Getting Noticed

3 March 2010

It's all about getting noticed! Here are a few tips to get the most out of flirting or dating online:

Your Profile
Think about it - if you were going out to hoping to meet someone, chances are you'd take a bit of time to dress up or down depending on your style and the type of person you'll be looking to meet. The same goes for your online profile.

The old saying about first impressions was never truer than now online; you may only have a few seconds to make the right impression. So take a while to get it right. Most importantly, be honest. If you claim to be Arnie in The Terminator and turn out to be a stand-in for Mr Bean, chances are you'll not be off to a great start.

Let's look at the basics:

Your Screen Name and Profile Headline
Choose something that says something about you and possibly the type of person you'd hope to get in touch with. If you call yourself JacuzziBabe, don't be surprised when you get hundreds of messages from guys not interested in 2.4 kids, a dog and station wagon. However, if you're after a bit of bubbly fun, then you're spot on.

Your Profile Content
You'll notice that most questions have the option of not being answered. Think about those that you leave blank. You may prefer not to answer a specific question (your religion, for example) but leaving some others (say, eye-colour) tends to just look like a sloppy profile. When it comes to the 'narrative' section, take some time over it. We can't all be Oscar Wilde, but a few well-written lines will go along way to getting noticed.

Photos
It's a fact: profiles with photos get much more attention. Choose photos that are clear and uncluttered. Ideally, use photos that have you as the only person in the picture to avoid confusion. Besides, your friends and family might not want to be published online, so respect their privacy.

Update Your Profile
Not getting the attention or responses you'd like? Review your profile regularly and update it every now and then. Keep it fresh!

A few simple ideas and you should be off to a flying start.