Spice up online dates with help from Linx Dating founder Amy Andersen
Amy Andersen, matchmaker extraordinaire
The temptation is there. We're all craving physical contact. But going on an actual date, even if it's just spending time with someone inside their home, is forbidden by shelter in place rules right now and could even have dire consequences by spreading COVID-19. It’s no wonder that Dating.com is reporting spikes in online dating both internationally and in the U.S. To try it yourself, all you need is an app like Facetime or Zoom, but unless you want your date to feel like your 9 am work check-in, you should have a game plan before you log on. We reached out to top Silicon Valley matchmaker Amy Andersen, the founder of Linx Dating, for tips on making a love connection while living in isolation. Here’s what she’s sharing with her clients.
Amy Andersen’s 5 Ideas For Virtual Dates
1. Set the mood, pour a drink, and really get to know someone. The New York Times’ 36 Questions are a fabulous way to create a close bond.
2. Are you already dating someone but wanting to dig deeper? Check out Eight Dates: Essential Conversations for a Lifetime of Love ($13.99, Workman Publishing Company).
3. Be a chef. Open your kitchen, show him/her a favorite recipe you like to make and vice versa. Do this using your favorite tech platform.
4. Be romantic. Flex your brain muscles and read him/her poetry or a chapter from a book you’re reading. Use it as a launchpad for further conversation. You’re showing him/her a new dimension of what makes you incredibly unique.
5. Be an artist. Even if you’re not going to be the next da Vinci, become your own individual artist! Each buy an inexpensive paint set online, schedule the date for when your respective sets arrive at your homes, make a cocktail, light a candle, put some music on, set up your Zoom/Facetime and have a painting date. Use it as an opportunity to giggle at one another’s art work, once canvases are complete.
Photography by: From top: Carolyne Zinko; James Jadotte/Unsplash. Homepage image: Fabrizio Verrecchia/Unsplash.
