When you think of flirting, what is the first thing that comes to mind. If you are like most people, flirtation is all about body language and eye contact which are physical one on one things that are not easily copied online. However, flirtation is not just limited to someone in person, since it can also be done effectively by text messages, phone, e-mail or online chats, provided you know how.

Flirting is both a basic instinct and a part of human nature which can be shown in various ways including a coy grin, genuine eye contact or a flick of the hair. Nevertheless, the words you use and how you say them plays a large part in flirtation and it is this that can be replicated online, even though the concept may be quite foreign to some folks.

In the world of online dating, the ability to flirt effectively can develop both interest and lift the prospective relationship up a notch. It involves so much more than just sending a virtual wink to a potential mate, although that is a good way to break the ice and get a conversation started.

Once you have established that all important first contact, it is important that you remain laid-back and normal in your correspondence. If you start making conversation simply for the sake of it, the person on the receiving end will know and they might get turned off. Less is frequently more when communicating online and to that end, there is no need to compose long  uninteresting paragraphs.  A sound rule is to keep your messages down to a maximum of five short, entertaining and cheerful sentences. Flirtation is an art that has to be learnt and by keeping your writing teasing and positive, you will be able to master the science before you know it.

If you notice yourself struggling for a conversation starter, you will never go wrong by noticing something intriguing that the other person has written in their online dating profile and then asking a question about it. Doing so demonstrates that you are taking an interest and expressing that interest is a definite turn-on. However, make sure that you phrase the question properly. Asking something that can simply be replied with a yes or no is not the best conversation starter.

Before finishing, tell something intriguing about yourself, but do not divulge too much! By doing that, you will likely spark the interest of the other person who will then write back wanting to know more. Once that happens, you will, in all likelihood, have made a possible love connection.

Now that you are on a roll as far as communications are concerned, do not make it appear that you are too eager (even if you are) and remember that part of the flirting process involves the art of playing hard to get. The trick here is to deliberately delay answering to your potential match. Nevertheless, do not keep them waiting anymore than a day at most. Ideally, an hour or so delay is enough. Otherwise he or she may think you have simply vaporized or perhaps even lost interest in them. Getting to grips with delicate balancing act is also part of learning to flirt online.

One last piece of advice is to go with your inner voice. If the conversation does not seem to be normal, do not spend too much time on it. Move on because there are plenty more opportunities waiting for you