Online Dating Profiles: Seven Common Mistakes

On three separate occasions I tried online dating. I was terrified the first time and frustrated the second time. The third time I read up on profile writing, talked to my friends about their profiles and experimented with mine until I got the attention I wanted.

Do yourself a favor and don't make the same mistakes I made.

Mistake Number One: The Competition Ignored Three-fourths of the women in my zip code have a picture of themselves at a baseball game. If I hadn't gone weeks without looking at other women's profiles, it would've occurred to me sooner that I should one-up my competition and post a picture of myself playing the game. It's important to compare yourself to the competition.

Mistake Number Two: Never Changing Your Photo The first two times I was on Match I used the same photo. The third time I signed-up I searched men under 35 and found a guy I had seen on the first-go-round. Although I really liked him, I quickly changed my mind about writing him because his profile was exactly the same. I picked a new photo for myself and changed my profile a little every couple of weeks. I did this so guys who may have passed by me once, wouldn't pass by me again.

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: Writing a Novel Five-hundred and eighty words describing your ideal date is too much for our attention spans. Written portions in your profile should never be too long. In the second, third, and fourth e-mails to your match it's ok to write a novel because that will certainly let that person know you're interested.

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: Wire Your Heart on Your Sleeve Keep your heartbreak to yourself-no one cares that you are getting over someone or that you've been hurt before. Your suitors will be scared away if you say things like: "After a horrible break-up, I'm looking to have fun" or "After so many Mr. Wrongs, I'm looking for Mr. Right." No one wants to get involved with someone new who obviously has baggage.

Mistake Number Seven: Forget to Get a Second Opinion Let's be honest, it's hard to write about yourself. The best thing you can do is ask a good friend to help you write your profile, or at least review it for you. If that's not an option, there are many profile writing services around to help you out for a small fee.

Online dating shouldn't be hard and isn't scary. Like all types of dating, with the right expectations and attitude-the outcome will only be positive.

Article Source: http://publisherscloninghouse.com

About the Author: Sara Musfeldt operates a blog with dating stories and dating profile tips for everyone. Sara has also produced an online dating advice to help singles everywhere find love.
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