Overview of Online Dating Strategies in 2020

Romantic relationships

The Most Popular Online Dating Goals

What are the reasons people start using online dating websites or social networks, and what are those top dating goals for many singles? Offline dating does not always make it easier to find love, friendship, one-night stand, romantic relationships, or partners to create a family. But with an experienced and solid dating service like Clickandflirt.com, you can choose the right person with common interests and similar intentions, have a safe first date and get the most out of the service:

  • Online chatting and texting,
  • Advanced search with filters,
  • Search by location and interests,
  • Access to the nearby users’ profiles,
  • Matchmaking system and more.

However, some people think that websites work according to offering tools that help quickly connect with new people to have fun while chatting. They are not reliable for finding a life partner to create a serious relationship. Other users use them just for looking at a one-night stand. Others talk about their friends who met their soulmates and are now raising adorable kids.

Yes, dating services are only a platform for realizing your intentions, and you are deciding what kind of intentions you’d like and what suits you best. The purpose and strategy of dating may be different for people of different ages and life visions. Only at first glance, acquaintance seems to be a simple and understandable thing. After all, under this word, everyone understands something of their own, for example:

  • Dating for chatting this goal means that you always have a certain number of users ready to connect and communicate with you. You can exchange messages and start flirting online whenever you want and whenever you are. Again, you can boast your contact list, get new contacts to chat with, and use an impressive list of email addresses for messaging. People use a dating site just for chatting, nothing more. Where to look for such acquaintances? Of course, in dating websites or by using personals’ chats, that's what they've been created for in the first place. For passive search, you can use the profiles of users, forums, or connect in communities.
  • Online dating for flirting — here, the goal is to find a person or singles with suitable external characteristics and at the same time, with similar intentions and mood to start flirting. You can meet matches who are looking for the communication with light erotic tones at the dating website. A primary target is to start flirting in chats. You can add to your profile details and mention that you are looking for people to flirt online. You can also initiate a conversation with local users and ask them what they are looking for at the dating site. If you are on the same wave, you can bring to life your flirting goals.
  • Dating for fun — in this case, you are looking for people who can spend time with you to have fun. For example, goal number one is to start connecting with singles who do not want to begin serious relationships or find singles for marriage; they want to spend a nice quality evening by meeting new people and sharing great vibes. There are thematic sites and forums, places where real people gather to share emotions, laugh, and create a lovely atmosphere with a minimum of hard drama conversations.
    So the goal is all the same light communication, but the audience, in this case, is different. It is not just anyone, but interesting and fun interlocutors interested in the same things as you and ready to have fun. Users can support the conversation, and you connect with like-minded singles. Such people can be found anywhere: in chats, in forums (especially thematic chatrooms). Dating sites are also an interesting option as the service offers tools that help quickly connect with the person you have chosen and continue such communication. If you need a shoulder to cry about your problems, it is better to choose psychological chat rooms where people share similar experiences. You shouldn't go to "marriage" dating sites or chats for the same purpose.
  • Dating for marriage — usually, such goals are chosen by people with the most serious intentions. The search's goal is at least a good and long-term friendship that may change to the relationship status and eventually, marriage. The maximum what users expect is to find great love and a partner for the rest of life (or at least for its part). Their choice is dating sites for marriage and serious relationships.

To figure out your real intentions is the shortest and most direct path to the chosen goal. To get acquainted, users have to register at the service and add as many details to profiles as possible. Now the last thing remains, they should determine the appropriate strategy. There are only two of them: ambush and attack.

Strategy for Relationships in Online Dating

When you apply the Ambush strategy, that means you carefully design a profile on a dating site or a page in social networks, your own completed description with active search mode and waiting when users will get in touch with you - all this refers to the "ambush" strategy.

The advantages are clear: by making every effort at a time, in the future, you can safely wait for the result. With the right approach and strategy, you will gain your aim. Also, the person who will respond exactly to you, who will choose your profile from hundreds of others, is interested in you.

Dating for marriage

Disadvantages - you cannot know when your future friend or life partner will write to you. Your partner can try to connect with you at the most inappropriate moment. There are several ways to increase your chances of success when applying the ambush strategy. The most effective is placing several profiles at once at different sites, preferably with different text (or even better - with different photos).

Finally, do not neglect the possibilities of chatting online (it is through chats, social networking and texting people get acquainted today almost more often than through traditional methods). "Ambush" is the best strategy for finding serious and long-term relationships. Don't count on a large flow of letters, but the share of really interesting people among those who responded to your profile is much higher than in other cases.

