Online dating has become a popular option for singles today, especially in an age of instant technology and busy schedules. Each year more and more singles are turning to the web to enhance their dating life and many are enjoying success. More marriages than ever are occurring between people who met first online. Of course, if you’re interested in finding the love of your life, you need to learn how to best use the services available.

Here is a look at some great internet dating tips that will help you improve your experience on the web when trying to find love.

Tip #1 – Choose a Service That Works for You

One of the most important internet dating tips to remember is to choose a service that works for you. There are so many services available today that it can be tough to figure out which one will meet your needs. There are general services, relationship services, social networking sites, niche dating websites, and more.

Take a look at all the options and consider what you’re really looking for in a date. Do you just want a fun date, are you looking for a specific demographic when it comes to a potential lover, or friend, or are you looking for something serious that results in marriage? Ask yourself these questions and choose a service that will meet the individual needs and desires that you have.

Tip #2 – Build a Quality Profile Online

Once you have chosen a good service, another of the important online dating tips to follow is to build a quality profile online. Don’t leave your profile blank or you’ll definitely have a tough time finding a match. Possible matches are going to be checking out your profile, which means you need to develop a profile that will show who you really are. Make your profile interesting and positive. Avoid being negative or you’ll turn people off when they see your background information. If people look at your profile and they find it interesting, they are more likely to contact you.

Tip #3 – Ensure You Post Good Photos

If you’re going to try to date online, ensuring that you post good photos is one of the best online dating tips. After all, while looks are definitely not everything, your attention is often captured by what you see. While you may be tempted to just post a generic picture, this probably won’t really cut it today. You need a picture on your profile that shows who you really are. You want to look great and you want to look like you’re having a great time. If people find your photos attractive and intriguing, you’ll have better results trying to find love online.

Tip #4 – Be Yourself and Avoid Lies

It is also very important that you be yourself and avoid any lies. It is tempting to make yourself sound a little better by lying about the job you hold, how much you make, or even your age. If you really want to find something real on the web, you need to be real. Lying is not only disrespectful to those you meet on the internet, but it also will come around at some point in time. You don’t want to find someone you really like, only to drive them away when they find out that you lied. Keep everything truthful and you’ll have better luck finding the one you want.

Tip #5 – Learn About and Practice Online Dating Safety

Of course, one of the most important tips is to make sure that you practice online dating safety. While there are many success stories, there are also stories of online relationships that have gone wrong. Keep yourself safe with the following safety internet dating tips:

-Listen to Your Gut – One of the most important things to remember is to always listen to your gut. If something doesn’t feel right, trust that feeling. It could save your life.

-Avoid Giving Personal Information Right Away – If someone is pushing for your information, beware. You should never give out that information right away. Keep your phone number, address, and other information to yourself until later.

-Watch Out for Negative Characteristics – If you notice negative characteristics like anger, avoiding questions, or even acting controlling, you may want to avoid that person.

- Always Meet in Public for the First Date – To keep yourself safe, always meet in a public place for the first date. Make sure you tell someone where you are going too.

With these online dating tips you can enjoy fun, excitement, and success when looking for love online. Always follow these tips if you want to find someone special.

No, of course you don’t – no way! But a recent study made by OKCupid shows that “white lies” are common.

When looking for love online, people think they’re 2 inches taller. That’s not all they lie about, says the founder of one online dating service.

Unlike most online dating sites, OkCupid matches its more than 3.5 million users based on their answers to various quizzes. The data help make matches, but site co-founder Christian Rudder tells NPR’s Audie Cornish the information also reveals some truths we might prefer others didn’t know.

Like plumping up a salary. “People statistically add about $20,000 to their yearly income when they’re kind of putting it out there,” Rudder says.

Rudder analyzes the data from the site, looking for ways to improve the matchmaking process. The trends that emerged inspired him to share some of the more entertaining results.

“We thought that maybe the public would want to see some of the stuff, too,” Rudder says. “We would take more interesting findings and polish them up for people to read.”

Thus was born OkTrends, a blog that analyzes user data culled from the dating site.

‘The REAL Stuff White People Like‘

The results don’t always paint the site’s users in the best light. Take one recent blog post titled “The REAL Stuff White People Like,” in which Rudder and his team tried to identify top interests by race and gender.

Initially, the results were disappointing. “Almost everybody loves Italian food,” he says.

But after tweaking the algorithm, they started seeing something intriguing: People’s interests tended to fit gender and racial stereotypes.

