Tip: You might be confident that you want to date someone the same age as you, but consider giving yourself a little wiggle room. You might set your limits at no more than 5 years older or younger, or even 10 years. Tip: Avoid sending short, generic messages like, "What's up? Tip: A great line to use to keep the conversation flowing is "tell me more about that.

If you can imagine yourself on a date with them and having plenty to talk about, they might be a good match for you. For instance, say something like, "That's such a nice view in your rock-climbing picture. How long have you been climbing? For more tips from our co-author, including how to set up an engaging dating profile, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No. Log in Social login does not work in incognito and private browsers. Please log in with your username or email to continue.

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Co-authored by Chloe Carmichael, PhD and Christopher M. Osborne, PhD Last Updated: May 6, Method 1. All rights reserved. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U. and international copyright laws.

This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc. Choose match-generating sites for a more tailored approach. Many dating sites use algorithms based off of your answers to quizzes and surveys to generate potential matches for you. If you would like to be paired with someone who has similar interests and beliefs right off the bat without having to screen their profiles yourself first, this may be a great option for you!

You may want to create profiles on both broad-based and niche sites to optimize how many matches you have to choose from. Match, Elite Singles, Zoosk, and eharmony are well-rated match-generating sites. Opt for "see and screen" sites for fun, fast-paced connections. Unlike match-generating sites that do the initial screening for you, "see and screen" sites give you a more active role in matching yourself with other individuals.

With these sites, you get to view profiles and pictures and make a decision yourself about whether or not you think you'd be a good fit. It can be a fun way to meet people you might otherwise not have matched with. Highlight your own unique personality rather than listing what you want. Nearly all dating sites require you to write a profile for yourself, and this is a great opportunity to showcase who you are!

Each site has different profile guidelines, so write a unique, tailored bio for each dating site you use. Write honest and specific examples rather than generic descriptions. Avoid cliche statements like, "I like to have fun," or "I love to laugh. Instead, say something like, "I love rock climbing and watching old black and white movies," or "I enjoy going to comedy shows and open mic nights, and I'm always down to try out a new restaurant in town.

If you have pets, write about them. If you love reading, say what you're currently into. The more specific you can be, the better. Choose high-quality photos that show your face and your body.

Even if you're a skilled selfie taker, use a high-quality, high-resolution image with good lighting and detail. Avoid using group photos, as someone looking at it won't be able to tell who you are right away.

For a full-body shot, consider using an action shot taken outdoors—for instance, rollerblading on the boardwalk. Doing so helps you seem energetic and fun-loving. Method 2. Look for profiles that are distinctive and descriptive. Whether you're screening potential candidates yourself or are being provided with potential matches, prioritize profiles that are detailed and well-written.

A profile that doesn't include much detail might indicate that the individual isn't really interested in connecting with another person on a deeper level. Make your "eliminate immediately" criteria limited and specific.

If dating a smoker or a non-vegan is an absolute no-go for you, then it's fine to eliminate candidates immediately based on that criteria. Overall, though, keep your list of criteria for immediate rejection short and specific.

Otherwise, you may dismiss some good prospects without even giving them a chance. It's tempting to assign point values to different candidates and then choose the one with the most points—or, similarly, the one with the most "pros" and least "cons.

Also, there's nothing wrong with matching with more than one person at a time! Until you're in a committed, monogamous relationship, feel free to keep the playing field open. Also, it's still up to you to evaluate your potential matches to find the best option.

Imagine yourself on a date with each candidate. Read the profile, look at the pictures, and envision going on a date with this person. Can you think of a few topics to talk about based on their profile information?

If you can't help but imagine yourself smiling and having a good time, give them a shot! Give yourself permission to talk to lots of people!

Method 3. Keep your eyes open for signs of a scammer. While most people on dating sites are there for legitimate reasons, it's true that there are scammers, stalkers, creeps, liars, and just plain bad people out there. Even the most cautious and careful people can be "played" sometimes, but you'll improve your odds by trusting your instincts and looking for signs like: The person's profile seems exceptional yet generic and not revealing.

They're overly eager or even pushy about meeting you in person right away. They press you to reveal personal information immediately. You do an image search and find their pics with different names and profiles on other dating sites, or search key phrases from their profile and find them repeated with different pics on other sites.

Make your first contact brief and friendly and ask a question. If you're the one making initial contact, limit your message to 40 words or less. That way, you'll have to get to the point quickly. Reference something from the person's profile so they know you read it, and proofread your message for typos and to make sure you spelled the person's name right. It's great to meet a fellow fan of French New Wave cinema—they're hard to find in Elmhurst! What's one of your favorite films?

Respond to messages quickly and genuinely. If an intriguing match makes initial contact with you, don't try to "play it cool" or play "hard to get. Creating a good dating profile is half the battle of online dating.

It has to show the best parts of you without being embellished or overly polished. The best thing you can do is be authentic. Answer the questions honestly and attach pictures that best represent you and your personality. Don't use overly filtered photos or photos of your trip to Italy when you visited there seven years ago. As corny as it sounds, be yourself—not a polished online version, but your actual genuine self. A mistake many people make while online dating is outright inventing new personas when creating dating profiles.

