Flirting when dating online is a lost art that a lot of singles can overlook.

   Some of the rules that apply offline also apply to the online world.

   Keep it fun
   You don't want to go too serious early. Try by starting with questions that can lead to a more enjoyable and interesting discussion. Try more curious questions such as 'what is in the boot of your car?' instead of the boring old 'what do you do for a living?'.

Establish rapport    Establishing rapport online is easy when you think about what actually works offline. If they tend to talk a lot, chances are they will write a lot and would not expect small one line answers as a rule.    Try and gauge if they like to be serious or kid around, whether they like to flirt or rather talk about something substantial.    The best approach is keep it easy and spend the time reading what they say, especially early on to show you are really reading what they type in.    Ask flirting questions    Open ended questions are so much more effective than closed ones. Questions such as 'what do you do for fun?' will almost always get a positive response. Try 'how do you show someone you are interested?' to help things along.

   One thing to remember here, always try and avoid 'why' type questions as singles can feel like they have to justify themselves and the conversation can start spiralling downwards.

   Questions starting with how, what and where are generally better as they tend to create a positive flow to the conversation.

   Remember to keep things light hearted in the beginning as singles want to talk to other singles that give them a good feeling, so when you next talk to them they will be attracted to you.