How to find love on a gay online chat site

In this digital age of social media, there is a plethora of online chat and dating sites available for everyone. Which one you head for depends on your particular wants and needs. For example, there are sites if you’re just looking to hook up for a night, sites for gay men with certain, non-sexual, interests and sites especially dedicated to all sorts of fetishes. If you’re looking to find love online, you probably don’t want to start your search by joining in discussions about whips, ball-gags and handcuffs! That’s not to say that you definitely wouldn’t find love, just that it’s more likely to make an appearance in other places. So, how do you find love online?

First of all, define your search criteria. Have a look through the available chat websites for comparison purposes and work out which ones you think look promising. You’ll find clues to the true nature of a chat site by reading their FAQs and having a quick flick through the types of conversations that are up and running.

Second of all, set up your profile. This may be the single most important thing that you do when you’re searching for love online, so be careful and make sure that it’s a true reflection of you and your personality. Tips include:

• Using a decent photograph (s) of yourself. Don’t use one that’s so far away that you’re a speck in the distance, don’t use one that’s ten years out of date and don’t use one that screams “I’m mad, me!”. No blue hair, crazy Ozzy Osborne black make-up or a bizarre fetish outfit. A nice, genuine smile goes a long way in a profile photo.
• Keep your bio (about yourself bit) short and to the point. No-one wants to read a load of waffle on why you prefer BMWs over Mercedes cars. Or why you dyed your hair red back in the day to emulate some aged pop star or other. Just write down your age, location and a couple of interesting bits. The idea is to get your personality to shine through.
• If you add more than one photo, make sure that they’re ones people would like to see. So not naked ones, not ones of you involved in a bizarre sex game and definitely not ones of you and your ex!

Once your profile is sorted, it’s then a matter of choosing wisely. Identify the sort of fellow online-ers that you like the look of and start there (it doesn’t literally need to be the look you like). Strike up a conversation and see where it goes.

Don’t go hell for leather and message thirty different guys in one morning because that’s never a good impression. Likewise, don’t pin all your hopes on one person. Keep in the back of your mind that people may not be who they say they are.

And finally, approach relationships online like you would in real life. Keep it easy, natural and interesting and no doubt you’ll find love in a heartbeat!