Article Advise

submitted: Jun 7th 2008 | by: SaraMusfeldt | Total views: 1 | Word Count: 590 | |

I have tried online dating on three separate occasions. The first time I was terrified and the second time I was frustrated. The third time was better because I finally read-up on the topic, asked my friends what they were writing online, and experimented with my profile until I got the attention I wanted.

Don't make the same mistakes I did, do yourself a favor.

Mistake Number One: Ignoring the Competition Weeks went by before I looked at another woman's profile. It didn't occur to me to compare myself to others and one-up my competition. If of women in my zip code have a picture of themselves at a baseball game, then shouldn't I make myself stand out by posting a picture of myself playing the game?

Mistake Number Two: Never Change Your Photo I used the same picture the first two times I was on Match.com. Before I signed up the third time I browsed men between the ages of 26 and 35 in my zip code and ran across a guy I'd seen on my first-go-round. I looked at his profile and quickly changed my mind about writing him because his profile was exactly the same. I thought this meant he wasn't into impressing anyone. This motivated me to pick a new photo for myself and change my profile a bit every couple of weeks.

Mistake Number Three: The Wrong Photo Uploaded It's odd to have pictures of your ex or a friend of the opposite sex hanging or hugging on you. Since it's safe to assume we've all been in relationships and have flirty friends, avoid pictures where its obvious someone has been cut out or where someone is a little too friendly.

Pictures of you with babies and puppies are cheap. Nice try.

The photos of you in your bathing suit should, of course, be avoided. You're hot and want to tell someone, which is great, but keep it classy.

Mistake Number Four: Novel Writing To let him or her know you're interested it's ok to write a novel in your second, third or fourth e-mail, but the written portions of your e-mail should never be too long. The 580 words describing your ideal date is too much for our attention spans.

Mistake Number Five: Played a Broken Record Make yourself sound unique by focusing on your distinctive attributes like, for instance, the fact that your eyes change from hazel to green depending on your outfit. Avoid clich phrases like "I'm laid back" or "My friends say I'm..." Making yourself stand out may be the most important aspect of an online profile.

Mistake Number Six: Wearing Your Heart on Your Sleeve Anyone looking at your profile doesn't care that you were just dumped or that you've been hurt before. Saying things like "I'm looking for Mr. Right after so many Mr. Wrongs" or "I'm looking to have fun after a horrible break-up" only scares away a lot of great suitors who are fearful of your baggage.

Mistake Number Seven: Forgetting to Get a Second Opinion It's hard to write about yourself, let's be honest. Asking a friend to write or review your profile is one of the best things you can do. If that's not an option, for a small fee there are many services that will help you put together the written portions of your profile.

Online dating is not hard, and shouldn't be scary. If you have the right attitude and keep your expectation realistic-as you should do in all types of dating-the outcome will only be positive.

About the Author

About the Author: Sara Musfeldt has a website with dating stories and dating profile tips for everyone. Sara has also produced an online dating advice to help single people everywhere find a date.

Comments

No comments posted.

You do not have permission to comment. If you log in, you may be able to comment.