8 essential online dating tips

Feeling lonely but don't have much time to go out on a date? Worry not, online dating can be your saviour. But before diving head on into the world of online dating, remember it comes with its own set of risks and being on your guard is a priority.

Here are eight essential online dating tips that will help you wade through the muddy waters and find your perfect mate.

While taking the plunge into the world of online dating, it's best to go for paid service, rather than free ones. This is simply because the people who sign up there are seriously looking for matches. Rather than the free dating sites, where teenage kids and married people just log in for some fun.

Every online dating service asks for an email ID, but it is best if you create a new email account for this. The reason behind this is that you will not be bombarded by mails and requests from the subscribers expressing their interest on your official email ID or an account that you use for communicating with friends and families. Moreover, your primary ID will be shielded from spam mails.

Honesty always pays. And it's no different in online dating, remember the key to any relationship is trust. So, always give correct details about your height, weight, complexion, interests, choices, likes and dislikes. Most importantly, upload a recent picture, which is the first thing people will notice when they check out your profile. If you decide to meet the person and don't resemble your picture, it will be a huge turnoff and your prospective partner won't know whether to trust you about other stuff or not.

This is a predicament for all online daters - whether the guy/girl you are interested in is married or not. Married men and women are known to have signed up for online dating services just to check what they missed out on by tying the knot.

However, it is easy to determine whether the other person is married or not. It is often seen that married online daters log in very infrequently; sometimes they come online after weeks, sometimes they chat the whole night. They usually refrain from giving their phone numbers, since there is always the chance that their spouse may pick up your call inadvertently.

It is a given that people have to put up their pictures on dating websites and almost everyone puts up his/her best pic online. However, more important is to upload a picture that shows what you like. A photo of you hiking or at the beach will show that you are actually into these things, which adds credence to the interests you have mentioned in the profile.

In the world of online dating, chats are the norm and so are messages expressing your interest in someone. So make sure you check your spellings before dropping that message in the other person's inbox, though it can be a pain while chatting online. Nevertheless, you can be careful about making sure that you know the difference between "its" and "it's" while chatting, because chances are that your love interest would have learned it in school.

Updating the profile frequently is a smart practice since it raises your searchability. When someone searches for people with your description and interests, then it becomes important that your profile comes on top. If you do not update your profile periodically, then your profile will reach the bottom of the pile and stagnate, and you may just miss the chance of meeting your soul mate.

You don't have to do much, just upload a recent pic or include a new band you heard of in the likes/interests section. Even this much will do.

The world of online dating is full of predators and perverts and you will always have to be on your guard while agreeing to meet someone. It's advisable to chat with someone for a few weeks before you go out to meet him/her. Even while giving your phone number, think if you ever received any bad vibes from him/her. If you ever think something is amiss, give the person a miss. Always remember, it is better to be safe than sorry and there are plenty of fish in the sea!