For example, if you've never gone hiking in your life, don't say you like to do it on your dating profile simply because it seems that everyone else has included it in theirs.

Unless you plan to keep your relationships entirely online, remember that you will eventually meet the people you're talking to, or at least that's what most dating app users expect. And, what if your respective match proposes a hike for a meet-up activity, noting that it's something you both have in common?

Don't back yourself into a corner, and stay authentic. With how much fakery exists online, most dating app users are looking for real people, so be one. Plus, most people have learned to spot the fake profiles lurking on dating apps.

Given how easy it's become to find people online with a few keystrokes, decide how much you're willing to share before even creating your profile. Protecting your privacy while online dating is crucial. Don't upload images that show easily trackable information, like a landmark seen from your balcony indicating where you live; or a photo of you with a name tag showing your place of employment.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of creeps online, so be wary of what you share. Not to mention the dating app scammers just looking for the right opportunity to strike and swindle you. Don't be afraid of talking to multiple people on multiple apps simultaneously. Matching with someone on a dating app is not the same as being in a committed relationship with them.

You're free to talk to multiple people at the same time. Maintaining several conversations at once means if one match turns out to be a flop, you haven't wasted days, weeks, or months only giving them your attention.

It's a great way to weed your matches. If you're on a dating app, you're bound to face rejection, so learn to accept it and move on with no fuss. You're not going to fit everyone's preferences, so there will be days when you won't have new matches.

Some conversations may reach a point where they stall, and it's not uncommon to get ghosted by your matches out of the blue. Rejection is part of offline and online dating, so the sooner you accept it as a normal and expected part of your app experience, the better.

A simple search online will uncover countless dating experts that offer up tons of rules about online dating. There's advice on everything, starting from creating the right profile and using the right images to the best opening lines for starting a conversation, and so on.

You don't need 'expert' advice, though, because here's the thing: although many of these supposed experts make some good points, you don't have to take their words as law. For example, many experts admonish people who share funny images intended to make you laugh on their dating app profiles, claiming it shows you don't have serious intentions.

But if you're a funny person who likes to joke around and make people laugh, those images will attract a person with the same sense of humor who likes to laugh. And, isn't that the point? To show your true self and find someone who finds that attractive?

Online dating is a constant back and forth with people exchanging information about themselves, what they're looking for in a partner, their hopes for the future, etc.

And since the conversation happens through a screen, many people lose their inhibitions and sometimes ask inappropriate questions or become too pushy.

Reis studies social interactions and the factors that influence the quantity and closeness of our relationships. He coauthored a review article that analyzed how psychology can explain some of the online dating dynamics. You may have read a short profile or you may have had fairly extensive conversations via text or email. Her research currently focuses on online dating, including a study that found that age was the only reliable predictor of what made online daters more likely to actually meet up.

Where online dating differs from methods that go farther back are the layers of anonymity involved. If you meet someone via a friend or family member, just having that third-party connection is a way of helping validate certain characteristics about someone physical appearance, values, personality traits, and so on.

Do you make one another laugh? Study after psychological study support that those types of principles are important in relationships , and are predictors of relationship success, he notes. Online dating is a way to open doors to meet and date people, Reis says. And one thing the apps and sites have going for them is that ability to simply help you meet more people. Sameer Chaudhry, MD, an internist at the University of North Texas in Dallas, coauthored a BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine paper for which he and his coauthor considered nearly 4, studies across psychology, sociology, neurocognitive science, and other disciplines to come up with a series of guidelines for how to set up a profile, how to select matches, and how to approach online interactions.

Setting up a dating profile a certain way is by no means a guarantee for meeting the love of your life. Be selective. Some apps have a reputation for being hookup apps; others are designed to connect users of the same religion or some other shared hobby or attribute. Research shows that people tend to fall for people similar to themselves when it comes to things like relationship history, desire for children, pet preferences, and religion.

Being honest about what you want and who you are makes it more likely that the people you end up talking to and meeting are people things might work out with, Hallam says. Photos should accurately depict your physical appearance — but they should be photos you generally like, Hallam says. Specific attributes that generally increase attractiveness and likeability, according to his research, were: a genuine smile one that makes your eyes start to crinkle up and a slight head tilt.

People swipe through profiles quickly. State things that are really important to you and be done with it. People tend to be interested in interesting people. Remember that personal growth is one of those hallmarks that tends to make long-term relationships work. He suggests not drawing out the pre-face-to-face meeting for too long. Chaudhry says his research suggests keeping online, pre-meeting exchanges to two weeks or shorter. And actually make an effort to get to know someone. Kolmes suggests checking in with yourself regularly.

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Watch Articles How to. Method 2. You also don't owe your matches a meet-up, a call or anything else unless it feels right to you. But that's just one part of the dating app experience. Português: Ter Sucesso no Namoro Online. You're free to talk to multiple people at the same time. Share this —.

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