Here in the Flirtify offices we'd say that playing games (of the dating kind, not the monopoly kind) is a big turn off. Those 'wait 2 hours before you text back' kinda tips are just a bit silly. But, there are some crucial do's and don'ts that you should adhere to....:
  1. Use spell check: loads of errors just makes it look like you don't care! Big mistake.
  2. DON'T WRITE IN CAPITALS it reads like your shouting or just being way too keen. Either way a big no-no.
  3. Super short texts like 'cool' and 'k' are annoying to receive and don't show any of your amazing personality in them.
  4. Wait for them to reply first before sending another message, otherwise you'll look needy. The aim is to ooze sex appeal and a sense of mystery....
  5. Don't wait with your message trail open for a reply because they can see you waiting and watching like a stalker if you have an Apple phone/ipad.
  6. Don't leave it too long to reply either, otherwise you'll both end up playing a ridiculous game of wait a day before replying to look cool. By then you'll both end up uninterested and will have moved on to someone else who's easier to meet up with!
  7. Try not to text when you know they're at work, unless you're already in a fairly serious relationship together.
  8. OMG, LOL, TC, 4, 10X etc. Slang abbreviations should remain with your BFF not your date.
  9. Remain classy at all times. No drunken 'why aren't you texting me back!?' or 'I can do sooooo much better than you anyway' kinds of texts. Get a friend to look after your phone when you reach the slightly tipsy stage....needs must!
  10. If you've made it as far as a date - well done, it means tips 1-9 have gone well! Don't screw it up by checking your phone and texting your friends all the way through your date though. Do it discreetly in the loo or wait until after the dates over. It's important to give your date your undivided attention if you want to give it a good chance of working.
Ever been guilty of any of the above?? Share in the comments below!

ps. #9 is particularly bad if sent by a  drunk 'friend' of yours. Remember your date won't think it's as funny as your 'friend'. We've all been there right? OK just me then.

Flirtify - Let's Text Together

How come some people manage to meet Mr or Ms Perfect the very first time they try online dating, meanwhile you're doing the same old routine night after night, wondering why you can't seem to find the right person?

Here's some tips to help you move the odds into your favour:

Tip 1. Rip up the check-list

It's not just your career that you envisage where you’d like to be in a year or five years; you probably have an age in mind of when you want to get married and have kids by too.

While goals are important, having an open mind (and heart) will open more doors to meet somebody new and exciting.

A lot of us fall into the trap of pigeon holing people into categories, depending on their interests, age and height. Some have a check-list of must-have qualities longer than a lot of novels you find at WH Smith! Things like:

- 'they must be at least 6ft tall'
- 'they must have no children'
- 'they mustn't be a sandals and sock wearer'
- 'they have to have perfect teeth, live within 15 miles....have a car no older than 5 years old, not live with their parents.....the list goes on....!

But how important are those things really? Surely if there's an instant spark (think 10 Things I Hate about You...), then is their taste in music, their dentistry records and their hair product preferences, really a big deal? Try writing your ideal partner check list out on a piece of paper and you'll probably realise it's full of artificial qualities that don't really matter in the grand scheme of things.

Tip 2. Be spontaneous

If your plan was to go to yoga and get your weekly grocery shopping after work, but a friend invites you out to a Mexican themed dinner party with her house mates (and their potentially attractive, single friends ) – be spontaneous and change your plans!

Don't just follow the same routine and expect to bump into the one. Luck comes to those who are brave enough to put themselves out there and have some faith that even if it hasn’t worked out before… it can. And it will.

Sign up to Flirtify, and give online dating a go.

For those of you who have joined but given up... log back into Flirtify and get yourself back out there! Update your profile and remember to rip up that check list, be approachable and spontaneous. 

Be Lucky! Get together

Guest blogger: Sarah Morrell



Imagine, you download a dating app. You like it. You go to download the premium upgrade, only to find you must pay depending on your age – may as well be your gender, race, religion or sexual orientation right? So that’s discrimination and can’t be true…



…well this is exactly what happened to Tinder users recently.



