I'm not sure about the online dating thing. I honestly just don't think I'm cut out for it. I feel like I'm too nice of a guy for online dating and would just get lost in the shuffle because I'm not "pushy" enough. I also don't want to be seen by clients or people I know on there. I don't know why. I just don't. I'm a very private person.
I found online dating to be perfect for me. I'm quite shy and always feel like I'm harassing a woman if I ask her out.
With online dating, you know that the people on there are definitely interested in going out - even if they're not interested in you. Also, you're able to weed out any of the important issues: For me those things were that I didn't want anyone who was religious (I'm not), had pets (I'm allergic), or didn't have kids (I have my kids almost half time, so I wanted someone who would understand those commitments).
It took me a while, but I found someone who is absolutely wonderful. We've been together five years now, and are about to move in together.
You do need to have a bit of a thick skin. You'll have a lot of women who just won't respond to your message, who may be rude, who just won't be a good fit. You'll go on a lot of first dates, a few second dates, and some third dates - and some day you'll meet someone who will stick (and who you'll want to stick with!).
A few general practices I found:
1. Your first date should be for drinks (coffee or wine). I often did wine to help lubricate me socially, but did okay with coffee too. I found that a meal was a long time to sit with someone who may have rubbed you the wrong way from the beginning.
2. You wait until you get home from that date to send a message about whether you want to get together a second time. If you want to, suggest a meal in three or four days. If you don't, I found "I'm sorry, but I've discovered that I'm still hurting from my last relationship" to be effective and non-hurtful.
3. While I used the above response regularly if I didn't want to go on another date, I would often receive the excuse of, "I'm sorry, I just didn't feel that spark." That may sound like bullshit, and it may very well be, but is also very kind. It's not a criticism, but let's you know that you're just not perfect for her. If she's not interested in you, you want to know that from the beginning.
4. There is no such rule as "sex happens on the third date", no matter what everyone tells you. Sometimes it happens, but it just depends, and you don't want to be that guy who is pushing too hard for sex.
5. After you've gone on a date with someone and discovered the lack of spark, send your kind message, and then block her. That way, you don't have to worry about tripping over her profile again some time and thinking, "Wow, let's get in touch with her". That shit is just embarrassing.
6. You may think it's a good idea to go through a bunch of profiles and mark some as "favourites" to get back to. Helpful hint: They get a notification that you've favourited them. Instead, just save their profile as a bookmark in your web browser. Nobody finds out until you're ready to message her.
7. In some dating sites, people can mark what they're looking for: Marriage, friend only, just sex, etc. Some sites actually keep track of which of those you get in touch with regularly. Someone who is looking for a meaningful relationship may immediately lose interest if it says you've messaged people for "just sex".
8. That may sound like it's full of pitfalls, but it actually isn't bad. You have to approach it lightheartedly. If you think of every first date as "this may be the woman I marry" you're in for a lot of heartbreak. If you decide that each date is a chance to have a couple drinks with someone nice, and (at worst) practice that will make you that much more confident when you go on a first date that just clicks for both of you.
9. Nobody judges you for being on a dating site anymore. Keep your profile light, saying what you're interested in for a relationship, and a look at the hobbies and interests that make someone want to date you. You want to put enough for someone to get a glimpse of what you're like, but so you don't embarrass yourself. The only clients or friends who will see you on there are also on their looking for dates - so they're certainly not going to judge you.
10. When you first sign up, you'll get a pile of matches. After you've been there for a while, that'll slow down drastically because you'll have gone through the list. You'll get new matches as new people sign up, but that just happens one at a time, so you won't see that initial boom ever again. It doesn't mean that you've suddenly become unattractive.
Anyhow, I'm a huge fan of online dating, so please consider changing your "I honestly just don't think I'm cut out for it" stance. It really is the easiest way to meet others who are also looking to date.