Attractive, smart, and successful men everywhere may be puzzled by the lack of response to their online dating profiles. This article outlines five top reasons why women may be quick to reject certain men on dating sites.

Online dating is an increasingly popular way for eligible men to meet interesting woman, but, unfortunately, this avenue isn’t immune to the snap judgments and superficial filters commonplace in conventional dating. In fact, because dating sites allow women to effortlessly search, block, and favorite potential mates, creating the illusion of a never ending supply of suitors, guys must be especially careful when crafting their online dating personas to avoid immediate dismissal. Here are some top reasons why your profile might have women quickly fumbling for the back button.

1 – You sound unbelievable full of yourself

Resist the urge to treat your profile like a diary/resume, as you risk appearing painfully self-obsessed. Yes, we want to know more about you, but your 2,000 word essay detailing your ten year ascension into your perfect job just makes you sound pompous and self-aggrandizing. Instead, opt for more generalized language, like ‘successful financial planner,’ or ‘very happy with my job.’ This brings home the point, while still piquing our interests.

2 – Your picture is kind of creepy

Online dating has the distinct advantage of giving users full control of first impressions, making it almost inexcusable to display strange or unflattering pictures. Avoid pictures that were taken from an awkwardly low angle, that include your shower curtain as the backdrop, or that feature you in a fedora. Forgo the hard, aloof expressions best suited for male models, using instead pictures that showcase a warm, genuine smile. Try pictures from a night out with friends or from your best friend’s wedding, as you will likely exude personality and confidence. Just remember to crop, particularly if your buddy is slightly more attractive. And if you like to include body shots, please adhere to a 2:1 ratio of clothed to shirtless photos.

3 – You create unreasonably high expectations

Even a beautiful, confident woman may be taken aback by a laundry list of partner requirements, particularly if they’re mostly superficial. Instead, politely mention deal breakers, such as smoking or having nine cats, while describing a few of your preferences using welcoming language. (“Although, I appreciate women of all shapes, I find myself often attracted to curvy women.”) Refrain from posting any pictures with a svelte, devastating hot friend or ex-girlfriend, as this just invites women to see how they stack up. And, under no circumstances, mention by name any models or actresses who you think are the ‘ideal woman.’ Not only is it exceedingly unlikely you’ll woo her carbon copy, but you run the risk of sending away an attractive women with feelings of inadequacy.

4 -You sound stupid

Yes, you list your occupation as a civil engineer, but your grammar and syntax are deplorable. Is it fair to conclude that you’re unintelligent because you failed to use the past perfect tense while describing your recent vacation? No, but without the benefit of conversation or nonverbal cues, we are forced to use something to gauge your intelligence. So turn off caps lock, spell out any text shorthand, and take ten minutes to copy and paste text into a word processing document for spelling and grammar help. This way we can focus on what a great guy you are, not your inadequate use of punctuation.

5. You sound like you’re looking for sex

If you are actually looking exclusively for casual sex, feel free to skip this one. But for those men who are looking for something more, please be aware that certain words and phrases, such as ‘healthy sex drive’ or ‘enjoys being physical,’ send the message that a shallow, physical relationship is your main objective. Either you will attract women who seek that particular type of relationship or repel the ones who do not. Rest assured that any woman reading your profile assumes you like sex, so don’t feel compelled to needlessly reference your carnal desires. Instead, use that space to describe your most enduring personality characteristics that would make us swoon at the chance to be with you emotionally and sexually.

Remember that the real key to online dating is capturing a woman’s interest enough to set up an offline meeting. With some thoughtful editing and mindfulness to presentation, you can increase your chances of finding a wonderful mate.

Personal Profiles First Impressions, Men, Personal Profiles

Want to know where the happiest people are? Well, according to a report by ABC News, you can get a pretty good visual picture of where people are in the country.

New York artist and performer Luke DuBois used data from over 19 million online dating profiles to create a map showing how Americans in different parts of the country describe themselves when they’re looking for love.

The results offer some pretty interesting insight into how different areas of the country use different terms to describe their single status.

For example, women in West Virginia and men in parts of the Southwest are more apt to describe themselves as “kinky” than in other areas of the country. Women in Oklahoma, Florida and men in Texas often use the word “lonely” when they’re single.

DuBois then gave each town its own one word description, based on the word most often used by singles there to describe themselves. Washington DC is “interesting”, while Montgomery, Alabama is “conservative”.

The data brings to light how people use their online dating profiles to attempt to stand out from the crowd. DuBois mapped 20,000 different words in his research, which certainly proves that all online daters are not using words like “fun”, ” smart” and “free-spirited” to describe themselves.

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Your online dating profile is your first cyber impression. You want it to encourage women to connect with you. Therefore, knowing what not to include in your profile is just as important as knowing what you should include. The tips in this article may help.

• Resist the urge to talk about sex. Even if you’d like to let women know that sex is not a priority, try not to mention it. Talking about sex is important in relationships, but generally doesn’t go over well in cyberspace or during an initial contact.
• Don’t reveal that you are just getting out of a relationship. This may send the message that you’re emotionally unavailable. Women who read through dating profiles may indeed be willing to take a chance on love. However, they also need to know they’ll be valued for who they are and not a band-aid for your broken heart.
• Limit generic descriptions of yourself. If you can think of at least one other man who fits your profile description, then you need to beef it up a bit. Women want to know what makes you different.
• Refrain from talking about your financial status (even if you make a lot of money). Women might conclude that you define your self-worth by how much you make. This can be a big red flag for a lot of women.
• Fight the urge to include a web camera or cell phone picture of yourself (e.g. the ones where you appear distorted while holding the camera or cell phone). A professional photo is not necessary, but at least get someone else to take a more flattering picture of you.

While there is no guarantee that these tips will get you hundreds of potential dates, following them may help your profile stand out above others out there.

Personal Profiles First Impression, Personal Profiles, Photos