Online dating is a fast growing social networking tool that can open your world to a myriad of relationship possibilities.

Meeting someone new is challenging, especially if you have recently moved, graduated from college, or gone through a divorce. Here are quick tips appropriate for anyone trying their hand at online dating.


1. Know thyself

Are you looking to just spend some time entertaining yourself in chat rooms? Looking for someone to hang out with on the weekends? Seeking a one night stand? Trying to find Mr. or Ms. Right? Determine your goals for online dating and stick to them - otherwise you might hurt the feelings of others or find yourself scraping up the pieces of another failed relationship.

2. Use your network

Online dating sites and chat rooms are standard tools for people of all walks of life looking for love or a little fun. Ask your friends what sites have worked for them in the past. Trust the opinions of those you already know rather than choosing a service at random.

3. Start slow

There is no need to rush into taking the next step with online dating. Spend as much time in the chat room or talking on the phone as you want - make sure you're ready to meet face-to-face to create a good experience for the both of you.

4. Be totally honest

If you want a successful online dating experience, then be truthful. Don't lead people on, and show self respect by disclosing things that are honest. It can be tempting and easy to embellish online, but this does not bode well for the relationship - whether casual or serious.

5. Prioritize your preferences

Online dating can be daunting since it allows you to search through millions of potential matches. Try to limit the number of people you contact and respond to at first. If you focus on just a few people, sincere relationships can be established and nurtured.

6. Don't believe everything you see or read

If he or she sounds too good to be true, it's very possible that you're looking at a bad egg. Take your time getting to know someone. Check their story. If you have arrived to the point where personal information has been revealed, there are ways you can verify details. If a person claims they work at the local community college, you can check the phone directory for their name. Public record is a valuable resource!

7. Remember courtesy in the chat room

Just because you are in a chat room does not mean you should say everything you think or feel. Stop and consider - if this person was sitting across from you in a restaurant, would you say the same thing you just typed? If your words would be uncomfortable in person, then think of something else to say.

8. Online dating services are a good investment

It is a good idea to invest in you! There are many online dating services that charge a membership fee. Considering that people who are willing to pay for a service might be more serious about who they are and what they want - leading to better relationships.

9. Be available

Don't have access to the internet everyday? This might cause problems in the online dating world. Those who try this method of socialization like to think they'll receive quick responses. Be available, consider setting aside a specific time to spend in the chat room, and respond to emails in a timely fashion. Otherwise, you might find your potentials losing interest.

10. Protect yourself

When you've gathered your confidence and found somebody you want to meet face-to-face, remember that you don't know what to expect. Meet in a public place. Drive your own car so that you can maintain control of your environment, and leave if you feel uncomfortable. Even if the first date leads to a second, or third, keep in mind that you've only just met, and there is no need to rush.

When it comes to love, Kathleen Hanover is searching for a needle in a haystack. So to find Mr. Right, she has profiles on at least five online dating sites.

Hanover, who owns a marketing business, figured it's simple math.

"You have to have a big pool of leads to find the percentage who might feel right," said Hanover, 43, of Dayton, Ohio. "I'm looking for a very specific kind of man."

With 1,400 online dating sites, according to research firm Hitwise, many singles are finding it easy to cast a wide net, posting profiles on multiple sites in the hopes of reeling in the one.

Melissa Galt, an interior designer and motivational speaker in Atlanta, was on four sites at once and compared it to having a second full-time job. One site she used was about "quantity and not necessarily quality." Another was better suited to one-night stands.

She subscribed to eHarmony multiple times, but had no luck there and didn't fare much better at Match, where she struck out enough that the site was willing to give her six free months. Since then, Galt has gone out on two dates with someone from Match and said so far, so good.

Neither eHarmony nor Match, two of the leading online dating sites, capture information about how many of their members are on other sites. Match has 15 million active members worldwide. EHarmony has more than 20 million registered users around the world.

Markus Frind, CEO of the free dating site Plentyoffish estimates 15 per cent of the people in the United States who are active on his site are members of other, paid dating sites. About 900,000 people in the North America and the United Kingdom log on each day.

It makes sense to post profiles on more than one site, according to Mark Brooks, editor of Online Personals Watch and an Internet dating consultant.

He compares serial online dating to bar-and nightclub-hopping. Someone may go to a wine bar one night and a "Cheers" bar another night. He said people generally settle on one main site and a smaller niche site.

