Quick question about online dating etiquette: Should you e-mail or wink?

In the world of online dating, most initial contact is made through the Internet. It’s a perk of the online dating game: You get to know potential dates before you actually take the big step of talking to them by phone.

This does leave one decision for you, though: Is it proper online dating etiquette to e-mail or wink when you’re interested in someone’s online dating portfolio?

Fortunately, there’s no one right way to go on this. It’s perfectly acceptable to either wink at someone or send them an e-mail message when their online portfolio has caught your attention.

A wink, of course, simply means a quick, pre-set message that online dating sites allow you to send to people whose profiles interest you. They’re a good option when you’re pressed for time and don’t have enough time to write a full and compelling e-mail message.

You should know, though, that many people simply ignore any winks that come their way. This is especially true for women, who tend to get far more winks than do men.

You should go with a simple e-mail message when you do have more time.

An appropriate message would be something like this: “Hi, there. Really liked what I read about you on your online dating profile. You can visit my profile here if you like (insert web address here). Then if you like what you see we could start up a conversation”.

Either approach is appropriate. You’re more likely, though, to get results from an e-mail message than you are from a wink. So, if you have the time, go that route first.

And remember, never pester a member for a response as that would definitely be bad online dating etiquette.