By Sharanda Nechole
Last week’s article I told you about my top 5 spots of where to find and meet men. Well this week I want to share with you what to say (or not say) once you have exchanged numbers. Texting is a good way to reach out and follow up with someone you’ve just met. It’s a subtle way of telling the person you’re interested and would like to see them again. But if it isn’t done correctly you can run the risk of making dating 101 mistakes and I aint having that happen.
- Don’t over-text. When you are just starting out this behavior can be interpreted as being overanxious or just a little cray-cray. Remember you’re just testing the waters. As the relationship becomes more serious, you can slowly increase how often you guys communicate in order to plan things together, get advice, and ultimately to send romantic messages.
- Text Legible. We text so much nowadays it’s an extension of how we present ourselves in face-to-face interactions. Use punctuation, spell things correctly, and don’t rely on a whole bunch of smiley faces to tell the person how you’re feeling. You don’t want to run the risk of sounding like a teenager or even worse just plain illiterate. Keep it short, sweet and simple.
- Be Patient- there is wisdom in the old saying Patience is a virtue. So you sent him a text Saturday morning and its 7pm and still no response. Sending a series of back to back texts I can guarantee will not get you the reply you were hoping for. Give the man a chance to respond back and go read a book in the meantime.
- Controlling the information you share. – The problem when people want to overshare is that we don’t really care or want to know what you are doing ,eating or wearing every day. That’s what Facebook is for. Keep some mystery in it. That’s the one blessing in texting; the person doesn’t have to know everything that is going on with you.
- Late night texts should be avoided. Trust me when I say that everyone has been there and done it at least once and hated themselves the next morning for doing it. By all means the late night texts should be avoided. Especially if drinks have been involved. Some may even be amused while others may find them insulting. No need to come across as desperate and needy this early in the dating stages. Remember less is more.
Ladies, dating is supposed to be fun for the both of you. The more confident, laidback and hard to get you play. The more control you will have and soon texting won’t be enough for him. Just keep in mind that you are texting with a purpose. Before hitting that send button always think of how keep a guy on his toes, maintain balance and keep it light!
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