Ever sent someone a dating message on an online dating site, wondering whether you should send them a follow-up message or not? Well, the answer is no. No Why? Because if they like you, they'll get back in touch. If they don’t, following up will only make them think that there’s something wrong with your dating profile and cause them to be less attracted to it. Plus, when you manage to get someone interested in you (and mostly everyone is interested initially) but then drop off for some reason (they didn’t reply), sending a follow-up will only come across as needy/clingy/desperate… things that are completely repulsive to most dating profiles. Still tempted to send a follow-up? Don’t do it! No matter how long you sent dating messages to each other and no matter what the dating profile says , if they don’t reply after the first few messages, it means that there is no interest on their side. They might not be ready to meet up with someone new, or they might have lost interest in dating at the moment. It makes no sense for them (and yes, people can think and decide very quickly) to come back and say that there has been a misunderstanding and that they didn't realize your dating profile was so interesting. In cases like these, it's usually best just to move on. Unless you do it right, following up can make the dating profile look weak and less attractive. Let’s say that there is no interest in your dating profile to begin with (which, in most cases, happens when profiles are not clear), then sending a follow-up message will give them an excuse to delete it (because it didn't show any "passion" enough to follow up). The truth of dating websites is that everything must be really obvious. If someone hasn’t replied after sending 5 dating messages back and forth, you have to assume that they are simply not interested. What could have been an amazing date might just die out because one person doesn't bother finishing what they started. Don’t send a follow-up dating message, don’t nudge them, and move on. After all, dating is serious business. It's not Instagram where you can go back to the previous picture you posted if it isn't doing well with your followers. If dating profiles are not clear or attractive enough to get people interested right away, there is no chance of coming back from it after sending a few dating messages. Of course, dating via Internet dating websites becomes more difficult when people aren't sure whether they have actually asked someone out or just sent them some friendly dating messages that never received any replies. Sometimes it's hard to tell whether people are just being polite by ignoring what was meant as an invitation to meet up in real life. If you're dating online, avoid sending dating messages without getting some dating profile feedback first - ask someone you trust about it if your dating profile is clear enough to make people interested in dating or not. Otherwise you might end up starting a conversation with someone who isn't actually interested in meeting up with you. About the author: Maria Alyokhina is head of communication at dating website EliteSingles . She's passionate about writing and has run several blogs on various topics such as dating profiles and dating tips before joining the EliteSingles team. Follow her on Twitter @EliteS_MariaAlyokhina , follow her blog at http://maria-alyokhina.com/blog/ and check out her dating profile on EliteSingles! I hope this article was helpful in regards to dating follow-up messages. I don’t want people sending dating follow-up messages if it will hurt their dating profiles. Don’t send dating follow-up messages, don’t nudge them, and move on. After all, dating is serious business. It's not Instagram where you can go back to the previous picture you posted if it isn't doing well with your followers. If dating profiles are not clear or attractive enough to get people interested right away, there is no chance of coming back from it after sending a few dating messages. About the author: Maria Alyokhina is head of communication at dating website EliteSingles . She's passionate about writing and has run several blogs on various topics such as dating profiles and dating tips before joining the EliteSingles team. Follow her on Twitter @EliteS_MariaAlyokhina , follow her blog at http://maria-alyokhina.com/blog/ and check out her dating profile on Elitesingles! I hope this article was helpful in regards to dating followup messages. I don’t want people sending dating followup messages if it will hurt their dating profiles. Don’t send dating followup messages, don’t nudge them, and move on. After all, dating is serious business. It's not Instagram where you can go back to the previous picture you posted if it isn't doing well with your followers. If dating profiles are not clear or attractive enough to get people interested right away, there is no chance of coming back from it after sending a few dating messages. ***The follow-up message is the dating equivalent of a restraining order. When you realize they’ve been silent for too long, it can be hard not to send them a little nudge. They didn’t reply to your last two messages? No biggie … maybe they were busy. Maybe they lost their phone. Maybe they got hit by a bus and were in hospital having an arm reattached (I hope that was just hyperbole). That’s why we send another message: “Hey, is everything okay? Just checking in ...” That momentary lull in time when you switch from lackadaisical dating mode to frantic worrying about someone is where dating disaster lies. By all means