Reach out & touch someone: Give good email

Be prepared. Be very prepared.

Before you write that first e-mail, reread your prospective date's profile. Jumping into a conversation based on what their profile says (and hopefully, how it crosses over with your interests) will go a lot further than saying "hi" and waiting. And always check your past e-mails before picking up the phone. "Hi, who are you again?" rarely wins points.

Start your conversation with a bang.

Whether in e-mail or on the phone, give your prospective date something to respond to. While "Hi, how are you?" is polite, "Hi, I loved your alien abduction story--did they use probes?" will get the exchange fired up.

Error! Error!

Misunderstandings are common in email. Sooner or later, e-mail weirdness will come up. One of the following reactions will occur:
 
1. Blatant confrontation (ranging from the direct "you ass!" to tactful address "why did you do that?")
2. Avoidance (disappearing altogether)
3. Complacency (assuming he meant what you want him to mean)
 
We fully endorse all of the above EXCEPT complacency.

Go on, BE the squeaky wheel. When your correspondent suddenly throws London broil into the middle of your vegetarian conversation, don't just figure he misspelled "tofu." If something strikes you as odd or out of character in an email, call the person on it. Often, what seems like an insult or a negative can turn out to be an awkward phrasing of a harmless comment. Some people are also not great email communicators--and if this is you, you should make mention of it in one of your first e-mails, and propose a phone conversation at the other party's convenience.

Digital doo is a don't.

No matter how funny you think they may be, forwards, mass e-mails and large images that jam the free account you set up for online dating are not cool.

Keep it clean.

Don't type anything you wouldn't say to a stranger. And for optimal e-mail hygiene, spell-check regularly!