She said: “Of
course I use X’s to show a guy I am keen. The more X’s, the keener I am.
“Everyone these
days is putting X’s on their emails.
“Emails and texts
allow you to become much more intimate with a person than you would be either
in person or on the phone.
“And the use of an
X is a crucial way of trying to get the relationship on a more intimate footing
than merely friendship.
“Whereas with
girlfriend I will put X’s on texts or emails to just be friendly, I know
from experience that men are much more calculating and will often use a X to
try to instigate sex.
“I am great at
working out when an X is merely someone being friendly and when an X means they
want sex.
“I think men are
less good at picking up these signals. They can often get the wrong end of the
stick.
“What is absolutely
true is that almost all office lotharios use X’s liberally in emails and texts.
It is a crucial part of their armoury.
“They sprinkle
their texts and emails with kisses all the time – if you throw enough mud at a
wall, some of it sticks.”
Denise, who has
dated several men on WhatsYourPrice, said it’s not just X’s which are used to
establish intimacy.
She added: “You
have even had the Prime Minister ending his emails in LOL, thinking it means
Lots of Love. The internet is a big short-cut to intimacy. There are all
sorts of new ways to show someone that you are attracted to them.”
While most British
people are fairly relaxed about using X’s in emails, this is not the case
elsewhere in the world.
In America, a kiss
is normally only used in a message to a loved one or family member.
Dating expert Helen
Croydon, from Limehouse, East London, said: “Because email is still a
relatively new form of communication, people are still not sure how to
interpret X’s.
“Clearly they are a
great way of quickly establishing intimacy when you are dating.
“I never put an X
in a professional email. To me that would be girlie and dipsy. For that reason,
if I get one back from a man I immediately see that as flirtatious.
“Women often
exchange X’s with friends – that is simple way of reaffirming friendship and
establishing trust.
“Women who receive
X’s on an email from man will almost always interpret this as flirtation,
unless the man is gay.”
WhatsYourPrice
founder Brandon Wade said: “We are learning so much about the whole etiquette
of dating through the internet.
“It allows couples
to establish intimacy much more quickly and freely express exactly what they
want. That has to be a good thing.
“Most women want a
generous partner who will treat them like a lady and show them a good time. If
putting an X at the end of an email helps them to achieve that then that has to
be a good thing.”
WhatsYourPrice has
pioneered a new form of dating where generous people – male or female – will
pay for the chance to go on a date.
