Did you know that two out of five single people in the UK now
use some kind of on line dating service? That's 40% of all
singles! Unfortunately, the percentage of these people who
actually find a real romance as a direct result of their site
memberships is very low - probably less than 10%.
Why is this? Well, it's true that some sites are better than
others; they have more traffic, they are better to navigate;
they just 'work' whilst others just don't. But what really
matters is how you use a site when you actually sign-up to one.
Take my word for it, unless you take the five simple steps that
I'm about to outline, you may as well do something more
productive with your time than join a singles site. What I'm
about to say may sound obvious and rather simplistic, but you'd
be surprised at how many people don't bother doing the
'obvious'. So here goes...
1. Create A Great Profile. This is the most important aspect of
your dating site experience. Don't just say 'Nice guy seeks nice
girl for trips to the cinema' - how boring does that sound? Take
the time to say something about yourself, your lifestyle, your
interests and the type of person you're hoping to meet. And
remember to sound happy, upbeat, fun and confident; if you're
miserable about your recent breakup, then keep it to yourself!
This isn't the time for modesty; if you think you're pretty darn
attractive, then be sure to say so. And humour is a real
ice-breaker - if you can make someone laugh, they'll be more
likely to want to contact you.
2. Always Upload A Photo. Even if you don't have a very
flattering one to hand, you should always post a pic with your
profile. Remember, 95% of people on dating sites only search for
other members who have bothered to provide a picture of
themselves. You want to see what other potential partners look
like so it stands to reason that other people will want to know
what you look like too. If your photo isn't recent or isn't a
great likeness of you, you can always say so in your profile.
3. Be Proactive. Don't just join a site and expect other people
to contact you. Make sure you regularly search the database for
people with whom you might be compatible and when you find
someone you like the look or sound of, write to them immediately
and tell them why you think you might be a good fit.
4. Write Great Emails. OK, you've joined a dating site, you've
searched for other members who fall within your specified
categories, and you've been presented with a page of matching
profiles. You're eager to fire off a few emails...but what on
earth do you say in them? Re-read the paragraph above about
creating a great profile and apply the same rules to the first
email that you send to another member. If it looks like you
can't be bothered to say much or that you're sending the same
one line message to several people, then they probably wont
bother to reply. Tell that person a little about who you are and
why you think you might both be compatible - respond directly to
what you've read in that person's profile - sound interested and
interesting and you'll get an email by return - sound boring and
downbeat and you'll just be ignored.
5. Check Back With The Site. There are two reasons why you
should do this as often as possible. The most obvious one is to
keep up to speed with who has joined since you last logged-on;
that special someone might have signed-up since you last visited
the site so don't miss out. However, what most people don't
realise is that when you log-in to a dating site, your profile
moves up the listings on the internal search engine which means
that you are more likely to be spotted and subsequently
contacted by other people. Don't be a stranger to the site
you've joined and I recommend that you visit the site at least
once a day during the lifetime of your membership.
So there you have it - 5 easy ways to make your chosen dating
site work for YOU. Have fun and happy hunting!
