Happy 10th Birthday Guardian Soulmates!

30 Dates isn’t the only dating site celebrating a birthday this month!

On Wednesday of this week I was asked by Guardian Soulmates to be principal speaker at the first of their 10 years online celebrations this month.  The celebrations are combined with a brand makeover, including new ads like the header image for this post.

The birthday party took place at King’s Place, the Guardian Headquarters, complete with champagne, chocolate and cake.  Speaking ahead of me were actor David Scheider, and the UK’s only professional dating profile photographer, Saskia Nelson.

 

 

Anyone following 30 Dates on Twitter @30Dates will have seen I wore a rather tongue-in-cheek outfit for the evening (NOT a dress I would ever consider wearing on a first date!).

 

The title of my talk was Lessons I Learned from 30 Dates … There are still tickets available for the second event  on the 16th July so I won’t give away all the secrets of my talk, but to give you a taster, here are some of the Lessons I’ve learned from 30 Dates.

1) Don’t ‘get to know’ someone online for too long before meeting up – it leads to unrealistic preconceptions they will never live up to in real life – Check out this post by the Girl with the Spotty Umbrella

2) Meet quickly

3) Dating takes effort, but don’t turn it into a job, or let it rule your life!

4) A date is not an interview.

5) Ditch the List of Requirements.  Ticklists are unrealistic, be more open-minded.  Check out this post by Laurie Nichol.

6) Be the best version of yourself, but be honest at the same time.  Be true to yourself, in real life and in your dating profile.

7) Remember, until you’ve discussed exclusivity, there could be other people involved.

8) Don’t jump into bed with a guy too soon – even if just to sleep

9) There are always two sides to every story – remember the opposite sex often interprets things differently – Check out Joe Blogs’ post

10) Make Dating FUN!  It’s your spare time, after all!

For more details, get a ticket for the 16th, and come along and chat to me and the other Soulmates bloggers!

Miss Twenty-Nine xxx