5) Increasing Communication
When you are meeting people online, increasing communication is a natural progression. Fortunately, technology makes it easy for us to get to know people without actually meeting in person, face-to-face.
When it comes to meeting people online for dating purposes, this type of communication actually improves the process. Online dating is fun and easy to get into, but it also has its risks. Increasing communication allows us to learn about new friends and potential dates without putting ourselves in any danger by meeting in person. Please see our guide to online dating safety here for information on safely meeting people online: Click Here.
Before you take that huge step of meeting in person, it's important that you increase your amount of communication so you can get to know more about them. As you communicate in different ways and on different platforms, you will learn more about the things you like about that person. On the flipside of that coin, you may also detect the red flags that might cause you to cancel your movie date for Friday.
Increasing communication with someone you like online will not only give you red flags and more details; it will probably be the deciding factor when you choose whether or not to meet him/her in person. Furthermore, increasing communication will naturally allow both of you to feel more comfortable so your true personalities can surface. Keep reading for some ways you can increase communication when meeting people online.
Email
There is a lot you can learn about someone through a series of email messages; it's definitely a communication style that has both advantages and disadvantages. Remember to be as clear as possible, write with correct grammar, and avoid being negative at all costs.
Emailing is great when meeting people online because you can have conversations at different speeds. You might send an email that doesn't get a reply for days, but you can also send emails back and forth instantly, making it more like a real conversation. You can include photographs from your life, videos you have made, and links to websites you enjoy visiting. Emailing is a great way to increase communication when you are meeting people online.
Letters
Although it isn't as fast or convenient as the electronic methods of communication we have today, sending someone a letter through the mail adds a personal touch that cannot be achieved with an email. If you write it by hand, the recipient will enjoy it more because you took the time to hand-write them a letter. Sending a letter like this will also tell them something about your personality and will let them know you are truly interested. For an added touch, insert a scented object, a photograph, or something that is significant to you and your personality.
Chat Online
If you are meeting people online and want to increase communication with someone you like, chatting is a perfect way to do it. Chatting online is quick, it's easy, and it's free. Plus, it's one of the safest ways to communicate.
Chat is usually available at most online dating sites, but if yours does not include it, there are many alternatives you can use to chat for free. For example, some sites that offer online chat for free are Gmail.com, Yahoo.com, and Skype.com. Just sign up for a free account and follow the instructions for chatting. You can also use Windows Live Messenger to chat, found at Windows.com.
Chatting online with someone allows you to communicate instantly. You can also send the other person photographs from your computer, videos you like, and links you enjoy. Sites like Gmail.com and Skype.com offer free video chatting, but we will touch on that in a later section of this article.
Social Media
Another fantastic, free way to communicate when you are meeting people online is through social media websites like Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter. By signing up for a free account with Facebook (the best of the three for basic communication, messaging, chatting, etc.), you will have the opportunity to communicate with the people you've met online. You can even create a whole new online profile that can show even more details about your personality, your likes, dislikes, and major interests. Share links, movies, photos, comments, opinions, and anything else you want your new friends to experience along with you. Social media will allow you to connect more closely with the people you have met online, but without the common risks of meeting in person.
Online Games
Many websites offer free online games that you can play with your friends. Yahoo.com is one of the most popular places to play games, along with Facebook.com and Windows Live Messenger. The best part about playing games like Checkers or Hangman with someone you've recently met online is that you can get to know them better while sharing a fun experience at the same time. You can also learn more about their personality through the types of games they choose to play and even how they play them.
Texts
Before you start talking on the phone, it might be more common for you to start texting when you are meeting people online. Texting someone you are communicating with online is a small step forward, but still a step. Texting means they will receive the message no matter where they are, bringing you directly into their daily life. Texting is a great way to say hello, flirt, joke around, or just tell them you are thinking about them. Either way, texts will help bring the online relationship you have into the real world.
Phone
When you are comfortable, take your communication to the next level by talking on the phone. A phone call is different from emails, online chatting, letters and texting. Up until this point, you have been able to think through a message, carefully write it, read it, re-read it, and re-re-read it before you even send it. On the phone, you will not have that luxury.
A phone call is even more live and on the spot than chatting; at least with online chatting, you have a moment or two to compose your thoughts. Heck, if you can't think of something to say fast enough when you're chatting, you can just say you were in the kitchen grabbing a snack! On the phone, the conversation is much quicker and much more direct. An online chat is inherently more casual because it can be assumed that both parties are doing something else on the computer at the same time, while a phone call makes it much harder to be distracted.
Talking on the phone is a completely different experience. You will both feel much more "on the spot," having to answer questions immediately and with words off the top of your head. Along with this added sense of intensity will be an added sense of connection between the two of you. Hearing each other's voices will naturally connect the two of you more than any online chatting or emailing. A conversation will likely begin to flow better than ever before. Once you are done talking on the phone with him/her for the first time, you will be surprised at how much more you feel like you know them.
Video Chat
Video Chat is the final step before you meet someone in person. Some people choose to video chat before talking on the phone; that is up to you, but we would advise you talk a bit on the phone first. After that first phone call, you will have a better idea of whether or not you are comfortable talking with that person; if you go straight to video chat, there is more risk involved and things could get much more awkward.
Once you have chatted on the phone, we suggest you try out a video chat before you meet in person. You already know what they look like in photographs, but seeing them move in real life will add a much-needed dimension. If the video chat goes well, you should be ready to meet in person for a date. Again, proceed with caution when meeting someone in person for the first time; for tips, see our online dating safety article here: Click Here. |
