Hooking up with girls online

By Angella Kateemu

Today’s typical pickup line goes like “Hey, what is your facebook account/ twitter handle.” The other day I was talking to my cousin and we were wondering how it is possible that we managed to go through life without Facebook, Twitter, Internet and especially WhatsApp.

Social networks have literally taken over our lives. You go just one day off Facebook and you feel as if the world has left you behind.

Facebook, especially, has made it easier for shy people to get hook ups. But then, it has also made picking a good girl for a relationship rather hard. The love letters are long gone and despite the changing trends, Facebook inbox has failed to replace those letters. Every time you inbox a girl you like, chances are she is going to bundle you with the crazy stalkers, sexual predators and all those types of annoying Facebook creeps. So how can a guy hook up a good girl he likes offline?

Just ask her out!

If you are trying to hook up a girl, what you need to do is quite simple and unfortunately the dating gurus often overlook it: just ask her out! This is the most straightforward option.

The trick is to make a solid first impression that carries on through the conversation, and hopefully you two will have several common denominators that will automatically breed closer relations.

Engage her in debate and leave it unfinished

This is a tip that rarely fails, but it requires a talented pickup artist that is charming and engrossing. First of all, you need to dedicate some time to the woman, which, of course, will not go unnoticed and secondly, you need to prepare ahead of time for the cliffhanger that will lead to a date, perhaps or a phone call. You must select a topic that she clearly enjoys speaking about and you need to get her animated — even somewhat emotional. This is where the gentle touch and tact comes into play. You do not want to push her over the edge, so make sure you have selected an inoffensive subject.

In other words, go for movies or anything light rather than politics or religion. You just want to get her involved to the point where she has something invested in the discussion. Her final directive should be, “you better call me tomorrow so we can finish this!” accompanied by the phone number.

Get her number

The advent of the Internet has expanded communication, but the worldwide web certainly has not enhanced the quality of communication. Nothing is a real substitute for actually speaking to someone.

Hence, getting her number will always remain a top priority. Now, you may believe that if you have already secured the date you do not necessarily need the phone number. Why, you have already gotten what you wanted, right?  Wrong.

A date can be an isolated incident and most certainly is not a guarantee of future interaction, while a phone number means you can attempt to forge further interaction at any point down the line.

For example, if the date ended on a fairly ambiguous note but you’re smitten (or interested at the very least), you have a way of contacting her for another get together.

Stay away from pickup lines

“You must really be tired because you are continuously running in my mind.” Who says that and gets lucky? There’s no such thing as a universally perfect pickup line.  It does not matter how brilliant something is on paper or coming from someone else’s mouth, because if it is not something that you would naturally say, women are going to know it.

Wing women

There are times when men will need the help of another woman to get the one he wants — the wing woman. Believe it or not, when women approach fellow women, their defences are lower than if a man were to approach. So get a wing woman, a sidekick, counterpart in crime who will help you make the hook up.

The benefit of the wing woman is that not only will she teach you about how to approach women, but she will open them up for you as well. So if those sexy chicks are cold as ice because a bunch of douchebags have been harassing them all night, your wing woman will dive in there to buddy up with her, warm up the situation.

At the bar

When men descend upon the nightclub or bar, some have a primary goal. This goal is to get a cute girl, which of course acts as a springboard to a more intimate encounter. So before you descend on the girls, first determine how you are going to go about it. Just because one trick worked for your buddy, or it worked for you before, it does not mean it will always work. One night is always different from another and no two women are the same, so it is best if you have several options at your disposal.

Cocky and funny

The women who get what you are doing are the ones you will find yourself getting attracted to. Cocky does not work for every girl, some will find it a huge turn off: in which case you should be concerned about getting punched in the head. Not all women love the bad boy types but you will be surprised about how many will fall for your bad boy confident routine.  Just don’t go overboard because the girls love a sensitive man too.

Take your online network offline

While it is more than likely that you will meet and probably make a hook up online, you will need to take it offline. Let your connection know you are interested in finally meeting in person. This can be in an email if you have exchanged contacts or via a message on a social network.

Do not be afraid to send a direct  message on Twitter or a message on Facebook. (The worst that can happen is they say no or do not respond.) Then, find a place that works for both of you and take it offline. Not so many people are great at dating online or cyber-nasting (as my friend likes to put it!), so take it offline.