Online Dating for DUMMIES

Synopsis:

The 'Dummies' franchise now consists of over 1600 titles. Having been around for over 20 years, it is safe to say that it's proven itself to be hugely successful and highly regarded. Now the Online Dating Dummies have a bible of their own, offering to help prospective daters with seemingly all of the issues they could come across. It tells you how to choose a service, write about yourself, talk to dates, stay safe and pretty much everything in between. Compiled by Judith Silverstein, MD and Michael Lasky, JD who themselves, found each other online, this book really promises be the perfect guide to tracking down your perfect match.

Reviewers comments:

The 'Dummies' franchise is now so successful, that any product it puts out is surely worth a bet. With this book being written by a married couple, who met online and have been through the whole experience, it looks like the perfect manual to help you find what you're looking for.

If you manage to pick this book up, well done! It's heavy. If you need every step of Online Dating explained, even if you have very little understanding of what a computer is and where it comes from, then this book will tell you. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, however and I'd imagine most of you are similar to myself and actually from this planet, meaning you therefore just want to jump into the online dating world and find your match. Thankfully, 'Judy and Michael' address this straight away, explaining that the book isn't necessarily a cover to cover operation, suggesting instead that you just pick out chapters that you're interested in or that are relevant to you. As the book goes on, this system of 'cherry picking' the best content really comes into its own.

The book is exactly what you make of it; it extensively covers all that you wish to know (and more!) but you don't have to read the parts that you already know/ aren't concerned with. The author's manage to keep a tone throughout the book that echoes an experienced friend. They aren't patronising or boring, but actually manage to be informative and funny at the same time. You can tell that they know the ins and outs of online dating through both their research conducted and through their own personal experiences.

The bulk of the book focuses on creating an online version of yourself: pictures, taglines, information, really just how to show others the real you. It helps you avoid embarrassing first time errors, (some of which have led to hilarious consequences, you should read the book for these alone!) and generally helps you show people who you really are, without selling yourself short, being too arrogant or coming across as clueless. As it's written by both a man and a woman, it gives well balanced view points, even throwing up the odd 'He said/She Said' boxes, tailored towards catering for both genders. These snippets, along with the 'tips', 'secret sauce' and 'warning' tabs help to draw in focus, meaning that more often than not, you'll get what you need from the section you're reading.

This isn't to say that the book doesn't have some drawbacks. There's an opening section called 'Alternatives', where Silverstein and Lasky discuss other ways to meet a partner other than internet dating, such as in bars, clubs or speed dating. They then proceed to rip apart each of them, focusing mainly on the negatives and never really selling them as viable options. They might as well have ripped apart this monotonous section instead, as most people will already be aware of these options, which is why they haven't bought a book called 'Meeting people in bars for Dummies'.

The book also has another fairly large flaw: websites can be updated...Books can't! To start with, many of the deals that the book offers have expired and another issue is that there's no guarantee that a site recommended in a book will hold up in years to come. This can't be helped on their part, but it might have been naive to put such detailed information in and not attach some kind of disclaimer to warn about the ever changing nature of the internet. Regardless though, reading around this, the book is actually pretty good and a valid option for anyone looking for a bit of advice.

Put simply it really does tell you all you need to know to start your journey across the big, wide world that is internet dating. It's well written, entertaining, informative, and a book you can't help but warm to. It's only real drawback is that it is outdated. If it were a blog or if it could be re-released every few years with current offers and site information then there would be no real competition for it. The song remains the same in the sense that, cheesy taglines will still be cheesy, unflattering photos will still be unflattering and the approach to online dating is still daunting and needs some light shed on it. This book does that and I can't ask it for much more.

Who Should Read It?

Anyone thinking about online dating, especially those who have absolutely no clue! This book is well worth the money spent on it, even if you only end up reading a few chapters.