Even people with all the dating skill and all the charm and charisma in the world can mess up the whole situation by putting all this greatness in a terrible setting. The thing about dating is that any moment can be made exponentially better or worse by the surrounding context.

And if you think location loses its importance after the first date, think again. Couples that have been together for years and know each other inside and out also know that it\’s all too easy to botch important dates like anniversaries and birthdays with the wrong location. So here are some handy hints to make your date as positive as possible.

Your First Date

Especially if you met through internet dating (thus, have no personal experience together), skip the dinner thing. It\’s too long. Too much pressure. Instead, I always say opt for a movie, concert or comedy thing and then coffee or dessert.

By placing more importance, at least initially, on the activity rather than the one on one time you\’ll create an instant shared experience to talk about. I\’d rather have a first date that involves actually doing something before I try to get into someone\’s brain to see what makes them tick.

Having a first date like this leaves the end of the date open for other suggestions. If you enjoyed the skating or rollerblading, then perhaps a nice warm cup of hot chocolate or coffee at a nearby caf would be just the thing. From there, who knows?

The Birthday Date

Birthdays are awesome for relationships. It\’s like a built-in chance to prove your astounding awesomeness to the person you\’re dating. The key is, you are your sweetie\’s person. That\’s a responsibility on a birthday. But, unlike anniversaries, you can\’t exactly expect to be able to hog your honey all night. He or she has friends and they should be included as well. But you also want to do something romantic.

Here\’s the perfect balance: well in advance, check to see if a band your lover is really into is playing around their birthday. If not a band, surely there will be some special, not-always-happening event near the big day. Get tickets. If you can, get really, really good tickets.

On the day, either cook them a nice dinner or go out to eat. Over dinner present them with the tickets. Just when he or she thought things couldn\’t possibly get any better you can surprise them with the finale; a surprise after party with their friends. You might want to involve a few of his or her key pals to plan the after party, and it will be so worth it!

This article was written by the writers of the Datepad.com internet dating company where you can find thousands more professional dating articles. Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service

The Good Wink

I used to have such mixed feelings about the wink. I thought it was cheesy, way too played out and only used by guys who thought they were the most suave and dashing thing on the block. But that’s because I’d never seen it done right. I swear.

When a man flashed me a perfectly effortless wink, coupled with a little half smile, it really packed a wallop! The attraction was unmistakable. It’s unfortunate that not a lot of men can pull this off without looking lame, but when it works, it works well!

Clean fingernails

Women aren’t asking men to be the picture of perfect grooming every second of the day. However, knowing that you need to clean up for work and family functions, and knowing how, should be required training before men can date. Having said that, we also love you when you’re rugged, sweaty and manly! And much of the difference depends on the occasion.

And contrary to what you may believe, you don’t have to look like a Greek God either. We don’t want you to hold us to model standards, so we won’t do that to you. Fair is fair. However, personal hygiene counts for a lot. Major turnoffs include a forest of nose and/or ear hair, and dirty fingernails.

Smelling good

The general consensus is that most women hate a dude who drenches himself in cologne. That said, having a subtle but definite man smell is irresistible. Some women (right here!) think that an all-natural guy scent is a wonderful and alluring thing. Hello, pheromones! Other than that, picking a deodorant that smells great or using just one spritz of a sexy cologne is certainly attractive.

Laughing loud, often and with meaning

Men who are so concerned with looking cool that they can’t appreciate a good belly laugh when the opportunity comes up are just, um, lame. Laughter is infectious and when a lady is hanging around a guy who lets the giggles rip at will, she is more likely to laugh along with him.

And you know what happens when we laugh don’t you? Our brains produce tons of feel good chemicals. A woman will make an instinctive connection between a guy who can laugh and feeling good. In other words a no fail magnet.

Keeping It Cool

While women like a guy who isn’t serious all of the time, we don’t want to see a guy who loses it on a regular basis either. We all have problems that we deal with, life’s stressors that have to be dealt with, but guys, freaking out over every little thing is a total turn off. It indicates a serious lack of maturity. We want to be your girlfriend, not your mother.

This article was written by the writers of the Datepad.com internet dating company where you can read thousands more helpful dating articles.

