A notable surge in gay dating is that towards forming long-lasting bonds rather than one-time hits with guys. Naturally there has always been a large segment of the same-sex population that leaned toward a committed relationship, but now a site that becomes popular for personals will find itself inundated with members who want a love interest that includes living together, and more. A lot of the specific issues fought about in current legislation — marriage, parenthood, partner benefits, etc. — happen to be mainstream interests that concern couples more than people who date a lot. So how does this affect gay dating? Answer: Being compatible matters more.

Sharing Common Interests

It means people are seeking compatibility with someone on a gay dating site, so those which either start out with a questionnaire to determine common interests, or make it easy to screen profiles for your interests, are getting more and more members. Dates are a little more like planned get-togethers than hot encounters on Chemistry.com, or CompatiblePartners.net, or other matchmaking services. Things can go better when the two people like to do the same things, such as sports, books, theater and plays, dining out and more. Physical attraction, people are advised, is not the only issue in a good relationship.

Physical Attraction Is Just a Start

It is true you’re probably not going to contact someone whose profile you see and don’t feel the least attraction, but if physical attraction is all you feel then any relationship is unlikely to be a solid one. An online gay dating site offering matches to you based on compatible interests can help you avoid falling just for someone’s looks. Trying to find a love interest among the people you have something in common with is a way to find a balanced relationship, one that has the odds on its side to last beyond that first attraction.

Friendship Is A Seed Of Love

You might consider looking for friendships first when you join a gay online dating site, rather than deciding all you want is sex and all the whole package in one person. If you start going into the chat rooms with more to say than a proposition, you can find friends who have hobbies and interests that align with yours. Friendships can and do become love, often. These are some of the strongest relationships you’ll know in your life. It’s a great idea to seek out friends at least as much as you look for lovers. It’s a reason to also join hobby groups, wine tasting groups, clubs.

Browsing Profiles For Both Friends & Lovers

In general, being compatible with someone can make the relationship more resilient, whether it’s a friendship or a love interest. The relationship has a stronger foundation. So contacts you make on some online dating site may be important friendships even if they are not more right away. Some may have more chemistry between you two, which you won’t discover until you meet in person. And sometimes attraction is weak and you don’t ‘click’ right off — but if you explore those relationships too you have a much greater chance of finding the deeper relationship.

Conclusion

You’ll find a great deal of similarity between gay dating on the web and dating in other venues. However, signing up on a gay online dating site expands your potential contacts and organizes those contacts. Looking for men there makes sense if you want to find both attraction and friendship, and an easier method of discovering guys in the local area in general. And anything that makes meeting people more easily is an excellent thing when you’re seeking love with a boyfriend.

If you have been at some online gay dating sites and now you want to meet up with your matches and see what they are like in real life you may be wondering where you can go. There are many great places to have a first date but the best are dates that occur during the day. You will find that there is less pressure on a day date than there would be on a night date. It is much easier to relax and be yourself while getting to know your match.

Coffee Shop

A coffee shop is a great place for a first date because it is much easier to chat over coffee during the day to see if there are any sparks between you two. This is a much more relaxed atmosphere where you can relax without the pressures of figuring out what to do at the end of the night. Those night dates that may end with you two together should be left until you have really become friends with your match first. While you may have a favorite coffee shop, you should pick one that is in between where the both of you live so nobody does the bulk of the driving. At your regular shop you may run into someone you know and that can make the date awkward for your date. You do not want your date to be intimidated and unless you are ready to introduce them to your friends a neutral place is much better.

Museums or Art Galleries

A great casual date is going to an art gallery or a museum where you can walk around and chat while looking at artistic pieces. The art and artifacts are great conversation starters and can keep the conversation light and can show you each other’s personalities by the way you perceive the artworks. You do not have to get into any deep conversations but you will still get to know each other very well over a short period of time. Most of these places also have a café either located inside or near the location where you can have a bite to eat and discuss the artwork or any other topic you choose. If you like the person you could begin learning more about them and their other interests while letting them know you are and what you are about.

Wine Tasting

A wine tasting is a great place to get to know a new love interest and is a great place for a first date. You can enjoy each other’s company while trying new wines out without any pressure of having to carry a conversation. This is the perfect date for those who are shy and need some time with another person to be comfortable enough to open up to them. Since you do not normally drink the wine at a tasting, you spit it out instead; you do not have to worry about becoming intoxicated unless you really want to. If you and your date find that you like each other, you can pick up a couple of bottles of wine for your next date or to take to the beach, lake or park to have an impromptu picnic.

Sporting Events

If you both share a love of sports, you can always meet and go to watch your favorite team play. If they do not play in your city you can always find a local team to go and watch even if they may not be your favorite. It is the act of going out to these games and spending time together that is more important. It would be great if you liked the same team and could cheer together but there is also something to be said for being rivals who get to make friendly jokes about each other’s teams. You could even start the date with a tailgate party before the game so you are relaxed and ready to spend time watching the game together. There is not as much time to talk while watching the game so the tailgate is your perfect opportunity to talk and to get to know each other.

Amusement Park, Carnival or Zoo

These three are all great places for a first date because they are busy, you can go during the day and there is a lot of activities that you can do while getting to know each other. You can play games that allow you to send your date home with a little trinket of your date or watch the animals in their habitats. Conversation again comes easily at these types of venues because there is so much to see and do. If you choose an amusement park or carnival, do not force or belittle your date into going on rides that they may not enjoy even if you do enjoy them. They will not appreciate it and not everyone likes to go up high, upside down or at fast speeds. Instead, find out what they like and do that instead.

Conclusion

There are many things that you can do to enjoy a first date without feeling pressured to have long conversations. Not everyone is a talker and those who are shy might find this intimidating so these dates is perfect for getting to know each other without the need to have serious conversations. Once you decide you both want to see each other more then you can have those long drawn out conversations that seem to last forever.