How to get yourself noticed on a online dating site

How To Get Yourself Noticed on a Online Dating Site
by Vic Bilson

You may be the most sought after man or woman in real life but you will remain unnoticed on a dating website unless you learn how to catch people's attention.

To do so, you need to write a catchy profile. It should talk about you, your interests in life, your passions, your likes and dislikes. It should also talk about the qualities you are looking in a date. The number and quality of responses you get from an online dating website depends largely on your profile. A good profile may help you find the romance you've been searching for, all your life; an average one may make most users move on.

Men should try to tell people about themselves and not just write about the sports they are interested in. They should avoid writing about sex. Creating an air of mystery about yourself may help you get more responses. Women can make subtle references to sensuality to catch attention. But they should never make the mistake of being blatant about sex. It will lead to the wrong kind of mail.

Be careful about your language, spellings and punctuation. There's nothing more irritating than to skim through a profile where every second word is spelt wrongly. Who would want to date a person who can't even spell his name correctly?

It pays to take some time to enter your profile. A good idea is to write your profile on a sheet of paper, and sleep over it for a week. You would want to write it again when you read it after a week. This is not surprising. The best profiles are those where the user has applied his or her mind. Do the revisions, and then post the profile.

There's no harm in posting your photograph. In fact, you should post both a close up and a full-length photograph of yourself. Profiles with photographs generate far more responses than profiles without photographs. Be careful about which photograph you choose. The most effective way to be noticed is through the good, old photograph. A good, sharp photograph, which shows you doing something different, will make you stand out. You don't have to use glamour shots or your old high school photographs. Instead, use pictures that show you as you look. Avoid posting those pictures that may give people a wrong impression about you. Use a photograph that shows you looking happy and relaxed. A photograph taken in a studio may look like it is doctored, so use one that has been taken by a friend.

If you place an advertisement on a dating website, make sure that you make it crisp and punchy. It should give reason for users to stop, and send you a mail. Casual or half hearted sales pitches fall flat or elicit the wrong response. You are also likely to be noticed if you have a good opening line. The best way to decide your opening line is to scan the profiles of others. See what attracts you most, and then build an opening line. While going through the profiles see what points interest you. Include them in your profile.

Contact people who interest you. Don't just place an advertisement and wait for things to happen. Remember that new members are more likely to respond. So, write to them first. Check for responses frequently and respond promptly to all messages, even if you are not interested. Don't answer in monosyllables. Spend some time to answer each question. Think of your strong points. Lace them with humor, and host them. Don't try to run your self down. Just be normal.

Remember, you have very little words to catch the attention of your online mate. Make each one count.