Tinder AKA ‘the place to go for some’, the ‘hook up app’ and the place where my first message read ‘Hey sweets! Fancy a f**k? You’re hot’ (I’ve corrected the grammar so you don’t have the confusion I did), recently did just that.



Seems swipe happy app Tinder have had a change of heart and enough of hooking up people for the love of it.
 
So what are these extra costs for? 
The cost is to cover the dating apps new premium service, which has two new features, the Tinder Passport (which allows you to find hotties all over the world - hello holiday hook up!) and rewind (which allows you to looking up previously-rejected matches).



So one question Tinder… why so harsh on the ‘older’ crowd?  
Dating shouldn’t be ageist.



A spokeswoman for the dating app told the BBC: ‘Tinder is no different; during our testing we’ve learned, not surprisingly, that younger users are just as excited about Tinder Plus, but are more budget constrained and need a lower price to pull the trigger.’



We beg to differ – it is different. We can only think they’re trying to keep the app free of ageing potential mates (not 30+! Anything but 30!). Perhaps they figure that, chances are, those over 30 will a) have more money and b) presumably be more desperate/excited to find a life partner, and they’re capitalising on that?

 We asked a couple of people (Richard & Katy) down the pub what they think…






 








Well Tinder, we don’t think you’ve swiped right with this move! 

See what our friends at De:Brief have to say about Tinder too 

Flirtify - let's grow old together >>

... because you're a cracker!



First Dates is back on TV…and it reveals just how brilliantly eccentric and diverse we all truly are!
Did you see it? Channel 4's First Dates is back and it did not disappoint… with serious sexual tension, fireworks, a former jockey who loves his beer and a fabulous MaĆ®tre d' named Fred.
First Dates is the show that lets us eavesdrop on blind dates in all their lovely, eccentric and sometimes excruciating awkward splendour...
In this first episode Frankie, self-confessed "booty call" extraordinaire has decided that having a boyfriend may actually be quote nice, and meets up with Muhala, a cool, self-confessed "player." Suffice to say that whether there's romance or not, there is sexual tension in abundance. There is lots of checking each other out, giggling over the table and the occasional lip bite.
Coincidence – the pair are both dancers and talk work without really talking work at all: "When I come home from work I like to take all my clothes off," says Frankie. You can nearly sympathize with Muhala as he realises they've got another course to devour before he has any chance of getting her back to his place for coffee.  
While these first encounters are fun to watch, it's the less obvious, more subtle interactions that are the most intriguing. Natasha the fireworks display coordinator goes on a date with ex-jockey Scott who is half her height - awkward. Surprisingly though, a rapport (although perhaps more matey than partner) develops as they roar with laughter at Scott's cheeky innuendos.
Then the most unlikely of the whole bunch Tim. He’s a friendly, chatty kind of man, mid 30’s – the type you’d expect to have a wife, 2.4 children, a dog and a Volvo. But he’s actually the last single man in his friendship group and looking for something special… a touching example of how the pressure to settle down can really get to us all at some stage or another. His tactic of honestly is something we’d question but equine specialist Jenny doesn't mind so much. 
There’s always one though, or in this case two… as one couple's meeting goes disastrously wrong due to the woman's hatred of polo necks. He mistakenly construes her rudeness for playground cruelty – when your mum would justify a boy pushing you over or pulling your hair by saying he must like you.. Well in this case he’s wrong and she’s just plain rude.
We couldn’t not mention Fred… the French Maitre d' is fabulous and quotes bits of Shakespeare's sonnets!
As we all know dating is a strange thing, and we've all had to find common ground with a stranger at some point in our lives – if only to get through a meal. Now that Brits are being more like New Yorkers and going on more dates than ever, this third series feels particularly poignant revealing just how brilliantly diverse and eccentric we all really are. 
Let us know what you thought…

…and find your first date now with Flirtify x