Tips For App Dating : Tinder and Bumble

When it comes to finding love or the lack thereof, places like Tinder and Bumble have someone for everyone. Whether you’re looking for a long term relationship or a steamy one night stand you’re apt to find your heart’s desire by swiping right on your favorite dating app. Some of you swipers deep in the trenches of the dating world are well aware of the minefield you have to navigate to find that next spark. Let’s look at some dating app guidelines to survive by to ensure you are finding the quality among the quantity.

You know that old saying? You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression, well, this couldn’t be more accurate on dating apps. This means you need to put your best photo first to showcase yourself. Physical attraction isn’t the only thing that matters but it might be the factor that sets you apart initially as you float across her phone. Make sure you post a photo with some friends and doing something that highlights activities you enjoy. Your first photo should be a picture of you that clearly shows your face (and smile) and it pains me to say this, without sunglasses! Primary profile pictures should NEVER be just a body shot, a picture of your dog , your favorite landscape, a bathroom selfie, a shirtless photo, or a group photo. Most of those pictures will result in a hard swipe left and that means no lovin' for you.

Okay, so you’re attractive. That’s a plus but who the heck are you anyway? Take a few sentences to describe what you love in life and show your amazing personality and intelligence through your description. Nothing disappoints like an empty profile. Don’t just say you have a sense of humor but say something funny that makes her smile. I’m full of passion and adventure so my opening sentence simply states, “let’s travel the world together and make out in elevators along the way!” The point is to describe you’re authentic self. You might be into fitness, dancing, drinking and watching movies. It doesn’t matter that most of the people who read your profile won’t appreciate your sense of adventure, sense of humor or desire to watch the Kardashians in your underware all day. What does matter is that ONE person lights up when they read your creative profile.

Communication is king and while people communicate on different levels, there are some basics that you should be practicing. Those basics include getting back to people in a timely manner without bombarding them. This means checking your app more than once a week. Be inquisitive and respectful about their interests and ask questions about their goals. It shows a lack of interest if you only answer questions and have nothing to ask in return. Don’t be afraid to state what you actually want. If you really want to, “Netflix and chill” ( aka: hook up) than say so. Nobody appreciates their time being wasted. Lucky for you there are plenty of people who like that same, umm, show. If you are seeking a long term relationship it’s important to share that as well. Let these topics come up at a natural pace but I would suggest sooner than later if you’re curious. Last but not least, compliment your potential date on any number of qualities that give you saucer eyes. It might be her smile, his eyes, her legs, his arms….you get the idea. The art of flirting and flattery is as sexy as ever, so get after it!

Lastly, keep in mind that in today's online dating world everyone has access to you through the apps which leads to notification messages, text messages and alerts. It all starts to feel like a digital assault. You can find yourself inundated with people who are essentially spending your time or in others words, wasting it. The key here is to take a moment to figure out want you want out of a relationship. this includes values, physical attractiveness and common interests. If the person is not a hard swipe right than why bother? You should be thrilled to receive their messages and the opposite should hold true for them. If not, just say goodbye and best wishes. Lack of response and lack of time equals lack interest so don't let yourself get roped along either. Unless your looking for a pen pal my final suggestion is to get off the app and go on a date. You can find yourself talking for weeks only to meet someone and have absolutely no chemistry. Don't feel bad if things don't always go as planed. The aforementioned pointers come from personal experience. Happy swiping!