Dating Do's and Don'ts The Audrey Chapman Show Radio Program, October 27, 2007 People meet potential partners many different ways. However, no matter how you meet, at some point you'll have to go out on a date. If you could use a dating tune-up, or are starting to date for the first time in years, you won't want to miss the Stages of Dating and other successful strategies.

FOR more than three years, Jennifer Silver, 33, a freelance marketing consultant in Manhattan, trolled online dating sites looking for love. She tried Match.com and JDate. “I had the worst experiences,” Ms. Silver said. When one potential date didn’t bear the slightest resemblance to his photo, she walked right past him, thinking he had stood her up. “People were very dishonest,” Ms. Silver said. She hired a traditional matchmaker instead. One might think that in an age of unparalleled access to potential dates through the Internet, matchmakers would be scraping for business. Instead, their business is on an upswing, according [...]

THIS is embarrassing to admit, but for the sake of the greater good, here goes: I am a dating disaster. The thought of meeting a stranger, sitting through a drink or meal, trying to be clever, makes me cranky. Think about the books that could be read while the other person drones on about his as-yet-unfinished divorce. Imagine the films that could be watched while he confuses the word “anecdote” with “antidote.” What a colossal waste of time. More than one friend recommended an attitude adjustment. “People can sense your intolerance,” they said. “They can smell negativity.” A few suggested [...]