Jordanna Petkun, 30, a business owner in Half Moon Bay, Calif., said JDate, a site for Jewish singles, seemed to run out of potential matches. So she signed up for OKCupid, but she didn't want to cancel JDate, because "what if the right guy comes along tomorrow?"

Some relationship experts aren't so sure that signing up for multiple sites brings better luck in love.

Michael Somerville, host of the upcoming dating series "Wingman," on the Fine Living Network, wonders how people can genuinely give the time and attention to a potential match on eight different dating sites. If you really want to meet the right person online, you need to work at it, he said.

"I have seen daters who spend more time checking their dating sites than they do dating," said Nicholas Aretakis, author of "Ditching Mr. Wrong: How to End a Bad Relationship and Find Mr. Right."

Jess McCann, a dating coach and author who was once on three sites at the same time, said she was cutting and pasting generic responses to emails for a while. She had two folders: one for the men she wanted to meet and another for the ones she was so-so about. If one of the top prospects disappeared, she bumped up one from the other folder.

She has since met her match - but not online.

Tricia Dodson, 47, of Murrieta, Calif., who has been on four or more sites at the same time, said she printed out the profiles of the men she communicated with and wrote detailed notes on them, such as hobbies, career and "cute things he said."

"This isn't a fail-proof system," said Dodson, who wrote a book about dating. "At one time, I was emailing and talking to six different men via phone and there was a time or two that I got them mixed up."

So just how much is too much?

Aretakis recommends singles sign up for one general site, a second specific site and a third niche dating site. So for example, someone who is Jewish and loves to fish might be on Match, JDate, and Single Fishing Enthusiasts on the Net.

But it's better to be on one site proactively than three passively, said Nancy Slotnick, founder of the love-life management site Cablight.com. She recommends that singles log on and email 10 people a week. Of the 15 hours a week Slotnick recommends spending on finding a mate, she suggests spending no more than three hours on online dating.

After all, there is a real world out there.

Hanover has no time for that. In fact, she's so short on time that in some of her online profiles, she directs potential suitors to her personal website, www.myheroquest.com where she asks prospects to give her five first dates' worth of details about who they are and what they want in a relationship.

"I honestly don't have time or the patience for long, drawn-out, get-to-know-you chit-chat and casual dating," she writes on the home page, adding "frankly, I'd rather get some extra sleep!"

One of the most difficult things to attain in this world is the need to have someone to call your own. In many cases you will have to kiss many frogs before you find the man of your dreams, in some cases the man of a woman's dream will remain a figment of her imagination.

You must date before you can have a chance at living happily ever after. You should not dread the prospect of going out on dates if you know how to be date-savvy.

Being date-savvy requires, first of all, a positive attitude towards dating. Don't treat dating as just another job, or a chore you have to get over with. Dating can be a pleasurable experience if you give it a chance. Even if a single date doesn't let you meet your Romeo, you could benefit from it by learning a new culture or making a new friend. Charge every dating incident to experience and before you know it, you're finally having a romantic candlelit dinner with your prince.

Before submitting a personal ad or visiting an online dating site, it's best if you know what it is that you're looking for in a date. Does height matter? Is race an issue? Would you be interested in dating someone who earns a salary which is significantly lower than yours? Be honest with yourself so that you can narrow down your choices without causing unnecessary harm or embarrassment to those concerned. This way too, you can proceed with dating more effectively and need not worry about offering lame excuses in rejecting someone. Of course, be mindful of your flaws and consider realistic choices. Edward Norton and Johnny Depp are not available.

Before your date, take the time to pamper yourself with beauty treatments. You need not go to a spa (but if you can afford it, why not?) or go through an entire makeover. A simple meditation to ease the tension building up inside you is enough to channel good vibes. Dating is also a chance for you to boost your confidence. If you have the money, by all means hit the gym, get a new outfit in a color that compliments your skin or eyes, sport a trendy hairdo or make-up. Dating, after all, is primarily a girl thing so go have the girly fun you deserve.

When you're already on your date, it's highly suggested that you try your best to be yourself. Shun the philosophy that dating is stressful - it's not. There are only two persons who are putting pressure on the entire ordeal: you and your date. Lead the way to an enjoyable night by making your date feel that you two are not out to win any contest and reap awards. You are together to take pleasure in each other's company and if all goes well, fall in love.

With these tips, you can be date-savvy and have a grand time on your next date.