Love knows no boundaries – this is what everyone has probably heard. Centuries ago, inter-cultural marriages were the prerogative of royals only. But nowadays, anybody is free to search for the love of his/her life overseas. The modern tech progress brings us an abundance of online communication means including online dating sites and even mobile applications that indeed lift all restrictions on your dating regime. No wonder that the proportion of international couples rapidly grows.

So we suggest you take a look at five pros and five cons of online dating to become aware of what it may give you. Let’s start right now with the pluses.

Online Dating Advantages

1. Fast and convenient

This is apparently the first item we should outline. Some people still believe a widespread myth that online dating only works for those who fail to find a good partner in real life. Yet the reason why it is so popular is different: online dating merely saves you time and energy as you can meet someone special without leaving your room. In our view, this is extremely helpful in our busy times.

2. There is plenty of choices

Yes, online dating services give you access to an unrestricted number of candidates. Whether you are searching for love in the nearby area or dream about meeting a decent Slavic bride, these resources are capable of matching you to who you want. Another beneficial aspect of online dating is that you can chat to several matches simultaneously and choose the best one.

3. You can pick a partner of your dream in several steps

Major dating services automatically connect you to people whose level of compatibility with you is very high. Not only you can set filters and see potential partners of a certain age, appearance, or dating goals – there is a possibility to meet someone whose interests and live values are similar to yours. And this all can be done just in a couple of clicks!

4. It is fun anyway

The conventional idea of romance may seem too ordinary to many people so they make up their mind to open new horizons. Online dating not just provides you with sufficient information about attractive people you meet – it allows you to study foreign cultures and languages. If you don’t hesitate to make acquaintances on the Internet, some of these people will likely enrich your self-development. By all means, even unsuccessful relationships give us lots of valuable experience.

5. You can make whatever impression you want

Online dating might really work for people who feel insecure about their attractiveness, both outer and inner. You should basically work on your self-esteem in order to make it adequate but meeting people on the Internet often relieves you from the extra pressure in the beginning. Sometimes, it’s easier to approach a stunning single woman via clever messages than trying to woo her at the bar.

So you know what the very basic advantages online dating can provide to you are. Yet there are minuses as well. Now, it’s time to switch to them now.

Online Dating Disadvantages

1. Setting your priorities right may be difficult

Having access to a big number of prospective daters is nice but on the other hand, it may be overly difficult to make the right choice. Many users run into extremes – they get attached to someone with no good reasons or vice verse practice polyamory. It is important to find the golden mean and set realistic expectations of what you are looking for. Don’t stick to one variant until you really feel the connection.

2. It is still like buying a pig in a poke

You never know what you will get in real life. You may marvel at stunning profile photos of your dates, have fun chatters with them – but it is still not enough to get an idea of who they are. Live video chats indeed help you clarify the things, however, in-person meetings is what your future couple needs.

3. You have to venture your time and effort

Online dating is capable of eating your free (and even working) time up. If you know there’s a risk for you to become an Internet addict, it is necessary to plan your communication out. On the other hand, it is quite difficult to impress representatives of the opposite sex just via your posts and photos as nothing works better than live talks.

4. Being in a long-distance relationship was never easy

Well, this topic is 100% worth creating a separate article. The distance between partners-to-be is probably the largest pitfall of online dating. We only hope you understand the seriousness and difficulty of this dating mode. There are many things to consider and work out if you’re gonna try it.

5. Not always online contacts are safe

Online frauds aren’t rare nowadays so you should always be careful on the Internet. Some people are sure all online dating sites are scams. In fact, this is false. But you should nevertheless control what personal information you share and read guides to protecting yourself (they are available on our site as well).

Rules for Safe Online Dating

Nowadays, the Internet is full of scammers who have bad intentions and want to profit off you. Therefore, you should know a number of simple rules that you need to follow in order not to be deceived when looking for love on a dating site.

Don't rush to pay. Dating sites and apps often make money from paid features. However, you can get by with the free version of a dating site. Moreover, most of the paid features are needed only by those people who use the application too often.

Consider personal data protection. You should not register on a dating site using your main email account, and even more so link your profile to a Facebook page or Instagram account. Your profile page on a dating site should not be indexed by search engines.

Don't follow links. In the best case, scammers will steal your password for the profile page, in the worst case, they will supply a virus dangerous for your computer or gadget.

Select appropriate photos. Do not post photos that you use on other Internet resources. Google's image search feature can suddenly lead scammers to your social media profiles.

Don't post too personal photos. Do not post too personal photos and videos on your profile page, and even more so do not send them to your interlocutors through private messages. It's not about violating personal boundaries, but about the likelihood of blackmail.

Be vigilant. You should examine the profiles of potential chosen ones for conflicting or implausible information. Any discrepancy between the data and the questionnaire with reality should alert you.

Use the site's messenger. You should not immediately give your interlocutor your email, nickname in Telegram, or phone number. It is easier to interrupt unwanted communication on a dating site than to block an interlocutor wherever they can only reach you.

Don't be afraid to complain. If you receive insults or even threats from an interlocutor, this is a sure reason to complain about the profile page of this person to the site administration.

Make your own decisions. Of course, the initiative is a good thing, but do not allow yourself to be pressured and do not put pressure on your interlocutor yourself. The decision to meet in real life should be mutual but not made under persistent requests and persuasion.

Agree on a meeting place. Make an appointment only in a location known to you and be sure to tell your friends where and with whom you are going. It will not be superfluous to ask them about a "control" call to make sure everything is okay with you. 

Tips to get the best from online dating and find your love

Decide how you want to find candidates for dating

Some dating sites offer you matches selected by comparing profiles. This is the simplest method, although not very reliable since the selection is made by software algorithms as a result of cold calculation

Are you ready to spend money on dating?

There are free sites for virtual dating on the network. But with all kinds of paid subscriptions with additional functions such as displaying a profile in top places, your chances of meeting a partner get higher.

Be ready to reject and be rejected

Don't take the answer "No" too personally. After all, most likely, by refusing to communicate with you, your age, hair color, place of your residence doesn’t suit a person. They do not know you.