This came up because of two messages I got on POF the other day… but, how long are you supposed to wait to hear back from someone you’ve messaged before deciding to cut your losses?
This guy, for instance.. not very patient.. He first sent:
“Hello beautiful….”
..and when I didn’t respond TWO HOURS LATER, he sent:
“Guess not…lol :-)”
Geez – sorry for not living, eating and breathing POF.. He wasn’t too far off though, as you all know, I don’t respond to that sort of stuff. (Guys, girls get 30 messages a day that say exactly “Hello beautiful..” or “How are you tonight?” Unless we don’t have a life – don’t expect a response unless you are the most attractive man on the planet.. (i.e Super Hot POF Guy.. who is even hotter in person, for the record..))
But – nevertheless, this got me thinking. I had been chatting with another friend and he gives girls a week to respond to his message before moving on. A WEEK!? Dude.. if I am going to message someone back, it will usually be within a day. Maybe two if I am super busy. In the unofficial Twitter poll I took today, 1 – 2 days was about par for the course in how long it takes people to respond.
A few people did mention though that they wait as to not seem overeager. This absolutely boggles my mind.. You’re on a website to meet people, and you don’t respond right away because you don’t want to scare someone off? Wouldn’t that be the equivalent of going to a bar.. and when a cute girl asks you a question, walking away to return a half hour later to see if she still wants to talk? I’m so confused.
Additionally – is this why I am going to turn into a crazy cat lady.. because I am too eager? Honestly – I would say I generally message back within 5 hours.. usually right upon receipt, if I am going to. If I have been online and it’s been 24 hours, I am probably not going to respond.
Let’s discuss, interwebs. I know there are “rules” for waiting to call and all that nonsense.. are there really rules for how long it should take you to write back to an online dating message?!