Replying to Messages

Sending a message to someone is perhaps the most intimidating, but essential parts of online dating. However, replying to messages needn’t be a stressful experience.

Here are a few of the most commonly asked questions about replying to online dating messages.

Help, I don’t know what to write

It’s better to write something than nothing at all. If you’re received a question, you can just reply to it. If you’ve only received a ‘hi’ or ‘hello’, it’s up to you to add something a touch longer like ‘how are you?’ or ‘thank you for your message, I was planning to get in touch with you’.

You could also move things by suggesting that you meet up for a date.

How many kisses should I put?

A good indication of how many to put is to add the same amount as the person who has sent you the message. However, if you are a little disturbed by putting kisses on a message to a stranger (not everyone is au fait with adding kisses), you could add a smiley face or no kisses at all.

Should I worry about punctuation?

Make sure that your message makes sense and add punctuation where you feel that it is appropriate. If you keep your messages short, you shouldn’t need to worry about using commas and semi-colons. Interestingly, a new survey suggests that ending a message with a full stop can make you seem insincere.

What if I’m not keen?

If you aren’t keen on the person, the best thing to do is sent a short message to say something along the lines of “thank you, but I don’t think that we’re a good match”. It’s much kinder than leaving the person guessing.