Ladies: Avoid this mistake like the plague!
Image via WikipediaLet’s say you’ve been perusing the online personals, and you meet a guy and start chatting over instant messenger. Things are going great, hours pass and you’re loving every second of it. There’s an electrifying connection between you, it seems. You two seem to have a lot in common, he’s cute, funny, and intelligent. He talks about more than his car/hunting/sports/etc. and it revolves around things you find really awesome.You really want to talk to him on the phone. You want to meet him. You want to sip coffee and people watch.
Take this from me, girls… one who’s made this mistake on more than one occassion in the past:
Do NOT be the first one to suggest you two get on the phone or meet up face to face.
Seriously. Don’t do it. As tempting as it might be, you’re liable to totally drive him off. Don’t even hint at it.
I can hear you all gasping right now, wondering what the big deal is. Guy readers might be thinking, “But I want her to make that first move so I don’t have to,” and in some rare cases, okay I concede. But for the most part, what I’ve discovered is that guys who really get into chatting over IM are really into chatting over IM for more than just a day before deciding if they want to actually spend time with you.
I think the reason is this: Guys know that while an initial conversation can really kick ass, it doesn’t mean that every conversation will be devoid of awkward silences, and it doesn’t mean that the girl they’re talking to will be able to hold up over the long run. It’s kind of like when you go to a new restaurant and you check out the menu - everything on it looks (and sounds) fantastic. Then you narrow it down to 4 or 5 dishes, and you still have a hard time deciding which one really will be the best. You go over them, and over them, and you might be able to rule out two or three based on what kind of meat is involved (ie. not really feeling like having chicken). But you’re still unsure, so you keep reading and reading… until finally you decide to commit to one. But you don’t want the person you’re with telling you what to get. You’re sure the waitress is going to tell you that the most expensive one is the best. But when you order, and the plate comes, you know without a doubt what’s going to be on the plate, and you have an expectation… if that expectation was met, you’re happy. If it wasn’t, you’re disappointed and you vow to never go back to that restaurant again.
Okay, so it’s a long, drawn out analogy, but what I’m getting at is that guys like their time to be well spent. Even if it’s three hours on the latest version of Guitar Hero, it’s a quality three hours to them. Men tend to be less decisive than women when it comes to dating - where a woman might figure, “What the hell, it’s just one date. We can see how that goes, and go on from there,” while a man might think something along the lines of, “Geez, I’d rather be home chatting with her on IM so I can still watch my Heroes DVD.”
Now, be sure that this is of course not a rule without exception. Some guys are shy, and really do wish a girl would make that first suggestion, and by all means, if you’ve been chatting daily for a few days or longer, and you just can’t take it anymore, you can say something like, “Gee, it’s kind of silly we’re spending so much time at a computer when we could share a meal with this great conversation.” And I’d even go so far as to say that if it gets to that point and he doesn’t bite the bait, you might consider that he’s really not as interested in dating you as you might’ve thought. In that case, there’s nothing wrong with letting a friendship flourish naturally but it’s probably best you keep looking.
Yes, there are many more mistakes women make with online dating, I’m well aware of that. But I’ve personally experienced no less than three times this particular situation, and it ended with him all of the sudden “phasing out” the chatting. He goes “invisible” so you don’t send the first message, and eventually you never hear from him again. Odd, yes. Game playing, maybe. Disappointing, definitely. Are you better equipped now that you’re thinking about it, and will be the next time you’re chatting with a new hottie? You know it.
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Tags: Dating, Instant messaging & messengers, Online dating serviceRelated Stories
POSTED IN: About The Men
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129 opinions for Ladies: Avoid this mistake like the plague!
Audra
Oct 16, 2008 at 8:50 am
Good point.
Lindley
Oct 16, 2008 at 8:59 am
Thanks for the advice. Meeting people is easier these days, but actually finding someone good to date now has some extra steps to consider when using online services.
chris swanson
Oct 16, 2008 at 9:52 am
Interesting advice. I am just happy right now being single but I will keep it in mind.
Huguette E.
