online dating

3 Easy Steps To Online Dating Success

We all know that online dating will help you to make new friends and meet your perfect partner. But, how do you get the best out of a dating site? If you are thinking of signing up, or have already joined a dating site without success, make sure you read these 3 important tips!

1. Personal Profile - Getting it Right

All dating sites ask you to complete a personal profile. But what will make YOUR profile stand out amongst the crowd?

Although the length and depth of profiles differ from one dating site to another, they all ask you to describe your physical appearance, such as height and hair colour. Of course, this is important: we are initially attracted to someone by how they look and online dating isn't very different. Where dating on the internet comes into its own, however, is the opportunity to find out more about a person before taking that next step. This unique aspect can be very powerful in deciding whether you will actually go ahead and make contact because you like the sound as well as the look of someone.

And there's the rub: Don't sell yourself short when it comes to saying more about you. Brief phrases like: ‘Single 30 year old woman would like to make new friends' or ‘I'm not sure what to write but please get in touch' will not make you stand out. Tell people about the things you like to do, any hobbies you are interested in, the music you love, your dreams for the future. If you're still unsure, find a well-written profile that interests you and follow their lead!

2. Photographs - Don't be shy!

Profiles without photographs rarely stand out. You are much more likely to get responses if you attach a picture.

Some people are shy about doing this. But hey - I'm sure you don't go out with a paper bag over your head so don't hide yourself now! Let's be honest, who would you rather contact, someone without a photograph or that person smiling back at you from the screen?

Online dating is an acceptable and successful medium in which to meet new people. All research proves that profiles with a photograph attached consistently do better than those without. So, get your camera out and say cheese!

3. Making the First Move - Don't Sit Back

You would be surprised how many people go to the trouble of completing their personal profiles, attach a nice picture and then sit back and wait for a flood of emails. No surprise that they are disappointed! Let's face it, if you go to a party and sit in the corner all night you're not going to get everyone queuing up to meet you. You may even go completely unnoticed.

Even with a great profile, making the first move to say ‘hi' is essential in the art of online dating. People love receiving new emails and will nearly always write back. Just think, if everyone sat back and waited for others to get in touch then the dating game would be over before it started. If you want to fill up your inbox then start emailing people straight away.

Bonus Tip: If you're new to online dating and still building your confidence check to see if there are other ways of contacting people instead of an email. Some sites make it really easy to make the first move without having to say very much at all - like virtual kisses - a great way to let someone know you're interested!

So, what are you waiting for? If you are thinking of signing up to a dating site, or have already joined one without much luck, just follow these 3 simple steps and you'll be well on the way to online dating success.

Good luck!

Claire Gaskin is a social researcher who runs two successful online dating sites: http://www.music-mate.com and http://www.fetish-mate.com