Rachel Greenwald

I've attended over one hundred weddings from couples who met online, so I truly believe it can be a successful medium. Sure, there are some losers, jerks and creeps online - as there are offline too-but you're only looking for one person. You have to have patience as you sort through the duds to get to the dreamboats. The key is to have the right profile that attracts the type of men you're looking for. Here are 3 important tips to create an effective online dating or social networking profile:

 

1.Post your very best photos: No one can see your "inner beauty" or "the real you" from an online profile. Online dating is first-and-foremost a visual medium, so you must post the absolute best photos of yourself up front. That doesn't mean you have to be beautiful, it simply means using a photo with a warm, friendly smile. I highly recommend getting a professional photo (you can get one as inexpensively as $99 from www.lookbetteronline.com) and combining it with two or three good-but-normal photos from your own digital camera. Use the professional shot as your front photo, then combine a few regular photos on the secondary pages of your profile. This strategy will grab the initial attention of all those site-surfing guys, then paint a realistic portrait of you as he takes time to click on the additional photos and read your profile text.

2.Be unique: Millions of singles are dating online, so the object is to stand out from the rest of the crowd. Think about what makes you unique and spend time crafting sentences that are attention-grabbing, friendly, and witty. (Examples: did you win a hoola-hoop contest when you were twelve? Do you sometimes pay the highway toll for the car behind you, just for good karma? Think of endearing or quirky factoids that make you memorable.)

Invest several hours writing and editing the text portion of your profile-don't just post it quickly late one night. A mediocre profile will only attract undesirable guys-why waste your time on that? Get it right from the start so that online dating can work efficiently and effectively for you.

3.Get Feedback: We are the worst evaluators of ourselves and how others view us. Sometimes we're too critical of ourselves, other times we're completely unaware of a negative message we're sending. Sometimes others can contribute creative ideas about how you can promote your best qualities online that didn't even occur to you. Be brave and ask a few trusted friends (male and female) to review your online profile, to give you their candid reactions, and to think creatively with you. Feedback is essential before you post your profile.
 

Here are a few online dating sites I think are great (in no particular order):


eHarmony.com

JDate.com (for Jewish singles)

gk2gk.com ("Geek to Geek")

ChristianMingle.com

CatholicMingle.com

BlackSingles.com

AsianSinglesConnection.com

SingleParentsMingle.com

Yahoo!Personals