. Yes, it is easier to find someone in the internet nowadays but finding the right one is not that easy.
How will you know if he/she is the one? To be honest, I really don’t know because you will never know the real character of a person until you meet and live with him/her. S/he may be the nicest person you ever met in the internet, but once you met him/her s/he is totally a different person. I have heard stories about this situation, they thought they got the right one, but when they’re finally together (married), they ended up battered physically and emotionally. So, online dating is a gamble really. Some wins and some loses.
In my case, I dated my husband for seven years online, we never met within that period, we only met each other a month before our wedding. The first two years of our marriage was hard, we thought we know each other because we’ve been dating that long, but we were wrong. Seven years of just seeing each other online is not enough basis to say that you know the person well. You must live with that person for you to know his/her real colour. Within two years we got to know each other well. Yes, it was hard at first, but because of our determination to stick together no matter what, and because pure love was there (it sounds corny but that’s the truth) and of course with God’s help we surpassed those difficult times. Now, I can proudly say that our marriage is getting stronger and in fact we are about to celebrate our 6th anniversary.
So here are the tips that I followed when I joined online dating. These tips may not work on you but might work to others;
- Be yourself – Show your true personality, don’t lie or pretend.
- Be cautious—Don’t trust right away! There are so many liars and pretenders in dating sites. Get to know the person more before you commit, don’t rush.
- Be decent—if you are looking for a serious relationship and wanted to be respected then don’t show to much skin. Showing too much skin is only attracting the wrong guy.
- Don’t ask for money—don’t do this if you want a serious relationship especially if you just know the person or the relationship is just blossoming. No matter how broke you are just don’t ask. Asking for money is just giving off the wrong impression.
- Be patient—if until now you still didn’t find the right one, don’t give up. That right one will surely come in God’s time, just keep on praying!
There you go friends. Hopefully this post will help you a little bit on finding your “the one” but it is entirely up to you whether you follow these tips or not, after all we are all different.