DATING

There are not many who have not dated or at least heard about dating. Dating is growing rapidly in to a largely practised social activity and thanks to the media exposure and films, the age to start dating is slowly decreasing with time. In this article, we discuss what dating is all about. We give you lots of tips to make your date special and not a fiasco. And most importantly we deal with some important precautionary measures that must be taken when dating for the first time or when dating a stranger. Let us first begin with what each one perceives about the term “dating”.

Technically speaking, dating is a social activity in which a couple engage to get to know more about each other and start the process towards setting up a long term relationship which may end in marriage depending on how compatible they are. It all begins with the members of the couple agreeing on a particular place, date and time, mutually convenient to both and meeting up at the decided venue on that date and time. Although dating has assumed various meanings, some of which distorted, it has however been prevailing for generations. Older generations named it “matchmaking” where the elders of the house set up a time for the girl and the boy to meet hoping to fix an alliance for marriage between the two. This has become ancient however with the majority of the people choosing their own life partners. Dating is an enjoyable activity if the person you are dating is fun to be with. Dates can be a disaster if there is not an inkling of chemistry or compatibility between the two. Dating has become more of an opportunity to meet interesting people and even develop friendships which means the idea of a date leading to a probable lifelong commitment is becoming out dated. If there is compatibility between those who are dating, they could make great friends. Compatibility and chemistry need not exist only between couples, friends need it too! Often one cannot find out too much about a person in a very public place where there are always people around you. Too much of a crowd inhibits people to reveal about themselves. This is where dating comes into the picture. Dating gives you the perfect opportunity to know a person better and be with the person. Some common types of dating are:

•	Regular date: Only two individuals are involved.
•	Double date: Two couples engage in this form of dating.
•	Group date: Two more than two couples engage in this form of dating.
•	Blind date: In this form of dating, the people involved have not met each other personally before. They may have seen each other’s photos. These kinds of dates are usually set up by an online dating service or a third person who does it with the motive of matchmaking.

Dating ideas differ from one person to another and has a lot to do with the creativity of the person involved. A date could be a romantic walk on the smooth silver sands of the beach. It could be some tough sport like climbing a mountain if the couple involved is the adventurous type. For teens, it could be going out for coffee or for a newly released box office hit. For some, it may be having a quiet grand lunch or a mushy candle light dinner. The ideas are plenty and so are your choices. So the dating spot can be decided on the closeness and the comfort level that you share. For example, if it’s the first date and that too with a stranger, a walk down the beach will be anything but romantic. A lunch in a good restaurant or a snack in the coffee shop down the road would be a much better option.