They’re out there, the nice guys and the nice girls, looking for a partner, a date or even just a friend to hang out and watch movies with. The problem is finding them. That’s where dating websites come into the picture, matching up people according to their interests, tastes, values and locations. One thing that gets left out in the screening process is the individual behind the online profile.
Given the potential for fraud on the Internet, how do you know that the person who seems so perfect online is even real? And like many people, you may be wondering: is online dating safe? The safest online dating sites are adding one more step to the checklist: they will actually do background checks before posting profiles on their sites, to ensure the safety of all users.
Finding the right person: it isn’t really all that complicated
Well actually the process of finding the right person is complicated. What is not complicated is how people define the right person. Surveys have found that 42% of men, being the liberated, supportive type, think that the modern career woman is their ideal partner. And 38% of women, if you can believe it, prefer nice guys. So people who use online dating sites seem to have their values straight.
Nearly a third or 30% of all people surveyed said that the most important thing they look at on a first date is personality. A smaller number put appearances ahead of personality, with 23% of people surveyed saying that a person’s smile and looks were most important on a first date. Another 14% prioritized a sense of humor, and 10% chose career and education as the most important thing about a person they were dating for the first time.
True love: it’s out there, all you have to do is find it
Idealism is not dead, and fully 71% of people surveyed said that they believed in love at first sight. Just under half or 49% thought that physical characteristics matter the most. But the greater majority or 64% felt that it was most important to share common interests.
And people are looking for true love on singles dating sites. In fact one out of ten Americans uses or has used dating websites or a dating app at some time. New dating websites are using Internet technology to conduct background checks on all profiles, in order to ensure the safety of all users. Once you can be sure that the people you connect with online are really who they say they are, and that they have nothing to hide, you can go ahead and enjoy that date. And who knows, maybe you will find your true love!
