Expert: Venetia Wickam, e-dating adviser.
The advice: 'Go for numbers' she says, but she's not talking phone numbers - she's talking quantity. 'There's no point in just picking a few. Email as many people as possible.' Although doing do can make you feeling a cyber-hussy, Wickhams' secret to successful e-dating is not to be too picky. 'Don't pass over people on the grounds of occupation or height,' she says. 'Your perfect match may be outside your criteria.'
Another of Wickham's top tips is not to say you like staying in for a bottle of wine and going out with mates. 'Everyone does. Say something that makes you stand out.' She also recommends you meet them for coffee quite soon after meeting them online. 'You build up someone in your head,' she says. 'If you leave it too long, the reality isn't going to match up.'
The result: With Wickham's advice in mind, signing up on dating sites www.justfate.com and www.loopylove.com is easy. Before I've posted a picture on my profile (the best way to max your chances, Wickham says), I receive several messages of the 'I like going out/staying in' variety copied and sent, no doubt, to dozens of girls. Though cyber-flirting is a strange concept - it might just take time to meet them all.
The score: After two weeks on the sites, I met three dateable blokes from 25 potential 'matches' - a 12 per cent return.
The expert: Sam van Rood, flirting coach
The advice: What traffic lights have to do with flirting isn't immediately obvious but when van Rood tells me avoiding eye contact with a man is the same as giving 'a red light', the link is clearer. 'To give a green light,' he says, 'you have to use what's called the sticky look.'
Far from being an eye infection, the sticky look is slightly-longer-than-normal eye contact. Two sticky looks are a green light. The theory goes that 70 per cent of the time a women's body language will initiate flirting - a man will pick up on it and approach her. 'If he doesn't come over, even after a few more glances,' van Rood say, 'it's a lost cause.'
Once he's approached you, the trick is to ask lots of question to keep the flirt going (hoping the guy asks some questions, too, so it doesn't turn into the Spanish Inquisition). Van Rood also says touching your hair or neck sends out subtle but sexy signals (even though it feels daft).
The results: Time to take my show on the road - and it's easier than I thought. Instead of flashing red lights to everyone, I'm aware of my signals as well as those of others. But I have to strike a delicate balance: not to appear a slapper by flashing too many greens while giving off enough for the chaps to know I'm not on a date with Sam (although from the amount of time when spend pointing at men, they probably think we're looking for a threesome). No, the time to try it is on a night out with the girls.
So purely in the name of research, I cast a sticky look at a cute guy across the bar and, to my astonishment, he saunters over. Trouble is, I'm so stunned at the success of the technique, I forget the rest of Sam's advice. The conversation dries up and he heads off to the bar. This is going to take some time to master but it has the potential to be a lot of fun.
The score: Two potential dates after giving five green lights. That's a 40 per cent return. Bar-hopping wins.
