| Online dating sites offer to connect you with | | | | - Make sure your photo is a recent one. You will just |
| hundreds and even thousands of singles in your area | | | | be wasting the other person's time if they arrange to |
| who are looking to find someone to date. Some of | | | | meet you, and you look nothing like your photo. A |
| them offer free membership, but do watch out here, | | | | mix of photos which include a full length shot shows |
| you may complete your profile and then find out that | | | | your overall physique and dress sense, which can be |
| you cannot actually reply to messages unless you | | | | important to the person you are hoping to attract. |
| pay an upgrade membership fee. However, that may | | | | - Try and say something original in your profile ... read |
| not be a bad thing if you are seriously looking to | | | | a few profiles to see what most people say. " I |
| meet someone. Many of the sites offering full | | | | enjoy cosy nights in with a bottle of wine and the |
| membership for free attract a lot of youngsters who | | | | occasional wild night out" applies to 99% of people ... |
| are just looking for some online fun. You may also | | | | if you say something a bit unusual, this will stand out |
| find that not all profiles are genuine - you will find a | | | | from other profiles. |
| few who are there to promote some kind of | | | | - If you want to send messages to a lot of people, |
| internet business on their profile, or they just have a | | | | you may be tempted to "copy and paste" the same |
| fake photo as they feel they will get more replies | | | | message to everyone. This is a HUGE MISTAKE. |
| that way. | | | | Women especially can spot this a mile off and are |
| If you have sent out a lot of messages, but not | | | | unlikely to reply. Say something in your message |
| received many responses, please bear in mind that | | | | which shows you have read their profile. |
| for some reason there are many more men on these | | | | - Do not offer your phone number or MSN address in |
| sites than women. The attractive women get | | | | the first message. This can give the impression you |
| bombarded with messages ... maybe 100 or more | | | | are desperate to find someone, or can't be bothered |
| each day... so they are only going to reply to a small | | | | to take the trouble to get to know someone a little |
| number of those. Follow these tips to increase your | | | | before deciding if you want to meet up. If you follow |
| success rate: | | | | these tips and still have no joy, try a different dating |
| - Upload at least 1 good photo to your profile, | | | | site. There are many to choose from. If you can |
| preferably a head and shoulders shot so that people | | | | view profiles before signing up, you should be able to |
| can see what you look like from a quick glance. A | | | | get an idea of the number of possible matches in |
| photo of you posing against your car won't be close | | | | your area. Most people are looking for someone close |
| up enough to stand out on the small picture in your | | | | to where they live. |
| profile. | | | | |