If you like some one you may have to ask them for a date. For men this is standard practise and for women, this process is becoming increasingly common. If you are thinking of asking someone on a date consider the following quick dating tips:

1. Why are you asking them out, is it for the right reasons and what do you expect as a result of them saying yes or no?

2. Be prepared that the person you ask may say no and in which case do not take the rejection personally.

3. When asking someone out choose your moment carefully and practise what you might say in advance so that you don't appear tongue-tied.

4. If the person you ask says yes, ensure you already have thought of a place, date and time for the date so that you display signs of thoughfulness.

5. Be prepared for the person asking why you want to date them so that you are able to flatter and create a sense of trust immediately. People can be wary and they may want to know some reasosn behind your request. Better, anticipate this by saying "would you like to come to dinner, I have always thought you are great fun..".

6. Make sure that your request for a date does not pressurize the person in any way. If they want to think about it, let them. But don't chase.

7. Make sure that when you ask someone on a date you smile and keep things fun and happy. Being confident and smiley will elicit a far more positive response.

8. Always have an alternative date and time or location in mind should the person be unsure of their diary. Giving a person a choice is often a marketing masterstroke.

9. If the person says no, don't chase for a reason, simply move on. They may think about things and get back to you with a yes response later.

10. If you ask someone on a date, make sure that you actually intend to go through with it. Standing people up is not allowed.

Advice for a Successful Speed Dating Outing

Tip 1: Be Prepared!

The funny thing about speed dating is that you only have six to ten minutes to decide who you consider long term partner material! You might as well make the best of it and have some solid questions prepared. Its also beneficial to have answers for these questions at the ready! Think about the most common types of questions you are likely to be asked and prepare a short response for each There is nothing worse than stumbling for words in situation where you only have a few minutes to make that all important first impression.

It is also a good idea to prepare a mini "Personal Infomercial" -- A (very) short 1 to 2 minute biography about yourself that highlights some positive aspects of your personality. Have it memorized and ready to blurt out at a moment's notice! And remember, there will be a pop quiz at your next speed dating event!

Tip 2: Top Questions!

Here are some very popular speed dating questions to ask:

* What are you most proud of in your life?
* Is religion important to you?
* What do you do for fun?
* Why did your last relationship end (Break-Up)?
* Do you want to get or have you ever been married?
* Do you want or do you have any children?
* If we got into an argument, how would we settle it?
* Where do you see yourself in five years?
* What do you do for work?
* Is sexual compatibility important to you?
* What do you look for in a (boy/girl)friend/spouse?

Tip 3: Fun Questions:

Sometimes, it is better to show a sense of humor than to appear overly serious at the first, here are some humorous questions you can use to break the ice:

* Do you kiss on the first date? If so, how soon can we go out?
* (Answer to:) How did your last relationship end?
Not with a restraining order I hope?!
* Do you have any cute friends? (brothers, sisters?)
* What is your favorite drink?
* How many hours a day do you spend working on your my-space page?
* I know we just met and this might seem a little sudden ... but could I borrow two thousand dollars?
* You wouldn't mind if my mom joined us if we go out on a date, would you?
* Didn't I meet you in 2002 at the Star Trek Convention in St Louis?
* Could you excuse me? My cat gets lonely if he doesn't hear my voice on the answering machine every hour.
* Do you give your pets birthday and Christmas presents?
* If there was an extra hour in the day, what would you spend it doing?
* Have you attended a high school reunion yet?
* What is your favorite number?
* If you could be any animal what would you be?
* If you could have any car in the world, what would it be?

Tip 4: Be Confident!

Show Confidence, Even If You Don't Feel Confident! People like their partners to show confidence. The truth is you can "Fake it until you make it". In other words, in the course of "acting" confident, you actually train yourself to be more confident! Try it, it works!

Tip 5: Make Introductions

Many times, a speed dating event is segmented by age, so you only meet singles in your age bracket. That's just one reason why it always pays to introduce yourself to as many singles as time permits. You never know when you may meet again!

Tip 6: Don't Be a Whiner

In other words, have a positive attitude going into the event. If you immediately look around, and decide, "There is no-one here for me", or "I should be with the young ones over there", You have already closed your mind to being successful. Keep an open mind, be pleasant, grin and bear it!! Who knows what connections you might make later on as a result!!

