• Start by being yourself. It's easy to overdo it, exaggerate and tell people something that you'd wish you were rather than who you really are. But this doesn't work in the long run. Fantasies are NOT how to meet someone special. And you aren't very special by being dishonest. Take a moment right now and list your good and bad features, something like this:

 

GOOD Good personal hygiene Had the same job for a long time I like kids I drive a fairly new car (less than 5 years old) I am told I am funny

NOT SO GOOD I smoke I drink occasionally The last time I bought new clothes was 2 years ago I have few friends I don't know why people stop calling or emailing me

• Now that your list is done, it's time to let it all make some sense and work on your strong points. Take your list and sleep on it for a day or two. Ask some family or friends what they can add to the list, in either column, and take what they say to heart. These are the things that make you an individual and we want to work on the good things!
   
• Start writing your personal ad now and include the things that make up your good points. Talk about yourself as someone would introduce you to someone new. The third person approach allows for you to not come over as too vain or insecure. Just be honest and describe yourself as you have been described.
   
• Once you have been surfing and browsing the dating services, find a couple that have members that interest you. Read what the other men (if you are a man) or women (if you are a woman) are putting in their own ads and see if what they are saying makes sense to you and appeals to your sense of honesty. Do the ads you are reading seem truthful? Like someone you'd like to meet? When you read the ad, does it make you want to become that person's friend? This is the reaction that you are looking for.
   
• Pay attention to the headlines that are leading you into delving farther into the ads. What works for you? Which ones grab your attention? How can you make it work for you? Take your time and aim high! Don't just copy a nice headline, change it to reflect the person you are and make it work for you!
   
• Remember to include a picture of yourself with the personal ad or profile you are posting. Time and again I am told that personals with pictures get 5 to 10 times more visits, so there are that many more people that are finding you! Your local photo-finishing store probably has the capability of putting your photo on floppy disk or cd-rom, pay the couple of dollars and do it! Many dating services will even scan and upload your photo if you snail-mail it to them. Take advantage of this if you have no access to other services of getting your picture online.

I have invited many of the dating services that have been reviewed at aLoveLinksPlus to offer their suggestions for effectively posting your personal ad and profile at their services. Please take some time and review these suggestions before you continue onto their services. It will make a world of difference! Their tips can be found using the links below.
 

Lisa Bentsen's Singles Search Match Doctor California Match (Now offline) Dateable.com