Online dating - do's and don'ts from those of you who've tried it?

[chippychippybangbang]

Have just dared to put my profile on POF, having not been single for 12 years(!) and been pleasantly surprised at the messages I've received from educated, funny, sane sounding men. Plus a few weirdos.

I've had a couple of invites for drinks from a lovely sounding teacher, and a doctor. I've googled them, they are who they say they are, so I think I'm going to go..

So help - where do I start? My profile shows I have dc's but I haven't mentioned them in any detail. When do you tackle all of that? First date, or later? What do you wear? Is it all really awkward? Help!! Any pointers or tips gratefully received, am such an amateur at this..

Profile hidden now. I lasted 6 whole days!!

chickens, thankyou for your advice. Am meeting in a very safe, public coffee shop. Friend at the end of her mobile. Will try on the fun bit!

I am already feeling a little sick at the thought of doing this.. you are all really brave!

You're welcome chippy.
The only reason I put the bit about the photo was I checked out a man,his profile looked good & his pic was lovely,sandy hair,tanned,good physique.We chatted for a while,then he sent me another photo of himself . . oh dear,lets just say,it looked like a totally different man!!I asked him 'why',he said that the one on the site was the best photo he had!!
He was probably a really nice bloke,but i like to look at a man & go 'mmmmm'.IYKWIM.
The first time I met my dh,he came down the steps of the local rock club to meet me with my best friend & I thought 'oh no,he is not my type at all,well I'll give him a chance'
6 years,1 beautiful dd later. . . .
Let us know how you get on,good luck!!

Doctor man?
Teacher man??
Architect man???

Awesome responses. I put my profile on a free site for about a week (before, like you, I got all freaked out and pulled it!) and got...

Old man (62 - I'm 34)
Unemployed, dodgy man (favourite places on earth - Magaluf, Blackpool)
Lives too far away man
Probably married man

Good for you for meeting some nice guys. Give it a try - who knows where it might lead?

good luck chippy do let us know how it goes

I will do.. Thanks all of you. I am terrified. I was less nervous when I had to make someone redundant. It's ridiculous..!!!

Do you think I should speak to him on the phone first?

hi chip!
do know how terrified you feel it's hideous isn't it?
a kind of terror with excitement mixed?

tbh i think a quick chat would be good to settle your nerves as at least you will know what he sounds like
keep posting!
btw when is it?

hi everyone, well I survived but have only just stopped feeling sick now, I think I actually lost a couple of pounds last week through the whole nervous energy of it all.

We just went for a drink in a nice bar, he was easy to talk to, and very sweet, but just not my type at all in RL. I tried to give it as much of a chance as I could, but was quite relieved to get home, which probably says it all. I could not imagine introducing him to friends and family in a million years.

He is up for a second date though, so I obviously made a good impression!

I've got two more invites for this week from different people and am really wondering whether they're worth going on or not. Possibly it's all a bit soon for this anyway.

Well done for surviving it, chippy. I haven't dabbled loads, just a bit, but found that after the first one - which was pretty nerve-wracking - it got a lot easier.

One tip to add - and I don't mean to be alarmist here, but it's important - is to never leave your drink unattended, or have him buy you a drink at the bar while you're sat down. The odds are small, but drinks do get spiked. It happened to a mum on here recently, and sounded frightening - not worth the risk.

Keep safe - and enjoy!