Oct 16, 2008 at 10:39 am
I agree!
jackie
Oct 16, 2008 at 12:47 pm
True. Read the book entitled–He’s just not that into you. It is so true and really gives us women great advise on what men are thinking and why they do what they do. I so get it now. Making excuses for why they don’t call just doesn’t cut it. Busy is just another word for asshole according to the authors!
Kamber
Oct 16, 2008 at 1:28 pm
Good advice.
Kristen
Oct 16, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Online dating is supposed to make things easier, but perhaps it’s adding a few more complications of its own?
loralie
Oct 16, 2008 at 3:08 pm
technology has really changed the dating scene
Aimee
Oct 16, 2008 at 3:16 pm
Very interesting.
Kikolani - Poetry | Photography | Blogging Tips
Oct 16, 2008 at 5:32 pm
I think there are a lot of guys who would prefer to make the first move. But if you have been talking to a guy for a long time, and he hasn’t said anything, find a way to casually sneak in a hint that you want to meet. I talked to one guy for months, and when he told me he was sick, I said something about having Emergen C packets that did the trick in a way that suggested “hey, I’d like to bring them to you” which got him to admit he couldn’t tell if I wanted to meet or not. Sometimes guys are just doofy like that and need a little extra encouragement. :)
~ Kristi
Marna
Oct 16, 2008 at 6:55 pm
This is so true
Cathy McCaughan
Oct 16, 2008 at 7:19 pm
Good article.
Cindi
Oct 16, 2008 at 9:45 pm
I hope I never have to date anyone else, but my husband! It can be difficult. Thanks, Cindi
Noreen
Oct 16, 2008 at 10:50 pm
good to know
devan brittain
Oct 16, 2008 at 11:45 pm
Excellent advice! I like the restaurant analogy!
Paula H
Oct 17, 2008 at 7:29 am
Dating has sure changed :)
Tesa S.
Oct 17, 2008 at 8:47 am
Um, I don’t date, especially online, and I definitely don’t do “chat”.
veronica sandberg
Oct 17, 2008 at 9:46 am
Wow what an eye opener
Karin V.
Oct 17, 2008 at 9:55 am
Great advice! Thanks!
Cherie
Oct 17, 2008 at 10:53 am
Great advice!
The one thing I would say however is that guys are by far slower in asking women they’ve been dating if they want to meet. Many guys don’t want to scare her off, and girls can wait a long time getting asked to meet in public. If you’ve been emailing someone and it seems like you hit it off, there’s no reason a girl cannot send a simple, “Hey let’s continue this discussion in person” email. Guys are usually very receptive to this. After all, you want to meet your next date, not have a life long pen pal! haha.
But you’re right about things in the real world definitely. If a guy’s not interested in you, it’s pretty obvious and you shouldn’t push it.
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Oct 17, 2008 at 11:45 am
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jenny
Oct 17, 2008 at 12:19 pm
sound advice!
Jodi
Oct 17, 2008 at 12:37 pm
Thanks for the great advice!
Carol
Oct 17, 2008 at 3:20 pm
I always met a date at an open area. Told him what I would be wearing. Online meeting can make you feel safe, but who knows. I came in at the beginning of the online dating era. Married and out of the dating arena.
Carolyn Nedrow
Oct 17, 2008 at 3:31 pm
Thanks for the advice!!
Email address edited for privacy
Theresa Shafer
Oct 17, 2008 at 3:45 pm
“so I can still watch my Heroes DVD” Oh ya, that is exactly what I would prefer.
And thanks for the GOOD advice.
Maybe next time we can share advice over a coffee.
Debi
Oct 17, 2008 at 4:25 pm
Very interesting advise !
Richelle F
Oct 17, 2008 at 5:12 pm
Good advice. Glad I don’t have to worry about that any more!
susan p
Oct 17, 2008 at 5:16 pm
please enter me thank you
Susan White
Oct 17, 2008 at 5:46 pm
Great advice!
thanks so much!
Email address edited out for privacy
Delores
Oct 17, 2008 at 8:09 pm
please enter me!
romero
Oct 17, 2008 at 8:09 pm
would love to be entered.
