The idea of joining an online dating site is to find a compatible match with someone you can develop a friendship with or even love. You don't want to meet people who are not right for you as it will be a waste of your time and money.

When writing your online profile you must be completely honest about yourself and not lie or exaggerate. A well written and honest profile will attract plenty of dates who will be just right for you.

Never lie about your age or what you do for a living. If you are 42 don't lie and say that you are 28! You will be found out on meeting your date. Consequently don't say that you are a high flying business man if you are a street cleaner! You can't establish an honest and loving relationship with someone if you try to deceive.

You don't need to write pages of text as this will seem boring and most members wouldn't read it all anyway. Just approach writing your online dating profile as if you were creating an advert. The only difference is that instead of selling a product you are selling yourself!

Your style of writing should be fun. You aren't writing a CV for a job interview, so just be natural and write as if you are talking. The profile is there to characterise your personality, experiences, desires and ambitions.

If you are stuck as what to say, a good way to get inspiration is to take a look at other members profiles. Pay attention to the ones that appeal to you

Are they funny, or revealing or persuasive? At the same time you will find those you don't like, since they probably sound obnoxious, desperate or depressing. As you read them think about the type of person you would most likely respond to.

Never talk about any negative qualities you may think you have, or how your last girlfriend let you down. Always sound fun and cheerful as this will get you more replies. No one wants to associate with a depressed or negative person If you have only recently split up with your girlfriend and are still in need of therapy, then wait a while until you start to feel better about yourself.

Never resort to clichéd cop-out phrases like "my friends put me up to this", "I’m just here looking", or "I’m not sure what to think about this". They’re generically over-used and make you look the same as everyone else.

Create a headline that evokes curiosity and makes the reader want to click on it to read your full profile and find out more about you.

Spend time on this and look at magazine and newspaper headlines for inspiration. If you have a great profile but poorly written headline then you may get overlooked.

Always proof read you work and get a friend to check it over as well. Test it for a few days to see what happens. If you get very few responses then try changing the headline, or relate some more experiences or interests. Look for any negative vibes you may have overlooked. Add some more paragraphs. Experiment! It's only your love life after all!

Lastly, once you have found a girl that you feel is right for you, for goodness sakes, cancel your membership to the online dating service. After all, you know and she knows that online dating services are intended for those who are looking, not those who have already found a mate.