Online Dating Mistakes to Avoid

Researchers talked to online singles and asked them to list the top five most egregious gaffes they've seen in profiles. Here they are, in order of offensiveness:
51% Not checking spelling and grammar
23% Writing about exes
13% Including other people in the photo
10% Trying to cut other people out of the photo
3% Choosing the wrong gender preference

The good news is that all these errors are easy to avoid with a small investment of time and attention.

Spelling and grammar
You don't have to be an English major to develop an error-free profile. You do, however, have to follow a few simple steps:

Don't rush
You're more likely to make errors when you're in a hurry, so make sure you've got some time before you sit down to write. If you've only got a few minutes, outline the major points you want to include and then expand on it when you have more time.
Write like you talk
Many people try to write more formally than they speak. Sometimes this causes them to use words they wouldn't normally choose, often resulting in misspellings, usage errors and, potentially, an air of conceit. If you stay true to your own vocabulary, you'll be more likely to spell well and use words the way they were intended. Additionally, read your work out loud to make sure it sounds like you. This also will help you identify errors you missed when reading silently.

Look it up
When in doubt, look it up. Draft your profile in a word processing program; most automatically flag misspelled and incorrectly used words. But be advised: They're not foolproof. When in doubt, look it up. And always have a friend read behind you.

Let it lie
If you're like most of us, you'll want to post your profile the minute it's finished. But putting it aside for a few hours — or even a whole day — and then reading it again, will help you catch annoying errors and be sure you like it. Writers can reduce their error count by as much as 50 percent for each re-read they give themselves with at least a few hours in between.

Exes and oh's
Certainly past relationships are part of who we are today, but that doesn't mean you have to offer them up to a potential match before you've even met. If you feel as though you have to write about your ex or anything related to past relationships, you're probably not ready to begin a new one. The same rule applies if you've got serious issues about relationships in general.

Bottom line: Focus on who you are — not who you've dated and how they hurt you.

Your photos
Appearance is a major factor that motivates someone to respond to your profile, so the photos you post are central to your online dating success. In fact, profiles with photos get 15 times more attention than profiles without.

But don't toss just any picture up there. Use these tips to be picture perfect:
Take several shots of you — just you — looking engaging and comfortable.
Smile and make sure your eyes are visible. If you wear glasses, watch for glare from the flash.
Pick one that looks the best for your main picture and post the others as further evidence of your appeal.
Don't post pics that include other people, unless they can be omitted without a trace. A disembodied hand, shoulder or ear doesn't help your cause.

Preferences and criteria
Although it seems kind of silly, many people select the wrong gender preference. If you're a man looking for a woman, be sure that's the option you select. Similarly, go slowly through all of your matching criteria to avoid making a mistake that could limit your prospects — or attract people who are totally wrong for you.

Steering clear of these common blunders will increase your chances of meeting more suitable matches. Have fun and let me know how you do.