Leif
Oct 17, 2008 at 8:19 pm
Good analogy, but I’m not certain, as a guy, I completely agree with this. Let me throw in my Heroes DVD and figure it out….lol.
Carla Pullum
Oct 17, 2008 at 8:36 pm
Very true!!!!
Chrysa
Oct 17, 2008 at 9:00 pm
Great advice!
Misa
Oct 17, 2008 at 9:12 pm
Interesting read! Thanks for sharing with us!
alice t
Oct 17, 2008 at 9:55 pm
I wouldn’t want to miss Heroes either! Great point, though. Doesn’t hurt to take it easy!
Zoe Lee
Oct 17, 2008 at 10:24 pm
It is stories like this that make me feel fortunate I found my love, and am already married..lol and we watch Heroes.
jlo23
Oct 17, 2008 at 10:53 pm
I really like your approach to dating.
Jennifer C
Oct 17, 2008 at 10:54 pm
Good advice! Always meet somewhere in public.
Suzie G
Oct 17, 2008 at 11:38 pm
Hopefully I’ll never need this advice since I’m engaged to my one and only… but if for some reason he leaves me for Guitar Hero (which I could totally see him doing, lol), I’ll keep this in mind!
Kathleen Dalton
Oct 18, 2008 at 1:23 am
Great advice
Carol
Oct 18, 2008 at 1:48 am
You can never be too safe! Hope I win.
S
Oct 18, 2008 at 2:24 am
great point- I told my husban when I am done with him I am done dating forever unless I meet a billionaire whose old and on his deathbead to provide for me as I age
Vicky Boackle
Oct 18, 2008 at 3:50 am
thanks for the giveaway.
Katherine Frazier
Oct 18, 2008 at 5:12 am
I have always met in a public place and then one I am supposed to meet today suggested it first! Wish me luck!
Monica B
Oct 18, 2008 at 5:15 am
Good advice.
Jeanine Price
Oct 18, 2008 at 5:38 am
Appreciate the advice! I would love to win! Thanks so much for the giveaway!
Michael Capp
Oct 18, 2008 at 6:01 am
I’d love to win!
Shari M
Oct 18, 2008 at 6:02 am
Very interesting!
MARILOUISE
Oct 18, 2008 at 6:10 am
Great info. I would have a hard time being the first to suggest a face to face as I am very shy. I love the analogy and your logic.
Veronica Jarvis
Oct 18, 2008 at 6:16 am
Sounds completely true! I agree with pretty much everything you said!
Michele C
Oct 18, 2008 at 6:49 am
Some good advice for anyone who is dating. I met my husband online, we talked daily for hours for about a month and still had many ackward moments of silence.
Now I enjoy those moments, its more like peace now. lol
Audrey
Oct 18, 2008 at 7:07 am
Good advice!
Marie N
Oct 18, 2008 at 7:10 am
Great advice. As my mother used to say, “You think just like a man.” Its so important to have done a realistic analysis of the opposite sex in any relationship before you even begin to engage in online chats. I look forward to subscribing to your newsletter.
Suzanne Folwick
Oct 18, 2008 at 7:17 am
good advice, thanks.
Ruthann Rhodes
Oct 18, 2008 at 7:27 am
Just a note that guys need to follow the same advice in not rushing to meet. Sure has made me run a time or two. Thanks for sharing
Jennifer C.
Oct 18, 2008 at 7:34 am
My MIL is just now entering the world of online dating after being a widow for 8 years. She’s quickly learning how much things have changed and how “weird” some people are.
Julie Moe
Oct 18, 2008 at 7:36 am
How true
Phil
Oct 18, 2008 at 7:36 am
I’d love to win
Ann Fantom
Oct 18, 2008 at 7:59 am
Thank you for the advice!
Jill L
Oct 18, 2008 at 8:13 am
Thanks for the great advice!
Deci Worland
Oct 18, 2008 at 8:21 am
i would never offer my phone number, address or any other personal info. Maybe meet at a Museum, coffee shop or other public place.
Jessi A
Oct 18, 2008 at 8:23 am
Very interesting!
