by Carrie Slattery

Created on: January 29, 2011

There are multitudes of online dating sites available these days—some completely free, some requiring membership fees, and some that are free but offer upgraded benefits with a paid membership fee.  Once you have selected the dating site or sites you feel comfortable working with, you have a mighty task ahead of you; one that is quite weighted in its level of importance… writing your profile.  

Some folks will jump happily into this work, blabbering frantically about why anyone reading should doubtlessly choose them above all others, selling themselves like a perfect prize, adding a nice layer of shine to every good quality they possess.  Personally, I don’t recommend this method.  Sure, you may have them lining up at your door based on all the great things you’ve stated about yourself, but let’s be serious for a moment.  Nobody consists of strictly good qualities.  We humans have some flaws.  Be cautious of the expectations you are creating within your profile.  Are you setting someone up for disappointment when they come to find out that you snore like an ogre, and you can’t stand Italian food?

Other folks may stare at the daunting glow of the screen before them like the cliché deer that is unable to move or look away from the oncoming beams of a vehicle in the night, the very idea of writing about themselves filling them with dizzying discomfort.  If you happen to fall into this latter category, one suggestion is to recruit the help of a trusted friend whom you can count on to produce an honest overview of your character.  That can at least provide you with a starting point which you can edit as you see fit.  Alternatively, you could put more focus on describing the qualities you most desire in a partner.  With each point, try to explain why each quality is important to you by relating it to details of your own character.  This is a great approach, because it gives you a less intimidating way to present information about yourself, while also illustrating a clear image of who should contact you, and who should look elsewhere for romance.

The goal for your profile should be to present a truthful and compelling overview of who you are, and who you are looking for.   Here are some key tips for writing an effective profile:

Be honest.  This does not mean you need to list every bad habit, every guy/gal you’ve hooked up with in the past,

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