Daters given tips for their profiles

A dating expert from Baltimore has issued a number of tips for anyone planning to use online dating websites relating to how to maximise the effect of their profiles.

Online dating as an industry has been growing rapidly in the past few years and has fared particularly well in the economic downturn, with traditional, expensive dates going out of the window.

Most experienced members of dating service sites will attest that having a unique profile is key to attracting the right sort of potential matches, particularly with so many out there.

Ashley Daniels, writing on Examiner.com, has explained that she is a "big fan of honesty" when it comes to the type of information that should appear on a profile.

"Include the things that matter most to you - your kids, your dog, your job, your affinity for anime - whatever they are," she wrote.

"If your friends, hobbies or volunteer efforts are important to you and take up a lot of your free time - they deserve mentioning as well. This is your opportunity to highlight what makes you, well, you."

Ms Daniels also explained that stating what type of person you are attracted to is crucial to the match-making process, so being shy or mysterious will not prove to be an effective approach.

In terms of traps to avoid falling into, she flags up the importance of not being negative in any aspect of the online dating arena, not just in relation to building a profile.

She said: "Including all the things you hate in your profile is the same thing as going on a first date and complaining the entire time. Would you want to date someone like that? No, me neither.

"Also, if you've been burned before or really, really, hate relationship drama - your profile is not the place to advertise it.

"Saying you're tired of "all the drama" just implies dating you will be, well, too much drama - and probably not worth the time or energy."

Finally, Ms Daniels points out that "spell check is your friend" because winks and emails are likely to be ignored if they contain glaring errors.

With those thoughts in mind, she concludes that anyone taking these tips on board should be able to enjoy a far more enriching online dating experience.