The relatively new phenomenon for online dating has caused a revolution in the way we think about and form romantic attachments. It has opened up levels of communication enormously, making it possible for us to form bonds with people on the other side of the world, track down our soul mate or just go for a couple of drinks with a new friend. But where does the true value of this service lie? Is it just an easy way to meet new people on a casual basis or can true love really be found in this way?

Like-minded people

Well, first and foremost, online dating creates a platform for people to declare ‘I’m looking for a date and I’m not afraid to shout about it’. There’s no umming and ahing where you waste hours in a bar trying to catch the eye of someone who might not be looking for anything. It therefore sidesteps that initial awkward meeting moment and cuts right to the truth. This means that quite often people on a dating site are looking for more serious relationships as they have made the effort to go somewhere where they can find like-minded relationship-seeking people. It would be much easier to go to a bar to find something casual than go through the lengthy progress of signing up to a dating site. This, therefore, suggests that online dating is populated by more serious people than time-wasters.

Niche sites

Even if a few people are just looking for no-strings-attached flings online, niche sites help to separate out the different groups and direct traffic in the right direction. For example, there are online dating sites specifically for casual relationships and even ones for extra-marital affairs. The existence of sites like these means less of this clientele sign-up for the normal sites. Also, there are niche sites on the opposite end of the spectrum designed for those looking for committed, long-term attachments. These even go so far as to call themselves ‘relationship sites.’ So, whatever you’re looking for, by going to the right place and the right niche, you’re bound to find it. Online dating can be whatever you want it to be by using these hugely varying niche sites.

Compatibility matcher

Some people might consider online dating as a rather shallow experience. Profile pictures and vague information showing age, location, hobbies etc are after all one of the first things you look at when you click on a match. However, this is no different to a face-to-face dating situation where the initial attraction is of course generated on mainly physical terms. But, some online dating services let you get a bit further under the surface before a picture even appears. The ‘compatibility matcher’ is a feature on many online dating sites which takes your credentials, favorite pastimes and all other information and attempts to match you with someone who compliments your profile. Although the detail involved in this varies, some websites ask an extensive number of questions in a lengthy personality survey, really trying to capture your full personality profile. This way, the only people who come up as your ‘matches’ – and therefore the only people you make potentially shallow judgments on in terms of photos and age etc – will already have a personality and a lifestyle and moral values that sit close to your own. This tool certainly makes online dating the place to meet your soul mate rather than a casual short-term date.

So whether you’re in Bristol or in London online dating, finding love on the web is a definite possibility. Just make sure you’re on the right site and using the time-saving soul-mate-finding compatibility matcher!

I want to bring to your attention an obstacle almost every guy slogging through the single scene trenches is forced to deal with - whether they’re aware of it or not.

It’s called the “Friend Factor”

If you’ve ever gone out specifically to pick up a chick, you’ll know that women like to travel in PACKS.

Seriously. It’s very rare to see an attractive woman out on the town by herself. They are either with friends, or on their way to meet up with friends.

And if you aren’t privy to the right way to approach a woman when she’s with her friends, succeeding with her is an uphill battle. Not to mention, down right frightening.

Imagine this scenario…

You’re in a bar and you see an attractive woman that you want to meet. But to your dismay, she is smack-dab in the middle of a small crowd of people! To make it worse, she’s talking, laughing, teasing, and joking around with these people. They are her friends.

So you stand around, waiting, hoping, to catch her when she goes to the bathroom, or out to grab a smoke, or something where you don’t have to deal with a large group of people.

This is where most men mess up! The idea of approaching a girl who’s in the midst of an entire GROUP of people is enough to scare almost any guy.

In fact, most men have NO CLUE how to meet women when they are with their friends!

Most men try to wait it out, lurking around to jump in when her friends aren’t around.

The big issue here lies in the inevitable fact that her friends WILL eventually come for her. And odds are, they will drag her off somewhere. You are then back to square one!

The other tactic most guys take is to approach the woman directly, and completely IGNORE her friends! This is just as bad since the friends will eventually try and get rid of you because they just see you as a nuisance!

But - if you approach a group the right way, and are able to actually become PART of the group, you’ll never have to worry about her friends dragging the object of your desire away from you!

Whether a girl is with one friend or twenty, if you aren’t part of her social circle her friends will do everything in their power to protect her from you.

The trick to meeting women in bars and night clubs is to meet the women you’re attracted to THROUGH their friends.

This means you meet the friends first, get to know them, demonstrate you aren’t some creep, and then once you’re accepted by the group, only then do you start talking to the girl you like.

