Writing an online profile...

Writing a compelling personals ad has been the bane of many a love-seeker's life. Personals ads have been around for years, even though writing about yourself in twenty-five words of less is nigh-on impossible...

Nowadays of course, the internet dating industry has made things a little easier for us. Unlike the personals ads of yore, we now get the opportunity to describe every facet of our personality, our lifestyles, our music preferences... you name it, there's a box for it on your online dating profile... But it still begs the question, how do you describe yourself to a complete stranger? To get the best from your online dating experience or your personals ad, take note of the following tips:

1.      Make sure you fill out every question/box on your internet dating profile. If you want people to take you seriously, you need to show that you're genuinely interested in meeting somebody - and this means investing the time to give them all the information they might be interested in.

2.      Photographs make all the difference. Statistics show that people who add pics to their profiles generally get ten times as many hits as those who don't. It doesn't matter if you don't consider yourself a beauty queen - a photograph is a must.

3.      It's good to be light-hearted in your personals ad or profile, but avoid aggressive or sarcastic humour. Jokes that seem funny face to face don't always translate well to the written word, so keep it warm, light and witty, but not too cutting.

4.      Try not to list things that you don't like in people. Everyone has their own criteria when it comes to dating, but it can be very off-putting to see a list of 'undesirable qualities'. Try to come across as a positive person, open to new experiences.

5.      Emphasise your good qualities - no one likes a show-off, but neither is it very attractive to be too self-deprecating. You need to show that you value yourself if you're looking for someone to value you.

6.      Be upfront about what's important to you. If you feel passionate about something, don't be afraid to show it. You might be religious (or religious about partying!) and if that's the case then you'll be looking for someone who feels the same way - so celebrate it.

Most of all, invest some time in your profile. If you've decided to use a dating service then commit to it fully - after all, what can be more important than finding the love of your life?