Here are a few useful tips for on writing your online dating profile..

The first tip might be the most important: Don’t rush this job! Set aside enough time to properly sell yourself. Give yourself enough free hours to list your strengths, your likes, your dislikes, your hobbies and your hopes. Remember, you’ll be competing with many other online profiles. You need one that stands out.

Before writing, take a close look at yourself. What are your strengths? Are you honest? Are you hard-working? Are you funny?

Write out all your positive qualities. Then devise a way to incorporate these in your profile. For instance, don’t just say you have a good sense of humor.

Include a joke or two – not rude or bawdy, of course – in your profile. Are you a romantic? Instead of saying that, write out an example of your perfect first date.

Whatever you do, though, don’t lie. If you’re short, don’t write that you’re semi-pro basketball player. If you’re not exactly buff, don’t brag about your love for working out. If you’ve been divorced, spell it out.

And if you have children, don’t leave that out. It’s best to weed out those possible respondents who won’t want to date either someone who’s been married before or has children.

The key is not to trick people into liking you. Writing an online dating profile is all about emphasizing your truthful positive traits. It’s not about creating a false version of yourself.

Before submitting your online dating profile, make sure to proofread it. If you post a profile filled with typos and punctuation mistakes, readers will instantly form a negative impression of you. Remember, you only get one chance to make a good first impression. This holds true whether you’re “meeting” someone online or in person.

Finally, always post a picture. You may not be thrilled with your looks, but the folks reading your profile more than likely won’t take a chance on one that doesn’t come with a photo. It’s human nature:

If someone skips the photo, readers will wonder just how hideous the profile writer is. Besides, most of us look better than we give ourselves credit for.

Most online dating sites require you to create a user name of some kind. Sometimes you have no choice, but usually on most of these sites, the username is visible to visitors, the same visitors who will decide whether they want to date you (or not!)

This means you want an online username for the site that, while descriptive, is not rude or off-putting. Creating your online dating site user-name, then, is in reality actually a bit of an art.

We’ve all seen user ids that don’t quite work. They’re either total gibberish or downright offensive. The key with a username is to make it memorable, descriptive but not overly cute and not obnoxious.

This isn’t always as easy as it sounds. The easiest way to create your online dating site user name is to take a careful look at yourself and what you represent. Determine what sets you apart, what makes you special, and then include it in your user-name.

For instance, if you are an mountain biker, perhaps your site name could be something like mikemtbbiker If you’re a hiker, you could go with joehiker. If you’re a big movie fan, a username such as a marymoviefan might be an appropriate choice. Just be imaginative and it could pay dividends!

By taking this approach, you’ll immediately grab the attention of viewers who share your same interests. A male lover of movies will be more likely to click on the online dating profile of a female with a site name that gives some indication of what they are about than he would of someone with a generic or nonsensical username.

You can also use other personal facts in your online dating site usernames. Perhaps you graduated from the Yale University. You might choose a login name of yaleguy. This would immediately attract the attention of other graduates form the same institution. If you date someone who attended the same school as you, you’ll certainly have plenty to talk about on those first few dates.

It’s also best to avoid using too many numbers. Sometimes we add numbers to the end of our chosen login names when those names are taken by someone else. This is fine for most sites. But it doesn’t always work on an online dating site.

Usernames with too many numbers are hard for people to remember. It might even be hard for you to remember your own username. You certainly don’t want that! It’s always better to go with personal attributes to spice up your user-name.

Too many users of online dating sites rush through the creation of their site user name. This is unfortunate.

The right online dating site username can immediately set you apart from your peers.

It can also help connect you quickly with potential dates whom already have something in common with you.