Online Dating Advice

I regularly review excerpts from random dating profiles (for anonymity). Pointing out dos and don’ts from real profiles can help you improve on your own personal branding.


Overweight, middle-aged man seeks young model…and other delusions you’ll find on dating profiles.

The other day I did a blog on setting your sights higher than the basics. In other words, ask for more than just honesty and decency from your potential online love interests. Today, my blog is on having realistic expectations when onine dating. For some that means setting your sights lower.  Here’s what I mean: I was a guest on a call-in radio show not long ago. One caller complained that he only attracted women who were overweight. He was… read more

Online dating and pictures with children.

Every time I log onto an online dating site, I see a number of dating profiles that feature the person’s child(ren) or grandchild(ren). This is especially true of men’s profiles perhaps because women tend to have a more heightened sense of what’s safe and what’s not. Hence, they rarely post photos of children on a public website. Maybe men think pictures with children will make them look like “nice”, safe guys, which is important in attracting women online. Whatever the… read more

Are you typical for your age? Probably.

I see so many profiles of men and women in and around 50 years old who claim to be “young at heart”, “not typical for my age” and other misguided anti-aging claims. Here’s a fact about boomers: this is a progressive demographic and always has been. Boomers brought in groundbreaking, sexually provocative, “devil’s” music or, what we call today, rock and roll. Ouch, bad boomers. Boomers were also the first ones to launch full-scale protests and to demand political reforms.… read more

What not to wear on your online dating profile.

In just one page of men’s online dating profiles, I saw one single man completely hidden under a cowboy hat and dark sunglasses. I saw another man, not hidden enough, in a tight undershirt. I also saw a man wearing sunglasses that, for some reason, were across his forehead. The single women fared a bit better though I was a bit confused as to why one woman was dressed in a business suit as waves appeared to be crashing behind… read more

How long should you take to reply to an online suitor?

If someone has the courage and interest to send you an email, not only do I suggest you reply with a thanks or no thanks, I also suggest you reply soon – especially if you’re interested. Some online daters take days to reply to someone they’ve actually showed an interest in. It’s as though they sent out numerous emails to to a number of  potential online suitors then waited for replies. Then, they check out the “better” ones first before… read more

Set your standards high enough when online dating.

I scan online dating profiles all the time. What I keep noticing is that a lot of single men and women don’t ask for much. Do these sound familiar:  “looking for a good woman”, “looking for an honest man”? Being a good person and being honest are basics. These are qualities everyone should have and should expect from others. I point these two out as examples that reflect my general observation – people need to raise their standards. In fact,… read more

An interesting singles site. Meet Market Adventures.

If you want to meet singles, check out meetmarketadventures.com. It doesn’t replace large dating sites like Lavalife or Match, but it’s a great addition to them. Meetmarketadventures.com creates fun events for singles. The events range from wine tasting and cooking nights to hiking and horseback riding outings, and they attract (and welcome) members of all ages.  It’s a great way to meet new people with similar interests and to get back some of the interaction that gets lost in the… read more

A really funny online dating profile.

I don’t suggest being negative on a dating profile or going on rants, but I read an online dating profile the other day that had me howling. It’s not necessarily a good example of how to write if you’re looking for a serious relationship. Still, it’s so funny I had to share excerpts: Do not message me if your ex is still stalking you. Do not message me if you go to a tanning salon more than 12 times a… read more

Online dating profiles and “loves to laugh”.

I’m beginning to think that online dating profiles with “I love to laugh” or “looking for someone who loves to laugh” are a bigger pet peeve of mine than emoticons and “lol” put together. First of all, “loves to laugh” is on innumerable dating profiles. So why say something on your online dating profile that everyone else says on theirs?  Instead, do what good advertisers do, check out your competition then find a way to be different and better. More… read more

Your online dating site membership. Be informed.

Did you know that some online dating sites have profiles up that appear to be full members when, in fact, they might not be active or paying members? That is, sometimes a profile is up but the user doesn’t have all the privileges of membership and therefore can’t contact you. So if you try to contact someone and don’t get a reply, don’t feel too dejected. It might be that they don’t even know you’ve tried to make contact. So,… read more