Teta had given up on love as she felt she had wasted most of her 20s trying to make love work. Turns out, she was meeting all the wrong people.

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A friend then suggested online dating and ridiculous as it sounded, she was open to the idea. Long story short, she joined a dating site where after many unfruitful conversations, she met what turned out to be the man of her dreams.

Although some people don’t get lucky with online dating, others have succeeded. According to Teta, online dating can be effective if you take precaution, for instance, never reveal personal information like home address, phone number Do not trust or open up to anyone before meeting physically.

Benjamin Zulu, a Kenyan life coach, and counselling psychologist, in one of his YouTube videos, highlights that online is a forum of meeting many new people and interacting with colleagues and old friends, due to civilisation and change of trends.

He says, for those searching for love and serious relationships, especially via social media, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, the first step is to create a profile and learn how other people interact.

While initiating an online conversation with someone new, Zulu discourages men from texting “hi”. Instead, start by introducing yourself. Allow the person to be free to text back.

He says, “Come decently, don’t flirt or give someone you don’t know a pet name. Declare why you are in their inbox because that’s their personal space and you surely don’t want to be blasted or taken unseriously.”

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Make sure your profile is visible. Don’t put weird or indecent photos, because before someone texts you back, they obviously want to know how you look like, and the kind of content you post, the psychologist notes.

“Women love dating men that are mature, don’t make sex too much of a topic especially if you’re at a stage of knowing each other, it’s a red flag,” he states.

He adds that men ought to have decent conversations, compliment and appreciate women for who they are, but not describe their physical body parts because it nags.

Zulu points out that men ought to observe decency, and courtesy. If you realise that the person is comfortable with you, that’s when you can go on to exchange numbers.

He adds that women should protect their reputation, just because you have taken a step to date doesn’t mean to lower your standards. “Don’t rush into cohabiting as it hinders many men from committing to marriage.”

Zulu says to shun falling in love or dating before you meet physically as some people fake life. Some people are married and want to waste your time, while others are using different profile photos, and others use too many photo filters that changes them, completely.

Don’t promise anything before you meet physically, even though you have seen these people or chatted via video calls.

In one of her articles, Lisa Mirza Grotts, a recognised etiquette expert and author, notes that if you’re planning to take the plunge into the world of online dating, you should learn the code of online dating etiquette first; it will save you from wasting time, being disappointed, and hurting the feelings of other people because online dating is not a game.

She further explains that in order to protect yourself and others, it is wise to engage in cyber dating only if you are seriously searching for a partner and honest about your intentions.

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Grotts says that there are many online dating agencies, and many allow a limited free-trial period. Try out a few before you settle on one or more. Also, it can’t hurt to check out their dating policies.

“Your profile is your advertisement, be honest from the get-go, or you will be wasting your time with unsuitable candidates. Post recent photos, not ones that are 20 years old,” she says.

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According to The Guardian, if you’re going to record success in online dating, you need to be prepared to have an open mind.

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“Have interesting profiles yourself. Let your profile include things or activities like hobbies and your interests because your profile is how potential matches get to know about you. Stay true to yourself with your online profile and when talking to matches.”