For example, top interests for white men included Tom Clancy, Van Halen, golfing and Harley Davidson. Top interests for black women were soul food, The Color Purple, gospel and Alicia Keys.

“That post, in particular, I think, was there just as entertainment,” Rudder says. “Of course, it was a little bit expected that it would be so stereotypical.”

So what was accomplished? Rudder admits he’s not sure. “But I think people enjoyed reading that stuff.”

Not So Lovable Qualities

Other OkTrends posts have revealed more somber realities about general attitudes in the OkCupid community and the online dating world in general.

One such entry was “How Your Race Affects The Messages You Get.”

“We found some kind of depressing things,” Rudder says. “Foremost, that black people get the worst response rate across the board — not just from white people, but from everyone. Yet black people give the most responses per message sent to them. It’s a weird imbalance.”

Rudder says he was particularly surprised by these results. Although many users claim to be open to dating people of other races, it rarely happens on OKCupid.

It’s amazing how picky people actually are, Rudder says, and how often they misrepresent themselves.

“But also I’m amazed that so many people are, like, bold enough to put themselves out there and meet basically total strangers online and then eventually in person,” he says.

Call this your compliment alphabet. That’s right. A  complimentary word for every letter. Something for you to use in poems, letters, cards, or for all those dating compliments you might need help with.

A – Adorable
B – Bangin’
C – Clever
D – Dashing
E – Exceptional
F – French. Just say any word in French and she (or) will take it as a compliment.

G – Gorgeous
H – Hellllloooooo
I – Icy hot
J – Jumpin’
K – Killer
L – Lovely
M – Magnificent
N – Never better
O – One of a kind
P – Pure beauty (for the gal) Prime (for the guy)
Q – Quirk (be sure to use it in a cute, fun kind of way)
R – Righteous
S – Splendid or Smart
T – Titillating
U – Unbelievable
V – Vivacious
W – Wild
X – This is a dumb letter:)
Y – Yummy
Z – Zoomin’

Through the Dating Tales online dating profile writing service I see quite a few profiles from around the globe, and there is one similarity I’ve noticed among the profiles of both guys and gals, young and old.

There’s too much repetition in your online profiles!

For example, if you have an account on Match, then you have the option to answer questions in the initial questionnaire, type bits of info about you in the supplemental boxes, and then write the hefty chunk of your profile in the “About Me” section.  Let’s say that one gal in particular says in the initial questioning that she exercises 3-4 times a week and that she speaks Spanish. And then again in her “About Me” section she says those exact same thing.

While it’s not ok to just repeat yourself, it is okay to elaborate on those facts with something like this:

“I’m training for the 3-Day Race for the Cure” and “I spend every summer teaching Spanish to preschoolers”.

The point is that unless you have something new to say about those facts, its best to just leave them out of the “About Me” section.

If you’re stuck and can’t think of anything else to write about, see the section about Profile Writing for ideas or sign up for the Dating Tales online dating profile writing service and I can do the writing of the “About Me” section for you. The survey only takes five minutes and the cost is only $39.

Everything you need to know about creating a sexy and enticing online profile lies in the pages of fashion magazines. And this goes for both men and women, I’d like to add.

Your Photos

Ever notice that most magazine covers are simply head shots of the model? Sure, there might be a beautiful background, but the primary focus of the cover is the face … and she’s looking at you. Do the same for your own online profile. Make sure your primary photo shows a clear image of your face. You should be looking at the camera and smiling. You don’t need to look like you’re going to walk down a runway, but it doesn’t hurt to be dolled up.

Flaunt What’s Trendy

See dozens of ads for teeth whitener and brass bangle bracelets (say that 10 times fast)? Does it just so happen that you have really white teeth and a collection of brass bangles too? Make it happen. You know the trends and you know what’s hot, and you know what you got is hot.

Post profile pictures of yourself that mimic these trends. Sure, most men won’t notice the details or your fashion endeavors, but these little things will set you apart from the competition, and darnit you’ll look good.

Splashy Headlines

While SAL_1234 is a perfectly fine username and “Wanna get a drink?” is a perfectly fine quote or headline for your online profile, you can do better. You can create user names and headlines that are different from the rest and will garner you the attention you deserve.

Here are a few headlines from Glamour:

• Fast-forward to summer with these sunny beauty goodies
• Get sexy super-volume
• Rules from some of the hottest new faces—they’re walking Wikipedias of hair, skin and makeup info
• Time to get good at these tips from pros who specialize in sexiness

Okay, now it’s your turn. Try these variations for your own profile:

• First Date Fast-Forward: Let’s skip the first date and just have fun on the second.
• Maximum. Volume. Fun.
• This is not an online profile. This is a Wiki page on the art of having fun.
• Specializing in good dates since 1995.

