e live in the age of convenience, an age where we can acquire things faster than we ever have before. Shopping is as easy as the click of a button, we can get hot food in under five minutes, and meeting people can be done virtually. Online dating has become a mainstream way for people to find their ideal match, or meet others that share some of their common interests and life passions. With convenience being the number one reason for online dating, is it truly worth it? I'm sure we all have that one friend that found his/her significant other on an online dating site. We may, in turn, feel the chances of us finding happiness is slim to none, but the bottom line is that you have to be prepared for what online dating has to offer.
Be aware and be alert. Know some of the dangers and warning signs that something may be "too good to be true." Some of the things you want to watch out for are people who are too aggressive/hasty. Long-winded profiles, scanty/vague profiles, One Photo Joe, the grieving widower, and the overseas worker or financially needy, these are all usually some form of catfishing or potential psycho. Some of you may be unfamiliar with the term catfish, but it grew popularity with Nev Schulman, a filmmaker, and producer of MTV's Catfish series.
The series followed the filmmakers Nev and partner Max around the U.S. as they came to the aid of people who had a hunch that they are being catfished. Catfishing is a term where people who have talked online and never met, only to find out that person lied to them and led them on. They later find out that the person is not who they claimed to be. Catfishing is the number one reason why people don't trust to date online. Sadly catfishing has become second nature for many online daters. Hiding who they really are and creating the ultimate facade that would attract any unknowing person looking for love.
Under the umbrella of catfishing are many other forms of deceit, let's take a look at the One Photo Joe. Usually, One Photo Joe is a male that has one photo of himself on a dating site. This photo is generally super gorgeous to catch your eye. Sometimes this photo can be a model or someone else's photo they may be using. To play it safe, use Google Search Images and upload the person's photo, this gives a complete internet scan of all the places where the photo was used. You can usually find out right away if this person is a phony. Steer clear of profiles that only have one picture, it usually means trouble.
There are no real dating rules, but you want to use your head and be especially cautious of aggressive/hasty men or women. They tend to want a date quickly or have a date at their place of residence. These are also typically the type of people that want a relationship right away. As personalities go, they tend to be obsessive, controlling, and manipulative.
Now we all want a guy or gal that is interesting or has something to say; however, repetitive profiles are another situation. If you are perusing a dating site and stumble across an essay
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