Not too sure how to go about dating online? Does it feel like you shouldn’t have to do this?

Well, too bad. Online dating is one of the most effective ways to date these days. It’s cost efficient, you can reach many more people, you can change your ad as many times as you want, and you can browse others who are looking.

So, how about a few tips to get you started online, particularly for the Jewish dating sites.

Free sites are OK to browse, but not for serious shoppers.

You get what you pay for. Free is free. Any bozo can log on and sign up for a free account. Want to find quality dates? Pay for it. Look at it this way: the cost of a monthly fee is about the cost of a dinner out. To me, this is a no-brainer.

Upload a photo of you. Really.

First of all, you must have a photo. Would you buy a car online without a photo? I’m sure you wouldn’t buy something off ebay without a photo. Why should dating be any different? In fact, its even more important to include your photo-this is your life we are talking about. Most people search online by photos. And don’t even think of putting a picture of Tom Cruise up there saying it is you. Forget it.

Go online-often.

One of the worst things you can do is sign up for a membership, post your profile, then forget it. Suppose you get the girl of your dreams responding to you, but you aren’t online to say hi. If she left you a text or voicemail, you’d answer right? Go online, be active, chat with folks. Think of it as mingling. You can’t do too much of this.

Be yourself.

I’ve seen too many people go online and become something they are not. Fine, if you want to spend your whole life online. But if you actually plan on meeting somebody in person, you better be yourself. We don’t want surprises on either end. If you are expecting Julia Roberts and she doesn’t show up, you’d be pissed.

Enjoy the process.

Sure, this is serious business. But, it should be fun. If you’re stressed out, how can you be yourself? Try and look at the bigger picture here. If you’re posting and chatting online, its better than sucking down another beer in front of the tube.

Decide how important religion is to you.

This is a personal decision. Online, you will discover the entire range of how “Jewish” somebody really is. Decide what your real priorities are. How important is it that the person is as religious as you? Or not? Make a decision before going online, so you can search for those who are as religious as you prefer.

To your success,

Jeffrey Betman