Profile Tips...Just for Men

For months, Chris' online profile sat there, hardly drawing attention.

"I realized that my profile was about as exciting as a wet weekend in Bournemouth," says Chris, a marketing consultant. "It was just too plain."

So, on a recent Friday evening, Chris invested an hour retooling and refining his profile. By Monday morning, he found several responses in his inbox.

"I was shocked that I was able to draw so much attention with so little effort," he says.

It's not hard to create a profile that not only attracts more attention but produces more responses. It just takes a bit of creativity and inspiration. Try these 10 effective tips to get started:

1. Craft a crafty headline. Like the front page of a newspaper draws your eyes to a story, a great headline can draw eyes to your profile. Use it to say something distinctive, as well as highlight your best attributes: "Professor looking to learn from the best" or "Brighton consultant wants match to set the South Coast on fire."

2. Don't oversell yourself. Remember; it's an online profile, not a resume. Be selective with how you describe your best features. For example, "attractive" is a relatively safe way to imply you're comfortable and confident with the way you look. "Very good looking" or "Strikingly handsome" just makes you sound like a conceited idiot. Other alternatives are to talk about the fact that you're an "avid reader," " an outdoorsy bloke" or "a family person".

3. Choose a photo that compliments you. Ok, you and your mates thought that picture of you downing a pint of Guinness, dressed only in a novelty hat and underpants in a bar on St. Paddy's day was funny. But since you're trying to attract dates - not win the idiot of the year competition; opt for something a bit more mature and flattering. Remember to avoid photo that shows you being embraced, squeezed or otherwise touched by another person. Don't make it look like you're already taken.

4. Avoid mentioning the "ex." No one wants to hear about how you're looking for someone to help you lick your wounds and get over the person who plucked out your heart and stomped it into the gutter of despair. Let it go.

5. List your favorite things. We all would like to climb Mount Everest or sail the globe, but let's be realistic - how many times in a lifetime does that happen? Instead, highlight your ritual weekend bicycle ride or your collection of 70s classic rock.

6. Be reasonable. Limit your list to maybe five favorite things or so. Otherwise, potential matches will think you're just too much into yourself. And, besides, you'll want to save something to talk about on your first dates.

7. Keep it interesting. How many potential matches truly want to join you while you "hang out with your mates" fix cars, or hunt for the best beer in town? Instead, describe your more inspired goals.

8. Two words: Spell check. Remember, your profile is a reflection of your personality. Misspelled words, poor grammar and too many clichés can be big turnoffs to potential dates.

9. Have fun. Your profile should not only be informative but entertaining. Keep it light, engaging and refreshing.