Online Dating: Tips For Creating A Good Profile Picture

When it comes to joining one of the hundreds of online dating websites available, you will always be asked to create a “Profile”. This is basically your space, your page, on the website which you fill with information about yourself. Women signed up to the website can then browse that page and, if they like what they see, contact you.

The profile page is, therefore, the most crucial part of your online dating experience. Get it wrong, and no one will contact you. Get it right, and you could just be beating them off with a stick.

The first, and most important aspect, of the profile is the picture. A recent UK study conducted by Match.com revealed that 70% of people won’t even bother to read a profile that doesn’t feature a picture; so including one is a must. However, do make sure it’s a photograph of yourself and was taken in the last five years! If things go well online, you could soon be meeting the women offline, and you really don’t want their first thought to be “good Lord, he’s gained weight / aged badly” etc.

Choose a good, clear, well-lit picture in which you look good, but not so good it looks like you’ve been using PhotoShop. If you are going grey, have a bald patch or a bit of paunch, it really is best to let the photo show that – there’s no need to make it dominant, but don’t make any particular effort to hide it.

Women are more likely to respond to photographs in which you’re laughing or smiling, so even if you don’t have a current good photograph of you with a cheerful expression, take some specifically. There’s no need to overdo it and come across as the second, human coming of the Cheshire Cat, but a gentle smile of genuine relaxed pleasure should do well.

Your photo should never be too “busy” - try and pick one in which you are the only person in it. Make sure you’re dressed well, and no matter how good you look in a bathing suit, always make sure you are at least dressed. Avoid “comedy” poses and “cute” poses – such as ones in which you’re holding a kitten – and, so long as the photograph is a true representation of yourself looking your best, you can’t go far wrong.

Online Dating: What To Write On Your Profile

And What NOT To Write In An Online Dating Profile …

Unless you want to disappoint a lot of people – and find yourself branded a liar – the only way to approach the content of your online dating profile page is to do it honestly.

If you haven’t had a date in a while, it might seem like a wonderful idea to tell women of the internet, via your profile, that you earn a ridiculous amount of money, are often mistaken for Brad Pitt and that you don’t even really like football. But the fact remains that as soon as you meet up with any women offline – which, of course, is the entire point – you’re going to be discovered pretty quickly.

Start with a brief, genuine overview of your life – occupation, education, interests, living situation. There’s no need to write the dating profile equivalent of War and Peace; a couple of paragraphs is all you need to convey a sense of self.

Within this, an absolute must is to be extremely careful with your spelling and grammar. It may seem judgmental, but many women will dismiss someone as a possible match purely because they write badly. Structure sentences properly, capitalise the necessary letters and at all costs avoid abbreviated ‘txt spk’.

As a finishing touch, you should personalize your profile a little beyond the standard information and ‘about me’ section. Write a little about your favourite memories, and why they’re important to you. This offers a little glimpse into your psyche that most women will appreciate. But once again, the cardinal rule applies – be truthful! Use a real memory, no matter how embarrassing you perceive it to be, as so long as you can word properly why it means so much, it will be understood.

Dating Websites: Find Your Niche

When trying to find a companion, one thing that most men look for is similar interests or lifestyles. It was therefore only a matter of time before online dating websites hit on this and created a wave of “niche” sites, where you can search for people with similar interests, lifestyles, careers, incomes – basically, anything.

These sites work like a conventional online dating website, meaning you upload a profile, fill it with as much information as you feel like sharing, and then submit it. Women can then find your profile and contact you if they’re interested, and you too can look around the website and contact women you’re interested in. What niche websites do is eliminate some of the variation by only allowing people with certain characteristics to join.

This is obviously hugely beneficial. I’m sure more than one person has had a girlfriend end a relationship due to what they deemed an unhealthy love of football, television or similar – but using a niche website, you can find someone with the same interests, thus eliminating the possibility of “deal breaking” interests.

With this in mind, there shouldn’t be a problem finding your particular niche. A quick Google search brings up dating websites specifically for dancers, single parents, executive professionals, tall people, atheists and – on the other end of the scale – devout Christians. There are literally hundreds of other niches available.

However, be warned when using niche websites. It is probably only best if that niche is a dominant factor in your life. By joining only niche websites, you are limiting yourself – and plenty of marriages exist happily and peacefully, with husband and wife having very little in common.