Love Online: Digital Attraction -- Smart Move

With nearly 30 million Americans surfing for love each month, how can you make your profile stand out in the crowd? How can you attract the types of people you’re interested in investing your time and energy on? Experts say it all starts with the profile.

• Profile: First, start by answering multiple choice questions about your age (or age range), geography, physical characteristics and interests. Online relationship advisor Eve Hogan says this requires you to be honest with yourself. So just because you went backpacking once 20 years ago, probably doesn’t qualify you as “outdoorsy”. She also warns that watching sports on TV doesn’t make you athletic either.
• Essay: Judy Silverstein, author of “Internet Dating for Dummies”, says, “Be real positive. This is not a place to air your dirty laundry or to discuss your past mistakes. This is a place to present your most positive self.” Eve advises women to be specific in their essays and describe not only the type of person you are but also the type of person you want to meet.
• Photo: Experts say profiles with photos are 10-times more likely to get a response than those without one. There are do’s and don’ts that can help increase your success. Do use a natural-looking, recent, close-up photo of just you. Do not use photos with “mystery limbs” (people you’ve cut out of the photo), avoid glamour shots, and do not use blurry photos. If you need some help, LookBetterOnline.com will set you up with a professional photographer in your hometown.
• User Name: Judy says, “You should probably use a screen name that gives a good sense of your identity.” She recommends incorporating hobbies, where you’re from or some variation of your name. Eve also warns women to avoid overtly sexual user names, like “SexyBaby.” She says you should look carefully to determine if the overall message that you’re putting out there is going to catch the kind of catch that you want to bring in.
• Outside Help: If you’re looking for an “expert” to help tweak your profile, a whole industry of sites have been launched in recent years to help you look your best. LookBetterOnline.com will set you up with a professional photographer in your area, E-Cyrano.com will write your profile for you after they interview you, and ProfileDoctor.com will edit your existing profile.

This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.

If you would like more information, please contact:

Eve Hogan
Relationship Advisor
DreamMates.com
P.O. Box 943
Puunee, HI, 96784
(808) 879-8648
eve@dreammates.com
http://www.dreammates.com/