J. Campbell
Oct 18, 2008 at 8:33 am
Dating has changed.
Rebecca Peters
Oct 18, 2008 at 8:33 am
great advice
Rebecca Snodgrass
Oct 18, 2008 at 8:39 am
I love surprises, please enter me.
DJ
Oct 18, 2008 at 8:48 am
Great advice. I agree! Thanks for the giveaway!
Erica C.
Oct 18, 2008 at 8:56 am
haha you are so right
judy chapman
Oct 18, 2008 at 9:28 am
Very interesting and great advice.
Dora
Oct 18, 2008 at 9:39 am
I read the advice. enter me please
Tammy
Oct 18, 2008 at 9:40 am
Thanks for the chance to win a prize - can’t say much about your post, as I have been married for 14 years, and well, haven’t dated in about 16 lol!
Jessica M.
Oct 18, 2008 at 9:48 am
I agree with what you said. Online dating is such a new ‘thing’ with people my age. So many questions about what to do.
Thanks for the chance to win!
Becky Grayson
Oct 18, 2008 at 10:40 am
I am so glad that I am married and I would be so totally lost when it comes to dating now. I did read he’s just not that into you because it sounded like a great book and it was!
Christine R.
Oct 18, 2008 at 10:44 am
There are too many fish in the sea.I say throw the line out and see if he bites,if not..find another area to fish in.
Andrea
Oct 18, 2008 at 10:47 am
Guys love the chase, right?
jen gersch
Oct 18, 2008 at 10:50 am
yeseree
Ann
Oct 18, 2008 at 11:14 am
Excellent advise. If you do end up in a seriously relationship it will be so much better if you have him do it first. Men are so much different than women…sigh!
Angela J
Oct 18, 2008 at 11:16 am
I wouldn’t know where to begin, being alone with a good book is sounding more interesting.
Terra Heck
Oct 18, 2008 at 11:26 am
Thanks for the advice!
Sonya
Oct 18, 2008 at 11:32 am
I really like your analogy. Great article and solid advice.
Casey H
Oct 18, 2008 at 11:34 am
I’m loving the blogtoberfest fun!!
Becky Mize
Oct 18, 2008 at 11:36 am
great advice but i gave up on online dating long ago
Claudia Vitello
Oct 18, 2008 at 11:50 am
OH BOY
Linda Lansford
Oct 18, 2008 at 11:52 am
This is a fun concept
Carrie Miyake
Oct 18, 2008 at 11:53 am
Interesting advise, I look forward to reading more from that book.
Julianne
Oct 18, 2008 at 12:11 pm
I think part of the problem is the movie FATAL ATTRACTION. It made all men scared of women who become obsessive, needy, or clingy. LOL!
Truly if a guy has his life together, then he wants time to make sure you have a life and are not just seeking somebody to fix your life for you. I agree, go slow and easy.
william causey
Oct 18, 2008 at 1:14 pm
good advice
Adrienne Gordon
Oct 18, 2008 at 1:39 pm
good advice
Cathy W.
Oct 18, 2008 at 1:40 pm
I can think of a person or two that would benefit from your post, so I’m passing it on!
Lindsay
Oct 18, 2008 at 1:49 pm
I’ll pass this on to my sister who chats through IM
Rose Fisher
Oct 18, 2008 at 1:53 pm
Great advice
Catharine R
Oct 18, 2008 at 2:11 pm
Good advice!
leloni
Oct 18, 2008 at 2:13 pm
Great site
paige chandler
Oct 18, 2008 at 2:18 pm
I’d rather go to the dentist than date.
Terry C
Oct 18, 2008 at 2:35 pm
Good advice but thankfully my dating days are over.
Email address edited out for privacy
Shannon Baas
Oct 18, 2008 at 3:00 pm
interesting blog.
amy delong
Oct 18, 2008 at 3:16 pm
good blog,since a lot of people do this!
