Build a Great Online Dating Profile

How do you put together a great dating profile? There are many ingredients!

Some folks believe that putting an online dating profile together is akin to time spent in an iron maiden, and I don't mean the band. Others can snap their fingers and get it done.

Dating should be fun, and so should this.

An Online Dating Profile is a Work in Progress
As you date, you're going to find out more about what you like and don't like. You're going to find out more about what kinds of places you like to go on dates, you'll develop more skills when it comes to conversing. So, remember, even if you think your profile sucks right now, more will be revealed. Over time, you will think of things that should go on the profile, your friends might even have some suggestions. So just relax. Rome wasn't built in a day, and your profile might not be either.

Make your readers laugh.
You are funny, so be sure and show it. The most successful dating profile I ever had was one in which I was completely, directly, almost bluntly honest, and then made a joke about owning nine or ten cats and needing a man to live off of. If you're a girl, men appreciate humor. Guess what? Chicks dig it too. People want to know that a date with you has a good chance of being fun. Humor in your profile shows this, and it also shows that you're smart enough to make a joke.

Please, be honest.
Don't lie. Don't ever lie. There is never an excuse, and it only generates hurt feelings and wastes time for you and for others. Don't lie about your marital status, don't lie about anything. Don't lie by omission - you know which facts are material and which aren't, so please don't omit material facts.

There may be some facts that you would reveal to someone further down the dating timeline, and that's ok, but it better not be that your spouse and kids are waiting at home while you're out on your date.

Use a good picture.
This seems really obvious, doesn't it? But it's not.

Using a good picture means several things. It means, most importantly, that you use a current picture. Next up - that you haven't airbrushed out 30 pounds or a current spouse.

But it also means looking for a picture that is cheerful - maybe it's a bright picture, perhaps the picture is from a really fun vacation. Your picture should have proper exposure - people should be able to see your face and other important features. You should smile, naturally. You should be clean. Try taking a picture that highlights your best features.

Don't rag on the opposite sex and how you've previously been played.
Want some cheese with that whining? This is probably one of the most distasteful things I used to see. Someone who'd been wronged a few times by shady characters goes on and on in their profile about how they want someone honest, who doesn't play games, etc etc.

Here's a newsflash: anyone who is going to play games is not going to admit it to you. Anyone who is dishonest is not going to tell you that. All of this stuff serves to make you look like one thing: a constant victim. Victimhood is not attractive. So, please, don't tell your sob stories on your profile. Anyone who is attracted to you based on this is probably also a victim and I hope you have fun listening to their whining and dealing with their trust issues.

Be nice: Talk about what you like, not what you don't like.
Keep it positive. Here are some examples.

Don't say, "I hate cheaters." Again, no one who is likely to cheat is going to be upfront about that, now are they? Instead, 'I love honesty and fidelity."

Don't say, "Bad credit is not ok." That sounds terrible! How about this one - "I appreciate stability in a person's life."

Don't say, "Fat people need not apply." OR, conversely, "Your bones poking out are not hot. Eat a sandwich." No. Say this instead, "I appreciate a toned, healthy body that is proportionately shaped and fit." Only the most obtuse person would not understand that. Another example - "I love curves." or "Teddy bears are more than just a stuffed animal to me."

Trust me, there is ALWAYS a nice way to say something. And I don't know if your mama told you this, but my mama said it many times - you get more bees with honey than you do with vinegar.

There ya go. Need specific dating advice? Feel free to contact me and if your email is selected, I will respond via the blog, keeping you anonymous.