Another option is the Attack strategy. It is used when you want to start an active search mode (now you are no longer waiting for an invitation to a meeting, but you ask for new dates out by yourself). This type of strategy for relationships is more effective and can quickly bring results. If you want to get to quick actions, if sitting and waiting for the results is not your way, if you prefer to choose and find a date for tonight, this strategy is for you. Attack means you are in an active search. Now, you are no longer waiting for an invitation to a meeting; you are a person who takes everything under your own control.

You can use the dating websites and its functionality to filter the search results and find your matches. Usually, users can build a certain line of behavior after a few weeks of website usage. They learn from the experience. To clearly understand your goals and intentions, you should first see what suits you best and find time to figure out what you are looking for. After, you will choose your strategy.

Determining the purpose of dating site usage is the cornerstone of activity. However, many people prefer not to think about it: it is difficult to understand what you want from life and a date.

COVID Dating Strategies

Online dating strategy in a pandemic time is certainly one of the main topics in 2020. Due to the social distance, lots of singles start using online services to connect with dates. Using the dating applications, people, regardless of gender and sexuality, may strive for a sense of community and togetherness in this hard pandemic time. It seems that we have just one way of achieving our dating strategy during Covid and show our feelings - use online dating services. The concept of using dating apps to connect with singles became even more important today. Of course, it can mean completely different things for different people. Some users use the sites for different intentions.

Romantic partner

One of the intentions and strategies is achieving a community of like-minded people who are lonely and want to share their thoughts. And even find unity through intimate and/or romantic relationships through online chatting.

If people experience sexual desire during the Covid pandemic and may need a romantic partner, they can describe the profile's desire and find correct chats. Also, sexuality is a flexible construct that is strongly influenced by external factors: if at the moment you do not want intimate/romantic acquaintances, this is absolutely normal. You can apply another strategy and connect with users who want to have fun, chat, and meet new friends.

Main Differences Between Male & Female Online Dating Strategies

First, in the new world of online or offline dating, there are no rules that will work the same for everyone. We are all diverse, and you can find a huge amount of differences and attitudes between people when we talk about dating topics. Considering the peculiarities of the digital age and changing social norms, you can outline the main differences between male and female online dating approaches or strategy. For example:

  • Usually, the male dating strategy is a "numbers game" where men try to approach as many women as possible.
  • The female dating strategy is mostly about selectivity, where they reject most of the men who are not suitable for them and look for a real one soulmate.
style of dating

To start with, let’s mention that the differences between male and female strategy can start from the style of dating when singles decide why they need to create a profile and what to add in the description. They start thinking about their goals and why they use a dating service in the first place.

For example, imagine going to the supermarket without a shopping list. Add to that a fantasy of an unlimited credit card. What's in your shopping cart now? Everything should have common sense. The same is in the world of online dating: if you choose a strategy for online dating without thinking about what you want in the end, you get an immense list of candidates that can only be processed with the help of a big data analyst.

However, we cannot just get rid of gender stereotypes: usually, another main difference between male and female dating strategy (according to the users' experience and statistics) is that:

  • For most of the time, men are looking for a one night stand, flirting affairs, and friendship with benefits while
  • Female dating strategies include “finding real love and serious relationships” mode.

The truth lies somewhere in the middle: the men are embarrassed to admit that they also want tenderness and affection, and sometimes women are too shy to admit that they are looking for fun, flirting affairs, and one-night stands.

Final Thoughts

Finding a partner

In general, before starting registration at the dating service and answering the questionnaires, you should understand, at least in general details, what you want, what your goals and strategy are. You have a lot of options.

Here are a few answers: platonic friendship with women or men in the creative industry, sex adventures and flirting, having fun and chatting online, finding a partner for a serious relationship, starting a monogamous relationship aimed at creating a traditional family, or finding a partner for entertainment or for sharing common issues. After, you can choose a dating strategy to connect with like-minded people.

The list of options is endless, and it is not surprising that we often do not understand what we want, especially during a pandemic time and social distancing. The culture of setting goals for ourselves and pronouncing them for interlocutors has not yet formed. But with the right experience and new technologies, you will find your way of making new acquaintances with like-minded matches!

Author: Adam Williams

Author: Adam Williams

Adam Williams is a recognized dating and relationship expert. Working in the field of online dating and having a degree in Psychology, Adam was always interested in helping people with their relationships. He loves seeing happy couples and felling that he was the one to help them build their happiness. Adam is always happy to share his experience and running a blog on our website.