And surprisingly, this isn’t as hard as you think. There are secrets to penetrating a woman’s social circle in under a minute.

One of my favorite ways to do this is to engage the whole group in some type of conversation. The easiest way to do this is to ask the group their opinion on something.

Remember: You’re not asking one or two of the girls in the group - you are asking the WHOLE group.

If you do this right you’ll engage everyone in conversation, ensuring in you becoming part of their social circle. And once that happens, its easy a cake to “borrow” their friend so you can have a little one on one time with the girl you like.

See what is happening? You have their approval! They won’t want to stop you from doing this.

It takes some time, but once you master the techniques and guidelines mentioned above, you will be able to approach any group, and thus any woman, that you desire!

The following are beginner suggestions on researching online and offline dating:

- Paid web dating sites are a better bet. Better yet is a specialist one. You imagine you’re open to all offers. In fact, in the back of your mind, you have a very specific set of criteria. Bring them to the foreground. Do you like slim or plump, tall or short, blonde or brunette, college-educated or not, extrovert or introvert? It’s smart also to go for individuals who are of the same religion as you. You might think it’s not important now, but when her kinfolk start getting involved in your kid’s upbringing, it will matter a very great deal.

- Some women yearn for a man who is ‘macho’, authoritarian, even a little bit cruel. Emphasis on the little bit. You keep her attention by seeming to be complicated and unpredictable. You may act autocratic, dominating, even a little sadistic. Check her responses closely when you do. If she takes delight in submitting to you, a glint in her eye, a suddenly more positive response to you; you may be dealing with a woman who unfortunately has a masochistic motive to be ill-treated and commanded. If such behavior comes easily to you, it can be very efficacious with pleasing such a woman. One caveat; masochists like their pain on THEIR terms in the end. You’ll need to take your cue from her, not just shove her about willy-nilly. Moderation is key here.

- Analyze your reactions to women objectively. You’ll find that a favourite type emerges: slim or rounded, dark or blonde, extravert or introverted. There’s a pop or film star that you can’t help but gawk at while she’s on the screen. There’s a type that causes your head to pivot when you’re walking down the street. That’s the type you should go for; the one that excites a machine-like, favourable response. You’ll find it easier to speak to this kind of girl. If you have found your true love she’ll feel the same way about you. You have genes that’ll help her make a better baby; she does the same for you.

- When you first make eye contact, smile. If she smiles back, you’re in. Then go up, and say hello. After that, take your cue from her. She likes you, so you don’t have to mouth off. You can say the most hackneyed things; it’s your appearance, and the sound of your voice, that’re doing most of the work. If you’re uneasy, just tell yourself: “plenty more fishies in the sea if I mess this up”. Which is true!

- Most important: You must not embarrass your escort publicly. Women hate to be the centre of attention for the wrong reasons. If you’re acting like a little boy or an unpleasant brute you’re using up your credit every second that ticks by.

- Conspicuous consumption suggests that you are not mean with your cash. Prove this by spending some on her, or giving her some! Don’t be a sap, however; if the interpersonal chemistry ain’t there, on BOTH sides, move on. You can’t badger or buy a woman into loving you, ‘though they may be reluctant to scorn a ’sugar daddy’ entirely. When true love strikes, you’ll both know it; accept no alternative!

- Social skills: A man should ideally be gregarious, with a clique of jolly friends. He ought be able to hold knowledgeable discussions on an extensive variety of subjects. A man should be observant. He should notice when a woman has altered her appearance. He should acknowledge when she is unhappy. When required he should not stay silent, but offer compliments or sympathy. He should, however, also be aware that no knight ever won a fair lady by being meek and mild. You’re not required to put up with narcissistic behaviour. Don’t take women’s ‘crises’ too seriously. They certainly don’t. One day all is lost, the next day all is well. A strong man holds it all in. A strong woman (or a nutcase!) explodes. Regularly.

- You’ll have a great deal more self-confidence if you’ve got some cash in the bank, an apartment and a motorcar of your own; these ought to be a priority. You should also dress well. Dressing well means your appearance exudes power: you’re in command of your destiny. Women like to be taken care of; project that you can do that, and you’re half-way home. Your personal circumstances also affect how you behave: a man who is actually well-to-do will project that unconsciously, and be more successful with women.

I hope these few beginner suggestions will assist you in finding a nice girl via online and offline dating.