Going on a date with someone online...

[EggcellentBuisnessOpportunity]

I joined a dating site out of boredom ages ago. I've recently been dumped and I was just bored and went on. I'd gotten a message and replied and we've been chatting.

She seems nice enough. We swapped to texting and she asked me out. I said yes but I'm not sure. I'm very shy and I've never been on a date before. I mean both my previous partners have been friends first.
And her profile pic is very different to current ones shes sent. I found her attractive on the site but I think they were quite old photos.

I'm just trying to distract myself from this utter heartbreak I guess.

Is it a bad idea.

Not a bad idea! Nothing ventured etc.

Go and see what she's like; it's only a date and if you don't get on then meet someone else. Be brave!

Dating gets better with practice. I ran away on my first one (literally). Nowadays I'm quite confident and that seems to be attractive to men.

Try going on the date just to practice? By the time you meet someone you really like you'll come across better, and if this woman turns out to be the one you want then even better

Yeah. I think I'll go. Can't do any harm.

I met dh on plenty of fish happily married 6 years now.

Just go for a coffee during the day. Then if it all goes tits up you can just vanish off quickly after an hour and it's not at intense as spending a whole evening together. Dh and I met in Costa and ended up staying for 3 hours until it shut!

It doesn't hurt, no that's wrong it definitely could, but rebound dating needs to be treated differently to regular, 'I am in a good place' dating.. you as a rebounding person are a special category....

Just Don't get involved with someone just to deal with withdrawal from someone else..... you need to suffer through the withdrawal, yes it fucking sucks not to get a text when you ordinarily would.... it literally prevents the release of a little bit of dopamine in your brain.... but it won't take as long to adapt, or be as bad as it feels, I promise, and you will be in much better shape for that in the long run.

So go with low expectations and don't make any promises you can't keep to this person

Do a daytime coffee, so you can bail if need be

Agree, have a pre-date. Meet for a coffee to decide if you want to go on a date.

I signed up to OLD when I ended my marriage, out of curiosity, to find out what it was all about as I expected that at some point in the distant future I'd dip a toe in the water. I got chatting to someone,met him for a coffee. Wasn't looking to meet anyone, but the coffee led to a date. Two years on it's lurve

Shit. She works all week so can't do lunch so I agreed to a drink Friday night. I did say only an hour though as I'm going out with friends (true)

So is an hours drink ok?

I can only do weekends due to childcare

Do it! It is scary, but it will get easier. FWIW, I met someone OD 4 yrs ago. We get married in September :)

Good luck! Be brave

You have nothing to lose.

Don't start dating if you know you're not ready and are likely to mess people about - that's not fair on the women you meet. If you're still at the stage of "utter heartbreak" I say it is a bad idea, yes.

I don't have anyone. I don't have friends. I need to meet people.

It's meeting someone for a drink. Not a marriage proposal.

Do it buddy, just do it.

Don't take her to your mates later in the evening - ditch your mates, stay with the girl the friends would understand.

I don't have anyone. I don't have friends. I need to meet people.

Come on, put your big boy pants on. Break-ups are shit, but if you really don't have any friends you need to start there, not immediately trying to find a replacement girlfriend.

It may not be a "marriage proposal" but how do you know that the person you date hasn't just got over her own trauma of falling for someone who turned out to be on the rebound? As REM said, everybody hurts - not just you.

Try Meetup - hundreds (probably thousands) of different groups with every interest under the sun.

If you don't have friends, who are the friends you are out with later on Friday?

I'm a woman.

And I did say on my profile that I'm looking for female friends and maybe something more if it feels right.

My friends are my sisters.

Crikey, talk about drip-feeding.

I don't think that's a drip feed, and what difference does it make if she's a woman or man?

Go for it! I met my partner online and we've been together 2 1/2 years.

Just be upfront about what you are looking for ( casual, relationship etc.) and you'll be fine. Good luck!

How is it drip feeding? What difference does it make that I'm gay?

Do I need a badge attached to my profile? :/

No badge needed, although I suspect that you knew that people would assume you were a man from what you wrote, as you mention the sex of your date several times.

The reason it makes a difference - imo - is firstly that people tend to search for friends of the same sex. Yes, of course men and women can be friends, but if you go out to meet someone of the opposite sex through a dating site it's generally assumed you're looking for something romantic and/or sexual.

Secondly, I don't think it's completely inaccurate to say that a man going on dates when he knows he's not looking for something serious probably has a different agenda from a woman in the same situation. In my experience he is more likely to be looking for no-strings sex, and he may or may not be up-front about that, depending on how much of a dick he is.

Anyway, by all means get out there and meet people - just don't lead anyone on, whatever your gender.

And sorry if I sound like I have an axe to grind - unwittingly ending up dating someone on the rebound or otherwise emotionally unavailable has happened to me once (or a dozen) times too often, and it pisses me off because it's dishonest, disappointing, time-wasting and slightly insulting.