Are you new to the online dating scene? Recently single and trying to find a new partner? Check out these 3 online dating blunders to avoid in order to achieve success with finding the right person!

Picture this. You get a message from a potential date on an online dating site and you quickly reply. He or she responds and from then on, you develop a long exchange over email. You exchange phone numbers and you begin to text each other. And text. And text. Before you know it, you’ve been “chatting” for a month and have never met. I’m not a fan of this strategy. Why, you ask? Granted, it does give you a chance to get to know someone before you meet, but it also can create this false sense of connection. I hate to say it, but nothing beats an in-person meeting to see if there is a spark or connection. It doesn’t mean you have to have an instant physical interest, but I’ve found that chatting too long before meeting in person can set you up for high expectations. If you meet fairly soon after chatting, it gives you a chance to quickly see if you want to explore the relationship further.

Whatever you do, please do not start planning your wedding after the first date. I once dating a guy who told me that his mother had already bought things for his future bride’s bridal shower. And he wasn’t even engaged yet! And we were only dating for a week when he told me! Talk about scary and awkward. Take things slow. Wait until the third date, at least, to start naming your children! Seriously, you have your whole life ahead of you. Enjoy the moment.

I’m going to seem like I’m contradicting myself now, but I do encourage you to keep an open mind when meeting someone online. I can’t tell you how many times my friends and family have told me to “give someone a chance, have a second date with him, etc.” And, in general, they have been right. A friend of mine recently told me that she went out with someone once and didn’t think much of him after the first date. He called her afterwards and she said he was very amusing on the phone. They’ve been married for 10+ years now with two adorable children. Good luck with your online dating search! Let me know how it goes.