If you are looking to find online love for the first time, there are a few things to consider when choosing the right website for your needs.

You need to ask yourself if you want a paid subscription site or a free dating website. Both have their advantages and disadvantages.

Paid sites are not for everyone but you can expect a more controlled registered users on those sites and you may have to do less filtering to find the right partner.

But this is not the case always since it depends largely on how well you complete your registration profile.

Also, free sites like Jumpdates.com do a lot of manual screening of the profiles before they get into their database unlike many other free dating sites.

On the other hand free dating sites allow you to have unlimited access to contact other members without paying a dime.

But remember some free dating sites can disguise themselves as free but in reality you need to pay as soon as you make contact with another member.

The best tip for a new comer to the online dating scene is to first try out a few free dating sites and upload your profile and information.

When you feel more comfortable you may also try out some of the paid sites too.

Make sure to get good use of the paid sites otherwise you will find that you have wasted your time and money for nothing.

Tags: dating sites

Online dating has come a long way since the late 1990s with the convenience of putting ones profile and doing multiple searches for suitable partners.

With the advent of digital technology particularly in the hand-held arena we can expect more rich applications to be available to the user making online dating more accessible and widespread.

Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android has opened up a whole world of hand-held applications and more people are using this device for other purposes other than simple texting and telephone calls.

Watching movies, tv shows, playing games, listening to music, browsing the internet are just a handful of activities and features utilized by the common user.

The recent iPhone 4 launched an interesting application called the Face to Face application which allows users of iPhone’s to directly communicate via video without using any telephone carrier but through wireless access.

This opens up interesting possibilities for online dating where users can not only interact through messaging but also have a face to face chat.

This alleviates the necessity of having to setup a video camera for the PC and installing software which can be cumbersome and time consuming.

Expect this application to have many other uses too.

Dating is like taking a road trip. A long journey defined by the meandering way to reach a destination. Here are a few tips on how to enjoy this trip.

A road trip is not a cross country flight. Its a journey so embrace all the ups and downs. Make a promise to enjoy the high points and learn from the low points. Be excited about new prospects and be baffled when things are not going as planned. Just like a car, your dating life is not going to constantly run on the same gear.

Throughout the trip, assess your emotions. Seek to understand your emotions as you get on with dating. A road trip will inevitably have a few wrong turns, pit stops and multiple detours. As you handle these aspects, figure out what you like and dislike. Make a concrete description of your hopes. Search for the source of your inspiration to love and be loved. When you understand your feelings you will know what you want out of your love life.

Ditch the junk in the trunk. Would you carry around a set of golf clubs if you are driving into the Nevada desert? So, why would you carry around baggage from past relationships when you embark on a search for a new love? Negative thoughts and feelings- the frustrations, the mistakes, the wrong lessons, the unheeded advice - dampen your motivation to find the love you deserve.

On a road trip, you are your company. Learn to like yourself, because you are already hard-wired to love yourself. Do things you enjoy, listen to the songs you want to, laugh at jokes that you think are funny. When you like yourself, others will like your company.

Here are a few quotes on love by the Persian poet Rumi to inspire and motivate you on your search for love.

“As long as you want only leaves,
you will never know the fruits.
As long as you indulge yourself
with your charms and graces,
you will never know Love’s charms and graces.”

“If you fall in love,
your love is your proof
and that is enough.
If you are not in love,
what good is proof?”

“Choose love. Choose love.
Without this beautiful love,
life is nothing but a burden.”

Holiday stress can bring out your least charming qualities and strain your new found romance. Read on for ways to celebrate your new love while making a dash for holiday cheer.

Go out on a short date - Between shopping and getting back in touch with friends and family, making extra time to adore your sweetie can seem like an obligation, especially if it is a new romance. Take heart as there is no written-in-stone rule to spend every possible moment during the holiday season with each other. Save that for the holidays you celebrate after dating for a year. Instead make some time during the week or weekend to spend with each other.  Hold this time to be sacred, scheduling shopping and other obligations around the date instead of during the date. Your emotional bank and your sweetie will be much better for it.

Gifts are from the both of you- The holiday spirit is ever inclusive meaning chances are you will be invited to a few soirees hosted by your mate or friends of your mate. If you are expected to bring a gift to these events, bring one for the host/hostess. Ask your mate if you could simply add a card with both your names for the gifts meant for other friends. Bringing a gift for the host/hostess is being gracious. Bringing a gift for every friend of the mate you met a few months ago is silly.

Keep in touch with each other- If you are spending Christmas with your own family, take a few moments to connect with each other over the phone, via a text or online. Drop a line saying you miss the person or simply wish them again on the day of the holiday. Christmas dinner with family will be more exciting when you get a message from your new love. Added bonus: excitement and tension build till you guys see each other again.

Family and close friends- Holidays are stressful. juggling family, friends and new love adds to the stress. No one wants to talk to mom while holding hands on a date or vice versa. If you find yourself standing next to a honey on the phone with family, step aside to give privacy. After the conversation is over, compliment him or her on taking the call. Smile and go on with the date. You show that you can be understanding. For the next call from family, ask your date to pass along holiday wishes from a friend. You show that you will not freak out when family obligations come into your romance down the road.

New Year’s Eve- You don’t have to spend it with each other. If you spend it seperately, again keep in touch and call when the clock strikes 12. If you spend it together, enjoy the party without thinking too much about the viability of the relationship.

Take a deep breath or two- At the precise moment everything goes out of control. You will be surprised how quickly everything falls into place oxygen supply has been restored to your brain.

Think shopping, traveling and reconnecting with family and  friends don’t leave time to find a date. Think again.

During the hectic holidays many give up thinking they can’t make the time to find a date. But as these people take a break from the dating scene, online or otherwise, the competition pool shrinks. This increases your chances of becoming the big fish and improving your chances of finding love online. Here are a few suggestions to reel in the possibilities.

Spread holiday cheer by posting photos of yourself enjoying the festivities or dressed in holiday garb. When others think you are having fun, they gravitate towards you.

Add winter activities you enjoy or  would like to try to your interests. Someone is bound to take you up on skating, skiing, or going to a local winter festivity.

Emphasize “date” instead of “love”. Chances of finding true everlasting love by new year’s eve is slim. So why pressure yourself in trying to find it? Instead say that you would love to go out and for example, try the new winter-season blend of coffee/tea/drink imported from the other side of the world and would anyone care to join you. Specific outings with a time limit make it easier for others to accept because they know that if things do not work out well there will be an entertaining distraction upon whose completion the two of you can agreeably part ways.

Spend some time online. During the holidays, ladies, how may single guys do you see walking around malls searching for the elusive perfect gift for their cousin’s three-year-old? Gentleman, how many ladies do you see kicking back at local sports bars? The answer for both these questions is very few. This does not mean you stop enjoying your sports bar or give up on shopping, but do take a few minutes to check your online profile and send a message or two. You have nothing to lose and fun dates to gain.