We all cherish unexpected tokens of love and appreciation that are presented in relationships. When someone you care for goes that extra mile to show you that they’re thinking of you (and that you’re worth taking some extra trouble for), often the result is a memory that you will carry for years to come.

Romance in a relationship can infuse a bit of that early-relationship excitement and keep things from becoming too “comfortable”. The principals of romance can also be applied to online dating. We have compiled some fun ideas for showing your online match that you care! Just customize our ideas and make them your own – we guarantee that they will be appreciated.

Send An E-Card
It sounds mundane, but timing and content are everything! E-Cards are free and easy to send, and if they’re unexpected will put a smile on the recipient’s face every time. Spend some time thinking about your message and choosing the card – you want it to express your special sentiment without being too heavy (and scaring away your online date before ever having a date!).

Pick a Poem
Lets face it, we’re not all poets. The good news is that there are plenty of amazing poets out there already who have written volumes of great love poetry. Even better, there are websites that contain archives of some of the best poetry ever written – take some time to choose one that really makes you think of your personals friend and think about the presentation (either on an e-card or use a graphic program, or even Word to put it into a format that can be printed and enjoyed). If you’re a poet, by all means write something – I don’t know a cold soul who would not like a poem written for him or her!

Make a Music CD (or tape)
My first boyfriend made me a tape of songs. It contained a collection of love songs from Dire Straits and other bands. Ok, the thing is smarmy, but I loved it then, and I still have it (almost 15 years later), and while tattered, it still makes me happy to listen to the songs and remember what was beautiful in that relationship. The tape still comforts me and makes me feel loved. What an amazing gift that cost little more than time!

The bottom line is that if you’re dating online, you can be romantic and make your match feel great for not much more than the cost of your time. That’s what being romantic is all about.

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contributed by Jerri-Lynne Cameron