Online Dating Blog

When is the best time to try online dating? I personally don’t feel that there is a best time: if you want to try online dating, it’s the best time to begin! However, I also realize that for many people they don’t even know if they’ll like online dating and want to try it when they have the best chance.

If you judge the “best time” to try online dating, then that time is just around the corner: January each year. And, from my point of view, the best time follows the worst time which would be December.

Why is January the Busy Season for Online Dating?

There are a few things at play that I think make January the best time to try online dating:

1. New Year’s resolutions. Lots of people make resolutions to find a great relationship, although it might be a secret resolution. Many of those people, perhaps even most, will turn to online dating to try to meet that resolution.
2. We often see a new year as the time to turn a corner. Last year’s failures or setbacks are so “last year”. So even when people aren’t making it their resolution, lots of new people will be trying or returning to online dating.
3. It’s no secret that the beginning of the year is the busiest time for online dating. Some people will return to online dating because they know so many new people will be online.
4. December appears to be a slow time for online dating. I base that on my personal experience, the amount of people who visit this site in December compared to January, and just the fact that trying to get into a new relationship right before the holidays can be…complicated. Many people who take a break in December don’t necessarily want to pause their search for that special someone, but it’s just something that happens a lot. When January rolls around, these people are motivated to get back to their search.

Perseverance and Opportunities

In my online dating guide (which is free by the way) I talk a lot about perseverance: sticking with online dating even when it’s frustrating. My success took almost a year of being on some type of dating site. Expecting immediate success, whether that’s one day or four weeks, can be a pretty big letdown if you’re not preparing yourself for it.

At the same time, ensuring that you’re providing yourself the best opportunities also comes into play. Signing up for online dating in the first place is one way to improve your opportunities. Persevering through the hassle is another. Some choices will naturally be better than others and have a higher chance of providing success. This goes for any place you look for a relationship really: going to a bar on a Saturday night normally gives you more opportunities than going out on a Tuesday night.

Online dating is the same. There’s no perfect time to try online dating but if you want to think about having the most opportunities, then the beginning of each year is a great time to try it out or to return to give it another try.

Image by Sally Mahoney via Flickr