salinechow said:
Harry,
Thanks for trying man. I recently visted your website and listen to a few PodCasts at the suggestion of one of the members here. I appreciate your efforts. I especially like your post around here. Anyway...
My biggest stumbling block is texts. If a girl is texting rapidly for conversation I can manage ok. Quick on my feet, funny( although difficult in text messge especially with my personality) flirty etc.
However, first texts is a diffculty for me. Reopening after a hiatus is difficult for me. Editing so that I dont word puke is difficult for me. Things like that.
So in short. First text. Booking a date. Reopening old convos. (pssst. Thinking about texting my "oneitis" soon after almost 3 months NC.)
Thanks again.
Finally, some stuff I can answer!
First off, glad you checked out the podcasts! I really enjoy being able to dispense out advice 3 times a week about dating on things I wish I would have known back in the day when I was struggling with dating. (For the rest of you: they're FREE podcast, currently at #221 so lots of advice.)
In answer to your various information requests:
1. Don't know if you've heard my whole "Texting KILLS Relationships" mantra (that's a whole 'nother debate), but the main problem guys have with texting is that they think they need to actually be in text conversations with a woman at all times to keep her interest. You don't. In fact, you'd have better results with her if you weren't so easily available to message her at any given time a day. If you do decide to use texting, it should only be for one purpose: to set up a time to see her in person, be it for a date, hang out, hook up, whatever. If a girl is constantly hitting you up with text, you need to nip that in the bud very early in the relationship so it doesn't become a habit. Easiest way to do it: anytime she hits you up, hit her back with "hey, great hearing from you - I'm busy right now, but what are you doing later?" then schedule a meet up with her and say "great, see you then - okay, back to work!" and BOOM! She got contact from you, you got a date, and now you don't have to be stuck in text messaging Hell!
2. Booking a date should be done with a phone call or in-person. Texting is very impersonal, and her being able to hear/see how excited and confident you are when asking her out will definitely improve your chances at getting the date. I have a ton of info I'll be sharing about asking a girl out, but here's a tip that's golden for now: whatever you do, do NOT ask her where she wants to go. The girl wants YOU to plan the date; for best results, already have 3 to 5 places in town where you can take a girl on a first date so you won't have to think about it too hard when you ask her. Most girls don't actually care WHERE you take them; they are more interested in seeing what YOU come up with to try and impress them.
3. If your one-i-tis wasn't showing interest in you prior to NC, it's not worth it. After all, if she wanted something to pop off she would have hit you up by now. Heck, I have ex-girlfriends that continue to hit me up regularly just to say "hi" and see what's up. Chances are she probably didn't even notice, or just assumed you were busy. With that said: if you had expressed an interest in her before going NC, the best thing you could do (a) is wait for her to contact you, and (b) be actively going after other women.
As for re-opening old convos, I have found the best way to do it is indirectly. For example, you could either call them or send them a message and act like you meant to call/send it to someone else. When they pick up the phone, you'd say "hey, is this (name of person other than her);" when she says it's her, you'd be like "OOOH, my bad - I was trying to dial up so-and-so. Wow, it's been a while, how are you?" If you're sending a message, text something random like "so we're set for the game at 3, right?" when she responds back (probably with something like "what game?"), you'd respond with "...OOOH, my bad - meant to send this to so-and-so, how are you?"
Depending on how she responds to these "accidental" contacts will determine if the conversation continues afterward - but I've found it to be pretty effective when trying to re-establish contact with someone either you cut off or who cut you off. (Note: the direct route - calling/messaging them and saying "Hey I'd love to hear from you and/or catch up with you sometime" works also, but it works even better if YOU were the one that cut THEM off first.)