Women's Dating

How to Turn Your Online Date Into an Offline Mate

Mary Wright

Written by: Mary Wright

Mary Wright

Mary Wright is a Chicago-based dating coach and author. Mary is the head dating coach at SuperDatesNow.net and author of the book "Offline Dating: Turning Your Online Date Into An Offline Mate" available Spring 2013. She founded Unlocked Love Matchmakers, LLC and has successfully matched more than 200 couples since 2008.

Edited by: Lillian Castro

Lillian Castro

Lillian Guevara-Castro brings more than 30 years of journalism experience to ensure DatingAdvice articles have been edited for overall clarity, accuracy, and reader engagement. She has worked at The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, The Gwinnett Daily News, and The Gainesville Sun covering lifestyle topics.

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According to a recent dating study by SuperDatesNow, nearly 40 percent of adults who meet online will never meet in person. The study shows that bringing your online dating life into the real world can be a challenge.

For a variety of reasons, couples may decide to keep their relationship strictly online.

However, if your goal is to turn your online date into a real-world relationship – also known as offline dating – here are three easy steps to help make that goal a reality.

1. Set limitations.

In the beginning, it is likely you will send and receive emails. Emails are a great way to break the ice.

But if you want to have an offline date, set limitations for the period of time you will spend emailing. Set a reasonable time limit and decide when you would be comfortable interacting by telephone.

If privacy is an issue, there are services available to mask your phone number and you can select the service that works best for you.

 

“Don’t hide your feelings. Make it clear you

would be interested in meeting in person.”

2. Request a call.

Once you have began interacting by telephone, set another time limit.

Telephone conversations are a great opportunity to discover important facts about your potential date, including their favorite types of food and entertainment and work schedules.

Use the information you gather on the telephone to help plan a date and check for compatibility.

This is also the time to see if any red flags or warning signs arise.

3. Plan a meeting.

Ideally, the man should request a date with the woman.

Ladies, if you ask him out, be prepared to pick up the bill. Otherwise, you can encourage him to ask you out by sending positive signals of encouragement.

Don’t hide your feelings. Make it clear you would be interested in meeting in person.

Set another reasonable time limit to determine how long you will wait for an invitation to meet face to face. If an invitation does not arrive within the allotted time frame, stop communicating and move on to the next prospect.

After plans are made to meet, review your dating sites safety rules. Most dating websites provide plenty of dating advice on how to stay safe during a date.

Once you have met your date in person, you will be one step closer to starting an offline dating relationship.

How long do you communicate with a match online before meeting in person?

Photo source: datelikeagrownup.com.

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