by Cherrine Banks

Created on: September 06, 2008

You can meet people online in different ways. However, the first step is deciding why you want to meet online. For instance, if you want to meet online for social/new friend reasons, you may want to consider checking a person's about me page via his/her website or blog. Scan the biography to determine if have a common interest such as food, health, or sports. We tend to embrace individuals with common backgrounds. On the other hand, if his/her about me information can only be found via a specific online community such as a writing group or a moms group you may have to join as a member to gain access to fellow members. This is to protect the person's general privacy and keep spam to a mininum since most communities are monitored.

The best option is to send an e-mail. You should reference where you located his/her information since some people track contact information for personal/business use. The email should consists of 1 or 2 short paragraphs including what motivated you to contact the person and how they may contact you if desired. Do not be offended if you do not get a quick response for social connections. Some people have multiple emails and may only check each weekly not daily. Unless you send an abusive e-mail he/she is likely to respond shortly. Based on the response you may consider to establish a nice online friendship.

Most of the time the reason to meet new people online is business/work related. This can be tricky. For instance, if you are desiring a joint business venture, the tone of your message should be more professional with good grammar and spelling. Also, you should expect a response within 24-72 business hours. Next, the e-mail should include 3 paragraphs at minimum. The introduction paragraph states your background including how long you have been in business and the type of business. The second paragraph should indicated the possible venture. The closing paragraph can consists of possible future contact.

Occasionally, the reason may be for dating. If this is the case it is a good idea to determine the type of person you want to date. It sounds simple but have can you date without knowing your desired profile. Another good idea is to check with trusted family/friends/associates who may have dated online to help guide you with good dos and donts.

Meeting people online can be wonderful. You can agree to meet via online daily, weekly, or monthly. You can meet morning, afternoon, or evening. You can meet for business, friendships, or dating. It can be interesting, challenging, and fun but its best to decide the reason for meeting online and follow this reason as a guide.

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