One of the worst verbal blunders to make when talking to a romantic friend is the accidental insult. You know, when you try to say something nice but instead, they take it as a negative and suddenly you’re back-tracking, explaining, and apologizing and the whole moment is ruined? Sigh. I hate that. But it happens.

Keep reading for three of the most common “Whoops” insults and how to fix things if they happen to slip out from between your lips;

1) “You’re unlike anyone I’ve ever dated”

Obviously you said to be complimentary; this person really is one in a million. However, all your date will be thinking about is every other fantastic person you’ve ever been out with and how he/she doesn’t measure up. Remember this; never compare your current sweetie to ones from your past, even if you intend to place him or her at the top of the list. Your partner would just like to pretend that he or she is your first (at least at the beginning of your relationship), so just go along with it.

When the words have already left your mouth, you need to recover, and fast! Start by reassuring your significant other that he/she has left any others in the dust and follow that up with a couple of specific and sincere compliments. Don’t get too wordy and over the top here, you don’t want to make things worse. They need to know that there’s no one else you’d rather be with.

2) “Size doesn’t matter”

I can’t believe you said that! It’s just NEVER okay! Having said that, yes, I’ve said that! And the result was an awkward silence while you try to figure out how to recover from this perceived insult to his manhood.

The thing is that unless your man’s manhood is of an unusual size in either direction, size really doesn’t matter. But no man will believe it. The easiest way to fix this is to quickly, and I mean very quickly, explain what you mean. A little extra attention wouldn’t hurt either.

3) “You landed that job? Mind boggling!”

This is only going to be taken as an insult by someone who is insecure. But that’s the thing, most of us are! When you give a compliment it should be, well, complimentary! Something like “Well of course you got the job” is far more of a pat on the back than an expression of disbelief.

When your response to your partner’s good news is one of surprise, they’ll think you doubt their ability. It may be annoying, but if you think about it you’ll see that their reaction is justified. You’re supposed to be their biggest supporter. You shouldn’t need to be won over.

This article was written by the staff of the Datepad.com internet dating company where you can read hundreds of professional dating articles.

While walking through a crowd, you hear the chatter and laughter all around. You see couples walking by smiling and holding hands. You wonder to yourself, how did they meet? Did they meet at the grocery store, while during laundry or are they result of an internet dating connection?

Whatever the case, inside you wish that it was you that were a part of a twosome. Rest assured that everyone has felt this way at one point or another in their life. There are still many who happen to still feel this way. They wonder why it is that they have yet to find the special someone. It seems to be a healthy part of nature. You grow up, go to school, get a job and fall in love.

After the falling in love part comes marriage and the baby carriage; or so you thought. Life seems to have other plans for you, but don’t give up! By keeping a positive attitude, it’s really just a matter of time before you meet someone to call your own.

In the interim, it is important to try to enjoy where you are at the time. If you are single, this is the time to do all things that you would not be able to do if you where tied down and married. As a single person you can do the following things without consulting anyone:

1.You can take off at a moment’s notice. Picture this; your best friend was able to get tickets for a concert that you really wanted to see. You couldn’t get tickets. She’s decided to surprise you and has invited you along. See? No one’s feelings will get hurt if you just pick up and go.

2. You can date as many people as you like. As a single man or woman you can date a few people at a time until you make the choice to settle down with one person.

3. If you live alone, as a single person you get to have the place to yourself. This means not having to share the remote control, sleeping late or keeping the house as loud or as quite as you please.

4. You don’t have to call home if your plans for the evening change suddenly. You’re free to accept party or dinner invitations without having to consider anyone else but yourself.

5. You don’t have to cook and can eat out as much as you please. Also, you can keep your place as neat or as sloppy as you like.

Sure, the above points may sound selfish, but knowing what you can do when you’re single will help you adjust you mindset after you become involved with someone. When you do meet someone special, chances are you won’t mind so much about having to let someone know where you are and what you’re doing.

It could also help you make the decision as to whether or not you are ready to date at all. Dating when with the right person can be an amazing experience, but you should try to enjoy and make the most of your single life while waiting to meet the love of your life.

This article was developed by the staff of the Datepad.com internet dating company where you can find hundreds more professional dating articles.