How Video Chats Can Change the Online Dating Experience

video conferencing

Do you feel like you already know what online dating is like? Not if there are video chats involved! If you combine the two, you get something that’ll put your online love life into overdrive. On a dating site like Shagle, for instance, you can actually enjoy virtual dates with a romantic interest right there on the website – there’s no need to travel, and you don’t have to deal with any nagging fears that they won’t actually turn up.

Enticing as they might sound, virtual dates are only the beginning of what video chats can bring to your online dating experience. Not only can you simply do more with whoever you’re dating, but the logistics are a bit different too – in a good way. Below you’ll find out how you can use video chats to your advantage, and how to leverage them for the best possible outcome.

Romance scammers and catfishers have a hard time doing their thing when video chats are involved, so you’re a lot less likely to run into them.

If you know what to look for, these types of scams are easy to spot. Even so, who wants to scroll through dating profiles and wonder how many of them are fake? Video chats can’t guarantee the total absence of scams, but at least they’re effective against the ones you commonly see on dating sites. This is because most romance scammers operate on the assumption that you’ll never see their face. Every interaction happens via text chat, and you’ll only ever see what they look like from pictures, which are often stolen from legitimate social media profiles. Add video chats to the mix, though, and there’s no chance that they’ll get away with it.

Even though you can avoid these specific scams thanks to video chats, you should still set a few common-sense boundaries where your personal details are concerned. Instead of romance scams, be on the lookout for identity theft. If someone seems overly interested in your name, address, contact information, or date of birth, that’s a big red flag.

Instead of a profile, you’ll probably be making your first impressions through video chats – here’s what you can do to make sure those first impressions are good ones.

If you were preparing for a date in real life, you’d pay attention to how you were dressed, what your hair looked like, and probably how long it had been since your last shower. On a typical dating site, you’d want to have a well-rounded profile – great pictures, some details that made you look cool, and hopefully a couple features that made you stand out from the crowd. If you’re meeting potential dates on video chats, though, it’s a combination of both. You’re still meeting people face-to-face, but you have some control over what they’re seeing on their screens.

You’ll need to consider three different factors: lighting, webcam quality, and background. If any of these are decidedly below average, it’ll just look like you don’t care very much, and you probably won’t be taken that seriously. On the other hand, you still won’t need to spend all kinds of time and money to make sure you look like a catch.

Lighting can make or break the way you appear on a video chat, so that’s probably the most important thing. Stay away from extreme angles and direct beams; instead, get a light source that’s diffuse and looks fairly natural. In some cases, the solution could be as simple as changing the shade on a lamp – try experimenting with what you already have before spending money on a whole new setup.

If your webcam can only manage a blurry picture (and you’ve confirmed that it isn’t just a slow WiFi connection), you may want to consider spending a few bucks on an upgrade. Fortunately, there are plenty of options that will give you a sharp picture and good sound quality without breaking the bank. 

Your background can be whatever you want: a serene living room, a sultry bedroom, or an inviting kitchen. What it hopefully won’t be is messy, chaotic, or boring. You don’t necessarily have to redecorate, but at least make sure you aren’t shooting yourself in the foot with an ugly background.

Decide what you hope will happen before you start.

If you’re using a dating site with video chats, it’s pretty safe to assume that it’s an adult dating site – but what kind of online dating is it built for? Many of them focus on one-time interactions, while others let users build lasting relationships that include everything from watching movies together, to virtual intercourse. If you just hopped onto an online dating site and ended up going with the flow, you could spend all kinds of time on the site without getting the results you wanted. If you start out with a game plan, though, you’re much more likely to get a satisfactory result.

As you go over what you want from online dating, you should figure out what that doesn’t include as well. Just like in real life, it’s important to establish some personal limits for what you are and aren’t comfortable with. Without clear boundaries, it’s a lot easier to push past your own objections when you’re in the moment, only to regret doing it afterwards.

Video chats help you bond over the little things.

Everyone has certain physical or personal qualities they admire in their romantic interest, but the details can be almost as important. If you’re developing a relationship over video chat, you get to see their smile, hear their laugh, and learn how they react when they stub their toe. These things won’t necessarily form the backbone of a relationship, but they’re definitely important if you really want to know someone well.

How will you use video chats in online dating?

Video chats can turn online dating into a whole different ball game. The question is: what will you do on your first online date?

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