There is no point in sitting around and waiting for someone to respond to your profile on your free online dating site.  Instead go out and search amongst the listing for people that might be of interest to you.  There are several steps you can follow to find Mr. or Ms. Right.

Key Word Search

When searching your free online dating site for an interesting person, pick a few words that describe very important attributes you want in that other person and search for those words.  May you want a partner who enjoys bowling or likes Italian food, or loves rock climbing.  Go ahead and search for those particular words.   Remember to only choose words that absolutely must be characteristics of your partner.  If it is OK with you if someone does not have a particular characteristic or like or dislike, then do not include it in your search.  This is a great way to narrow the field down.

You Like My Likes

Before searching for a potential partner on your free online dating site, make a list of your likes and dislikes.  As you go through the listings, match your likes with the likes of others.  Discard any profiles that do not contain your own likes.  Look at the postings for dislikes and keep anyone who has the same dislikes as you.  It can be just as important to dislike the same things as like the same things

Lets Be Friends

When you look for postings on the free online dating site that might be of interest to you, focus on making friends first.  Ask yourself if you could have fun with this person and simply enjoy their company without any romance involved.  If the answer is yes, then go ahead and make first contact.  Keep the first contact light and upbeat.  Point out something in their profile that made you wanted to get to know them better.  Maybe they said they liked to go to the movies. Ask what kind of movies they like most or what was the last movie they saw.  Keep the first contact short, sweet, and simple.  Do not launch into a tirade about your life and do not plague the person with 5, 10 or 20 questions.  Try to keep it to one or two sentences.  Three at most. 

First Meeting  

When meeting a person face to face for the first time, make sure you do so in a public place so everyone feels safe.  Do not insist on going to a more intimate setting at the first meeting as you may be putting too much pressure on the other person.  This could scare them away.  Keep the conversation light hearted.  Do not tell your complete life story this first time out.  Avoid any mention of exes.  If asked, be truthful about old relationships but do not dwell on them and quickly move on to another subject.  If the person you met on the free online dating site seems to be dwelling on an ex or old relationship, it might be best to move on, as it is obvious this person is not ready to move on either.