Carolyn Walsh
Oct 18, 2008 at 3:35 pm
Great advice….thanks!
susan varney
Oct 18, 2008 at 3:51 pm
i love surprises
Donna
Oct 18, 2008 at 4:15 pm
Yeah, they call you “dear” on the phone for months and you get together with them once, something about you doesn’t click and you never hear from them again. Don’t invest too much time on the net before you see them, it might be just a waste and you can keep looking beyond them. Thanks for the contest.
ikkinlala
Oct 18, 2008 at 4:56 pm
Thanks for the advice!
Kelly Ann T.
Oct 18, 2008 at 4:58 pm
Wow, it turns out my mom was right all along. Guys like the chase she always said.
Margaret Smith
Oct 18, 2008 at 5:20 pm
What great advice! Thanks.
Joanna Smith
Oct 18, 2008 at 5:20 pm
Thanks for sharing your advice! I love to hear about the experiences people have encountered from “online” dating or chatting. For some reason I am a little “obsessed” with it. To me, it is intriguing, even though I am happily married, LOL! I guess living vicariously through others either hot and steamy or totally horrible experiences of online dating is better to me than reality tv!! I do know one thing, I always let the guy initiate the date, hook up, get together, whatever, I love to be pursued, not be the initiator! On another note - did I mention I love surprises! Thank you for participating in Blogtoberfest! It is so much fun to wonder with great anticipation what the prize is!
Gianna
Oct 18, 2008 at 5:29 pm
Please enter me :)
Sarah Z
Oct 18, 2008 at 5:35 pm
You are freaking me out… I am thinking about starting to date again but now I am not so sure!!
Colleen Jensen
Oct 18, 2008 at 5:36 pm
I would love to win the surprize.
Meredith Peters
Oct 18, 2008 at 5:57 pm
Good advice all around! Thanks!
Debra F
Oct 18, 2008 at 6:28 pm
Good advice.
Thanks for hosting the surprise giveaway. Hope to win.
Nanette Olson
Oct 18, 2008 at 6:59 pm
I enjoyed your story. It is something that I had not considered before.
michael woods
Oct 18, 2008 at 7:23 pm
Thanks for the advice
Jenn S.
Oct 18, 2008 at 7:27 pm
Very true. Thanks for the advice.
gala
Oct 18, 2008 at 7:53 pm
very interesting
A Casson
Oct 18, 2008 at 8:11 pm
fun concept, pls accept my entry
Shari D
Oct 18, 2008 at 8:29 pm
Thanks for the good advice.
Bev
Oct 18, 2008 at 8:55 pm
You are so right. It’s very hard now to meet any man that wants a serious relationship or wants to make any kind of a commitment. Thanks for the contest!
Suanne Giddings
Oct 18, 2008 at 9:01 pm
Very interesting advice, but I am happily single!
Thank you for the opportunity to participate in this giveaway!
Green Yak
Oct 18, 2008 at 9:16 pm
Good advice all around! I tend to avoid online dating simply because I know I’m *much* more interesting over the internet :-P
Stacy
Oct 18, 2008 at 9:27 pm
Good luck finding “mr. right”. I found mine, but sometimes I miss those first date butterflies.
Heather C
Oct 18, 2008 at 9:47 pm
I’m glad I don’t have to try to meet people. Ugh.
Aaron Bretveld
Oct 18, 2008 at 9:51 pm
Thanks for the tip, thanks for the giveaway!
Mia J.
Oct 18, 2008 at 9:58 pm
Good advice!
Timothy Sternberg
Oct 18, 2008 at 10:07 pm
Good point.
Paige
Oct 18, 2008 at 10:23 pm
I still prefer meeting people in person; I’ve never picked someone up online.
Donna K
Oct 18, 2008 at 10:56 pm
Thanks for the info.
Lily Kwan
Oct 18, 2008 at 11:38 pm
Please enter me into the contest. Thanks!
Molly Capel
Oct 19, 2008 at 10:52 pm
I love surprises! Great tips in your post, by the way.
Winner, winner, chicken dinner! Another winner in the Blogtoberfest Giveaway!
Oct 24, 2008 at 10:50 am
[...] My sincerest apologies for this post taking so long, but I’m here to announce the winner of the October 16th giveaway for the post Ladies: Avoid this mistake like the plague! [...]
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