Everyone's Guide to Online Dating

Synopsis:

Sleazy men in bars, sluts on the dance floor and the ongoing problem of not being able to spot a future partner are all things of the past. Relationships are difficult to find, let alone maintain! Attempting to have a real conversation with the 6ft, blue-eyed, floppy haired Brad Pitt look-a-like on a Saturday night in the wildest club in town is starting to become a bit tedious and quite frankly, impossible. Thus, Shimrit Elisar offers you the dream guide to the modern, alternative method. Writing the first guide dedicated to online daters, with fifteen years of experience in the internet dating world how can Elisar's guide to conquering love on the internet not be a worthy read? This author's main aim is to build confidence in her readers as well as introducing them to the marvels of internet dating. Her relationship research is reinforced with her use of statistics and handy advice, able to persuade any internet hater into a full-blown Windows freak!

Reviewers comments:

Where to begin when the whole book is so brilliant? Let's take the front cover to start. It's simple but effective, just like her ideas, layout and advice. Fab! It's exactly what it says on the tin: a book for everyone and anyone who is interested in furthering or beginning their love conquest via the internet. The little hearts on the cute little computer screen just makes the guide that much more appealing and enticing!

Throughout the 160pages of creditable advice, Elisar chronologically lays out each chapter of the book as a step-by-step guide. She begins by asking the reader questions as to what they want/expect to achieve through online dating in order to generate a list of targets. Following this, the guide is constructed as one would flow through the online dating experience, beginning with finding the right website for you, to fashioning your own profile and pictures.  On the topic of choosing a dating website Elisar's guide truly does excel. She targets her audience, cleverly demonstrating that there are thousands of dating websites available to suit every need. For example: sites constructed for different religions, preferences, abilities or if you just want to have sex! She remains completely unbiased as she shows clearly the options available and writes the advantages and disadvantages of several distinguished dating websites and search engines, allowing the reader to come to their own conclusion and choose a website that is most suited to them.

Later, Elisar moves on to the interactive sector of internet dating, including how to spark a conversation and hopefully land a date. As well as tackling common problems and fears, Elisar teaches her readers how to analyse their own conversations so that they can keep a track of where their relationship is heading and to make improvements along the way. Throughout the guide she's very blunt in relation to the reality of online dating and makes no attempt to over glamorise the actuality. The 'this is what it is and you can like it or leave' phrase truly does spring to mind when reading this book. She's realistic and teaches her readers that even though she believes online dating is an extremely successful option, it does have its flaws. She is especially sympathetic and understanding in her consoling paragraphs on how to cope with rejection.

Whilst Elisar successfully shows the reader case studies, advice and examples that portray online dating is an achievable option, she also dedicates a whole chapter to the hazards and risks associated with it. Elisar shows the reader how to avoid and react to threatening behaviour by plainly describing the possible threats one could receive while on the internet. With the focus on keeping safe, the idea of 'good, clean fun' is highlighted.

Unfortunately no guide can be 100% perfect and this one is no different. As with the majority of dating guides there is a tendency to contradict, as different advice can work in different circumstances. For example, at the beginning of the guide Elisar says that lying about your age on your profile is acceptable. However, later on in the guide she deems it as intolerable, as it isn't fair to mislead other internet daters. Also, throughout this review I have commended the author on her ability to be frank and to the point, but where is the harm in throwing in some wit and humour to spice up what is a slightly boring (but terribly good) guide?

Who should read it?

As the title indicates: everyone. This guide can be appreciated as a well-written and researched advice guide and would do wonders in the hands of an inexperienced singleton looking to embark upon the world of internet dating. The guide even includes helpful tips for people new to computers and the internet, so a lack of technological expertise can't be an excuse to not give this a go!