Not everyone likes meeting people at the gym, church or in a bar and when meeting people becomes too hard, they turn to online dating. While online dating was once something people were embarrassed about, it is now very popular.

There are thousands of online dating sites and millions of people who use them.

If you want to make sure your online dating profile stands out from the rest, there are a few things you need to add to it.

These tips will help you stand out and be successful in the online dating world.

Be Yourself
This is the most important tip of all. It can be tempting to recreate yourself online and pretend to be something you aren’t, but this will only lead to disappointment for both you and your date. Don’t lie about your looks, job or accomplishments. Focus on the things you are proud of and talk about them on your profile. You want someone to like you for the real you, not someone you are pretending to be.

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— Online Dating Help (@ODHtips) July 7, 2014

Use Photos
Some people leave out profile photos because they don’t like the way they look, are embarrassed to have their photo on an online dating network or just prefer to be mysterious. Photos are important in online dating. Would you want to talk to or date someone if you didn’t know what they looked like? Add at least one photo of yourself to your profile and if you really want people to find you interesting add photos of yourself doing activities and hobbies you enjoy. This will make you look fun and interesting and make people want to know more about the person in the photos.

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— Digital Romance Inc (@digital_romance) July 22, 2014

Be Respectful
Everyone uses online dating for different reasons. Regardless of your reason, it is important to respect other members who may be using the site for a different reason. If you want a physical relationship but the person you are communicating with only wants to date online, don’t get angry. Try to work through it and if you can’t at least you made a friend. Be upfront about what you want and ask a lot of questions in the beginning of your conversations. Be sure to always reply and answer any questions you have been asked as well.

Online dating can open up a lot of opportunities and allow you to meet new people. Don’t let it intimidate you, just have fun and enjoy using the service.

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