Hi, my name is Russ Ruggles, and I have been meeting women online for well over a decade.
Along the way, I developed a methodology through which you can clearly present the interesting you, and
secure a date online. more »
Instant Messaging is great. You can chat with a number of friends, all at the same time, while doing work, watching TV, or reading on the web.
Admittedly, I honed my online dating chops, chatting with random girls on AOL in the late 90′s. There’s something great about talking in real-time, but still getting to think about what you’re going to say next.
So, since IMing is so great, pretty much every online dating site – including Match.com – has an Instant Messaging feature. It makes perfect sense, right? So, what’s the best way to use this feature to get dates online. Continue reading ‘Instant Messaging tips for online dating’ »
Next time you’re by a newsstand, pick up a copy of the December 2010 Men’s Health Magazine. ODMM and yours truly – Russ Ruggles – is featured in The Algorithm Method, which is on page 120.
You probably soon will want a date. Summer is ending, and the holidays are near. See here on Google trends that there is a huge spike in searches for “match.com” right around Christmas.
What do you *really* want Santa to bring you?
This is probably due to:
Being alone during the holidays.
Being around family: realizing you’d like to start one, or listening to relatives nag about when you’ll finally get married.
Free time off of work.
There could also be some match.com advertising pushes during the holidays, and maybe some people just have New Year’s resolutions to find a significant other.
UPDATE: February 16, 2010: I’ve put up a few more match.com promo codes in case a match.com free trial of 7 days isn’t what you’re looking for. For example, you can save 20% on your subscription instead.
As I’ve mentioned many times, match.com is my favorite dating website. They have a great combination of solid features, and a huge membership base. There are lots of other dating sites that fulfill particular nichés, but it’s hard to beat match.com.
I often get asked “Is Match.com free?”Match.com is free to sign up, fill out a profile, and wink (though, guys, you don’t want to wink); but to send messages to other members, and to read messages you receive, you have to be a paid member.
All over the Match.com site, you will see advertised a 3-day match.com free trial, with which you can communicate with other members. This is great, but 3 days is a little tight. Not much time to really make connections and secure dates.
After your trial is over, I do recommend going with the 6-month membership that comes with the guarantee. Basically, if you follow the requirements of this promo (have a profile photo active the whole time, keep your profile active the whole time, and contact at least 5 members a month), and don’t find someone special during that time, you get another 6-months free. I’ve had this guarantee granted before; and – I know – what good is a service that didn’t work for you in the first place?
I actually enjoyed having that 6-months free; but the main benefit is that fulfilling the requirements of the guarantee acts as sort of a dating coach. You have to contact at least 5 members a month – so maybe you send out one-line hooks to a few matches whom you were on the fence about and might not have contacted otherwise. I dated a girl for about 3 months who fell into this category – it was a good experience I probably wouldn’t have had otherwise.
The toughest part of fulfilling the requirements of your guarantee is keeping your profile active. If you’re contacting at least five members a month, you’re probably going on some dates; and chances are you will meet someone to the point where you feel like you should deactivate your profile. So, keep the guarantee requirements in mind before you do this. Maybe you keep your profile active and send a few obligatory e-mails because you have to? It depends on what you’re comfortable with.
So, sign up for your 7-day match.com free trial by clicking here for the coupon.
Full disclosure: I do get a small referral fee if you start paying for match.com. I provide all of this advice for free despite lots of time invested and hosting fees etc., so I feel that’s fair. But, I absolutely wouldn’t recommend any service I didn’t think was great.
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If, for some reason, you decide that match.com isn’t working for you, you might want to try some Chemistry.com coupons. They have a personality-based matching system that you really might like. I also have some eHarmony discount promo codes – they match you with others on 29 different personality dimensions. Finally, if you’re looking for a Jewish match, I also have at least one JDate coupon code availalble.
No matter how hard you might think writing on online dating profile is, at least it’s a lot easier than this seems to be. Note how obnoxious these guys sound when they talk about the things they don’t want. Also note, everybody wants to “have fun.” At least the guy at the end used a call-to-action. (video)
Writing an online dating profile is the most daunting part of online dating; but there’s little else so critical to your success. Since it is such a challenge, it’s no surpise that many profiles are clearly given very little thought – either by being incredibly short, non-descript, or downright cliché.
It’s no wonder why so many profiles begin to the tune of “it’s so hard to write about yourself,” but understanding yourself well enough to create a profile that represents you well is a healthy process. With a little guidance, your online dating profile can stand out from the millions of others to present the interesting you. A well-written profile will not only ensure that you receive responses when you make first contact; but will attract and motivate potential matches into contacting you – making your online dating experience easier, more enjoyable, and more successful. Continue reading ‘How to write an online dating profile’ »
So, you’ve mined the conversation nuggets from your target’s profile, you’ve sent short, funny, and brilliant one-line hook, and boom, you’ve gotten a response. Now what? This is a very critical point in the online dating process, but this is the final step before meeting in person. This is “the kill,” if you will: the second message with an online dating prospect.
A high-value woman has an incredible volume of messages to manage. The fact you’ve gotten a response speaks to your online dating acumen. But because this woman has such volume to manage, you can’t waste time. You need to meet her as soon as possible. Additionally, you want to ensure that she is who you think she is without investing more time. So, you should have two goals for this online dating message: maintain interest, and secure a date. Continue reading ‘Follow-up Online Dating Message Advice’ »
Next time you’re by a newsstand, pick up a copy of the December 2010 Men’s Health Magazine. ODMM and yours truly – Russ Ruggles – is featured in 
