1. Type of relationship: What type of relationship are you seeking? Knowing this will help in eliminating dating sites that don’t serve your need as well as finding the right one for you. You see, different dating services are designed to meet different needs.

2. Choice of dating site: If a serious relationship or marriage is what you want, a matchmaking service might be right for you. If you just want a date with or without long-term goals, one of the popular dating sites might be the best for you. If you are looking for casual sex and other forms of erotic activities, then go with an adult dating site.

3. Interests: Have a passion that you just can’t live without? In that case, your partner must be prepared to share it with you or, at minimum, support you fully in its pursuit. You have two choices 1) you can go with a popular dating site and include your passion as a “must have” in your profile as well as one of your search criteria, or 2) you can go with a specialty or niche dating site that serves your interest group.

4. Signing up: Next, you will sign up for a free trial with your chosen dating service. If the dating site has no free trial period, move on. Find one that does. The reason is that find out if it is good fit for you. In fact, it might be a good idea to sign up for a free trial with more than just one site.

5. Write a dynamic personal profile. A winning profile must be accompanied by a good photo and screen name. Each of these (profile, photo and screen name) is subject of its own article. But one thing is for sure; a dull personal profile will not win you a date.

6. Initiate contact: This goes for you ladies too – forget what a certain book about online dating “rules” says. Online dating is a two-way traffic. By initiating contact, you might just land the right person whom you might otherwise have missed altogether. Unfortunately, you will not be able to make contact while on a trial period on most paid dating services.

7. Communicate: Before meeting your date in person, talk on the phone and/or chat on web cam. This might give you an idea of the type of person your date really is. Just don’t be too critical the first time, as some people get nervous. And make sure to use a number that cannot be traced back to you, at least the first couple of times or until comfortable.

Get the latest online dating news and updates about the online dating scene, plus Free Downloadable eBooks. David Kamau is an online dating enthusiast, writes articles and reviews Internet Dating Sites.