3 Alternatives To The Nightmare Of Online Dating

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Online dating has blown up in the last couple of years, with apps like Tinder now being the main way that people meet each other. But the thing is, the world of online dating can be a bit of a nightmare. Everybody that uses it probably has a whole host of horror stories that are enough to put you off trying it. Or maybe you just don’t like the idea of it and you’d rather meet somebody face to face first, or at least speak to them over the phone. A lot of people that want to meet others in a more traditional way are a bit lost because they don’t know where to go outside of the online world. Luckily, there are
​still ways to meet people without online dating. 

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Ask Friends 
Nobody knows you better than your friends so they’re the best people to judge if you’ll click with a person or not. That’s why it’s a great idea to ask them to set you up with anybody that they think you’ll like. The main benefit of getting friends to set you up is that you don’t run the risk of meeting somebody for a blind date and being greeted by your worst nightmare. Even if you’ve chatted online beforehand, that doesn’t mean you’ve got any sense of what they’re really like. People often give a completely different impression online so you’re always going in blind, but if your friends set you up you at least know you’ll have something in common with the person. If you don’t like the idea of them setting you up on a date, you can do it in a more casual way. If you go on a night out with a few people, get them to invite somebody they think you’ll get on with, there’s no pressure if it doesn’t work out.

Phone Dating 
Online dating had a predecessor and people often find that it works a lot better; phone dating. Before setting people up for instant messaging, companies were setting people up so they could chat on the phone. Phone dating chat lines are often better than online dating because people can’t give a false impression as easily. It’s a no pressure way of getting to know somebody outside of the blind date scenario, but you’ll get a better sense of who that person is than you would from chatting online.

Try New Hobbies 
When you’re looking to meet somebody, you want somebody that has similar interest and values. One of the best ways to find people like that is to get involved with hobbies more. If you love reading, join a book club, there’s a whole room of people that you have something in common with. If you’re interested in politics, consider going to some local government meetings where you can meet people with similar moral values. It can be anything you want, just find something that you like doing and go along to meet people who share that passion. Having that shared interest gives you something to talk about and eases any awkwardness on a first date.

The world of online dating is a nightmare so why not avoid it altogether and meet people the old fashioned way instead? 

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​By Iconic Chica Mag Contributors