Want more online dating profile writing tips? Sign up for the Dating Tales profile writing service and get specialized advice on your profile photos and your headlines.

Every now and again (usually on a Tuesday – random, I know) I try to post one online dating profile writing tip that works for both men and women equally. Today, in light of a huge compliment I got from a customer, I thought I’d focus on the art of saying thank you in online dating.

But before I get to that online dating tip, I thought I’d post the compliment from Brandon, a recent customer of the Dating Tales profile writing service.

“Since I have posted my new profile with the help from Sara’s writing service, I have had way better success. Not only have I gotten more responses, I get random messages without writing people first. It definitely makes a difference having a well written profile. Actually she was very helpful with all aspects of the profile.” -Brandon in Michigan

Thank you Brandon. This is huge!

Anyway, back to that online dating profile writing tip.

When someone compliments you in an e-mail or even if someone just winks at you, a heart felt thank you can go a long way. Don’t forget your Ps and Qs in online dating.

Say thank you when someone opens up to you about something personal, say thank you when someone laughs at your jokes, say thank you when someone does something like volunteer work or community service that is truly a contribution.

Gratitude is always appreciated and if it’s done the right way, you might even impress the person enough to want to go on a date with you.

****

Did this online dating profile tip help you? Buy me a beer to say thanks.

New at online dating? Getting ready to put your photo on a single site for the whole world to see? Before you publish that profile, be sure to follow the following three tips.

1 – You wouldn’t send in a resume with spelling errors and incomplete information so don’t publish an online profile with them either. Proofread your profile and ask a friend to proofread it too. You’d be amazed how many people are turned off by poor writing.

2 – Just like in marketing, you need to have a call to action in your profile. You are, after all, selling yourself. Encourage someone to wink or e-mail you by asking a question, sharing a riddle, or taking a poll. Invite a response to your profile and e-mails.

3 – Everyone lists their interests and what they like. Why not be different and list what you don’t like and never do. If you do try this method, do your best to keep it upbeat and positive. You don’t want to come off like a grump.

For more online dating tips just like these, see our list of 50 Online Dating Tips. Or if you want help writing your profile sign up for Dating Tales professional online dating profile writing service to ensure that your profile stands out from the rest.

Today I give a compliment to everyone that has tried, continues to try, and is mustering up the courage to try online dating.

Online dating is not an easy thing to do. Your picture is out there for the world to see and you worry your family or co-workers will find you there.

Although it can be tough, online dating is an excellent way to meet people and it must be said — almost everyone is doing it. Even though you really have to put yourself out there and that can be scary, online dating is well worth it.

You deserve a compliment for being brave and for thinking enough of yourself to look for love in places where love lives … The internet!

********************************

If you want help writing your online profile, complete the Dating Tales online dating profile questionnaire and for only $39 we will help you write a online dating profile that works for you and gets you results.

It’s tempting to use clichés when you are writing profiles online, but avoid it if it’s at all possible.

Why?

Because if you use clichés you’ll sound just like everyone else.

Put simply a cliche is a common thought or notion that is overused enough that it loses its originality or impact. So, for example, if you say you like thunderstorms and puppies that really doesn’t set you apart.

Who doesn’t like thunderstorms and puppies?

When someone reads your profile and finds that you are like all the other people they have looked at that day, the motivation to contact you might be lost.

Instead, dig deep and set yourself apart. Instead of saying you like plain ol’ thunderstorms say: “One of my favorite moments is the second between a lightening flash and the thunder. There’s nothing more romantic than a heated summer storm.”

For more suggestions like these, sign up for the Dating Tales profile writing service and have your online dating profile written just the way you like it.

Keep it simple stupid (KISS).

If your profile is too long, too drawn out, too obtuse, you’ll lose your reader. Yes, you need to say more than just a few things about yourself, but no one is going to read a really long profile unless its engaging like a novel.

And frankly, that’s not what single sites are set up to do.

I recommend you keep your profile under 500 words (300 words is ideal). If the site allows it, make sure to use bold, italics, bullet points, and lists too. Breaking up the text like this will make it easier to scan (which is most likely what the other person is doing.)

For more tips like this visit the Dating Tales online dating guide, or sign up for the Dating Tales online dating profile writing service.