OK the time has come. You have joined an online dating service or two. Now you must write that all important profile, the one that will attract attention and reel in the man of your dreams but where to start? Maybe writing is not even something you think you do all that well. Even so, you can do this.

The first thing is to be absolutely honest about you. You are looking for that man who will like maybe someday love the real you. Examine past relationships and list the things that you liked and the things you did not like. If he smoked in the house and you hated it, you would not like it any better the next time. If you love cats and will always want to own one or more, say that you are an animal lover and want indoor pets. Someone who hates cats or is allergic to them is not the guy for you.

Accent the things that make you unique. If you play the piano well, you really want Mr. Right to appreciate it. If you run in marathons, a couch potato is not a good match. If you love art, you really do not want a man who thinks Picasso is an ice cream flavor.

Describe the things that are vital in your life. If volunteering is the one thing that makes you feel useful and worthwhile, you want someone who would, at the very least, support you if not join you in your volunteer projects. When you get beyond superficial things, you will attract men who share your values.

Invest in your online profile by hiring a professional photographer for your first online picture. This is so important. The picture is the FIRST thing men see. The second thing is that they read what you have written about yourself. Some online dating sites even provide you with a list of photographers in your area that specialize in online dating site photos.

Blind Date vs. Internet Date

Your friend has decided that you need help with your social life so she sets you up with a blind date a friend of a friend of a friend. You, foolishly, accept. Now there you are. It is less than one hour since you were introduced. You are sitting in a Thai restaurant and you hate Thai food. The entree has not yet been served. His idea of enlightened conversation is who will be in the final four you are not into sports. He knows the weekly TV schedule verbatim you have not sat through a movie in months because you run marathons and volunteer at the local food bank. He says volunteering is a waste of time because you cannot help those people anyway. You look at your watch see that it is only been 10 minutes since you last looked at it the last time and wonder how long it is before you can gracefully remove yourself from the situation. Been there?

Now imagine a date with someone you met through internet dating and have been chatting online with and exchanging emails with for quite some time. First, you do not need to be introduced. You already know this man. You are sitting in an Italian restaurant enjoying a delightful meal because you both know that the other favorite is Italian. The conversation flows easily as you discuss common interests. He runs marathons and loves history just like you do. You happily discuss the volunteer work that each of you is involved in. You look at your watch and discover that it is late very late where has the time gone.

There is a big difference between a well intentioned friend setting you up and choosing a man for yourself who shares your interests and tastes, is not there? Now which one would you rather have?