“If you try to be someone you think other people are looking for, you’re going to have an epic fail on your hands—and fast.”Maren Timmerman, 30, an LDS single living in California, knows what Coleman is talking about.“I once met a guy, and the pictures he posted of himself were from fi ve years ago,” Timmerman says.
“Going online opens up possibilities to meet more people.”Need another perk?
The type of crowd online dating attracts is typically older and more successful.“This type of dating usually draws in people of the professional world,” says Snell, who has created a series of dating books and DVDs known as “It’s Not You—It’s Your Technique” (itsyourtechnique.com).
Not to mention the online world can give you a buffer in case the relationship fizzles.“Many men don’t date women in their singles wards just so they can avoid awkward encounters if it doesn’t work out,” Snell says. Online settings can give you that extra boost of confidence.“I actually think I’m better at online dating,” says Chloe Andersen, 33, a New York City resident who’s been online dating off and on for the last seven years.
“When I date online I’m confident, whereas in normal single situations I can get insecure and be reduced to a high school junior. I love having a say in who I meet and who I date.”One of the best attributes of online dating is the variety. Below are just a handful of websites LDS singles commonly log on to.· ldssingles.com· eharmony.com· match.com· ldsmingle.com· ldsplanet.com· Simply said: Online dating can work.“Some people think online dating is unnatural,” says James Green, general manager of
Good luck with that.“You have to have a photo—it’s your crucial first impression,” says Snell, who met her husband of nine years on
“No one will contact you if there isn’t a photo.”When you do post a picture, post a few.
And pick shots where you actually look, you know, like yourself.“The last thing I want to do is meet someone and have them say I don’t look like my picture,” Andersen says. Try not to post pictures where’s it’s obvious you’ve cropped out an ex-girlfriend. “And it won’t be in a good way.”Exaggerating or misleading people with your profile will get you nowhere.
Honest.“You have to be truthful,” says Andersen, who’s been on sites from to to
Same goes for people who engage in sexual conversations,” Snell says.