It should come as no surprise that the dating site Match.com typically sees a 25 to 30 percent increase in new membership registrations between Dec. 26 and Feb. 14. After all, that’s when the whole New Year’s resolution thing kicks in, and many singles resolve to improve their relationship game, big-time. So we checked in with dating experts to see how exactly you can improve your dating success in 2014. Here’s how to get the ball rolling . . . now that it’s officially dropped.
4 Things You Should Resolve Not To Do
1. Don’t use demanding language in your profile. The whole “must love dogs” or “must watch ‘Girls’ ” thing? Not cool. You may think you’re being jokey, but it makes you seem demanding and rigid — and people will wonder what else they’d have to do if they date you.
2. Don’t talk about previous online dating disasters on the date. It may seem like an easy conversation topic, since you both have the shared experience of dating online. But actually, talking about the time your date spilled red wine on you could make him or her freeze up and feel generally uncomfortable (a k a, good luck scoring date number two).
3. Don’t schedule the next date at the end of your current date. When you actually like someone, it’s tempting to lock down the next hang session ASAP before your date gets the chance to scurry away. But honestly, that makes you look desperate. Plus, what if you get home and realize you don’t like your date after all?
4. Don’t start a message off saying, “I can’t believe I’m doing this, but . . . ” Fact of the matter is, you are doing it — and so is the other person! So own it. Plus, being awkward about it may come across as degrading, as the other person may have absolutely no problem accepting the fact that he or she is on the prowl.
4 Things You Should Resolve To Do
1. Send more messages. Online dating is a sheer numbers game. The more notes you send out, the more likely you’ll find a match. Aim for 10 a week. That also makes it easier not to care when one of your prospects disappears — onto the next!
2. Refresh your pictures. This one’s a biggie. When you keep the same photos on your profile, people might pass right over you if they’ve seen your pictures before. But if you update your page as often as possible, you’ll exude the “new guy/girl” effect more often — and will probably get more messages as a result.
3. Try more than one site. Lots of people peg themselves as “only OkCupid” people, or “Tinder or bust” people. But there are different kinds of daters on each site, so to really open yourself up to more options, try using more than one at a time.
4. Splurge on specific first and second date outfits. It’s not just a vanity thing. This harkens back to the adage “when you look good, you feel good.” Invest in some quality pieces that you know make you look awesome, and it’ll be easier than ever to bust out your A game.
Experts: Christine Hassler, author of “20-Something, 20-Everything”; Emily Morse, sex and relationship expert and host of the “Sex with Emily” podcast on iTunes; Tracey Steinberg, dating coach and author of “Flirt for Fun & Meet the One”; Janis Spindel, matchmaker and author of “Get Serious About Getting Married: 365 Proven Ways to Find Love In Less Than One Year”; and Jennifer Oikle, PhD, dating coach at meet yourmateonline.com