The 10 commandments of online dating

Research indicates that only 8% of people think sending an emoji message will get you a reply in the first instance. It gives the impression that you have a small vocabulary and are lazy.

Try and start out with at least a sentence or two, ideally including a question the person can answer you. Basically you want to invite a conversation, not merely state your presence.

Similar texting habits can be key to finding love online, but that doesn’t mean you need to match someone’s response time to the minute. Adopt the same ‘timings’ as you would a friend.

Also, keep in mind that purposely delaying responses not to seem desperate sets a toxic precedent if you’re obsessing over such trivial matters so early on. 

It’s key to have an exit strategy prepared in case you end up meeting with someone who is clearly not a good match for you. Otherwise, you might find yourself stuck for an extended period of time with them. Some general rules of practice: be polite, don’t tell a farfetched lie and never dine and dash.

Those who met in real life may be out of touch with the dating landscape and even more with best practices of online dating. 

Things can get messy if you start dating several people at once. You find yourself repeating stories because you’ve forgotten what you’ve said to who, and you’ll also struggle to commit to just one person due to constant distractions.

Once you start seeing someone frequently, focus on one person at a time.

It’s important to be aware of what your match is and isn’t comfortable with in terms of physical intimacy.

Read the situation and, if you’re unsure, be straightforward and have a conversation about it. In these instances, it is always better to be safe than sorry.

A YouGov study from 2017 found that 40 % of men think they should always pay for the first date while just 29 % of women felt the same.

People feel very strongly about this, which is why it’s best to avoid the risk of causing an almighty ruckus over something so menial and vow to split the bill early on.

It’s acceptable to engage in a mild amount of pre-date social media stalking to make sure the person you’re meeting actually exists, but keep your searching to a minimum so you get to know the person in front of you and not a fantasy version you have gleaned from social media platforms.