Get your Dating Profile Right
Having a profile that hits the spot is really important when daters are trawling through hundreds of profiles of other daters. That means what you write about yourself is actually pretty important, so have a think about what people would want to know about you rather than just rattling off the first thing that comes to mind. Think about what would attract you to someone's profile. What would you be interested in knowing? What would interest you enough to contact them?

In a nutshell
It's also important to be as concise as you can, nobody wants to read pages and pages of profiles detailing your life history! You don't want to tell them everything straight away anyway! Try and pick out some key pointers, highlights, things that you may have in common with other daters and might make a talking point and give them a reason to contact you.

Be positive
It's always a good idea to highlight positive things about yourself rather than the negatives or weak points or bad experiences. Other online daters could be put off by a profile that describes sorrow, or portrays a sad or even depressive nature in somebody. Try and sound upbeat and approachable. Talking about past relationships of being hurt in the past is also a big no-no. Not many people wants to meet someone with a chip on their shoulder, or may be a bit of a prickly character. Sociable, outgoing personalities who appear friendly are likely to have much more success on an online dating site, so bear this in mind without trying to be someone you aren't.

What are you looking for?
Some internet dating sites ask you to describe the sort of single person you're looking for, ranging from anything as specific as their height, hair colour, and age, down to their likes and dislikes. While some sites will have a matchmaking facility, matching you on criteria to other people on the site, other sites leave it up to you to decide who you think you might be suited to. Either way, it's a good idea to think about what sort of person you're looking to meet on an internet dating site.

Are you looking to meet friends, sporting partners, holiday companions or life long partners? The main thing to bear in mind is what you think is important and what you would like to see in another dater? If you're too specific it may take a much longer time to find anyone that fits your criteria and you could be missing plenty of other people for the wrong reasons, such as they are too tall or short!

Decide what's important to you, but keep an open mind. Everyone could say they're looking for a good sense of humour, friendly and outgoing people. Try and think beyond this, to narrow down your options without sounding too particular, or worse, materialistic.

Adding a Photo to your Profile
There are obvious advantages and disadvantages to adding a photo to your profile, but the basic rule of thumb is that online daters with a photo on their dating profile are much more likely to receive more messages from other daters than those without a photo. Obviously if you're not the best looker on the block, you may think that leaving your photo off your profile is the better options.

However, some think that profiles without photos may not be real, or are posted by people who are embarrassed to be seen on an online dating site, and hence aren't really that serious about dating anyway. This may mean you don't get as many messages from other members for the wrong reasons! Having a profile without a photo is a bit like going on the prowl in your local bar/pub with a bag over your head! Now you woudn't do that would you and have much success!!

At the end of the day, it's up to you whether or not you choose to add your photo to your dating profile. If you do decide to put up a photo, be honest! There is not much point putting up a picture of Brad Pitt or Jennifer Aniston. You are just setting yourself up for a fall somewhere down the line. Honesty really is the best policy. Putting up a photo of you ten years ago may also end in tears if people think they are dating someone a decade younger.

At the end of the day, it's the old saying of treat others as you would expect to be treated! Naf, but the theory goes a long way at the end of the day!