Who doesn’t have a million profiles? Every time you do anything – from reviewing a restaurant to applying for a job – you’re invited to create a user profile and upload a picture. That little thumbnail is what represents you to the virtual world, so it better be good. Should you call in the professionals?
Estee Lauder seems to think so. The brand is now hosting events where their pros give you a complimentary makeup application, take your photo, and help you post it online. They call it “putting …

Anyone ready to enter the world of blind internet dating has a plethora of sites to choose from. But if you choose to avoid one of the more obscure niche sites, there’s a good chance you’re going to go with one of the heavy hitters: Match or eHarmony. Both have frequent TV ads and both seem legit … so, how to choose?
According to experienced online daters, “Match.com is for booty calls and eHarmony is for those looking for love.” Hmmmm. Well, if that were true, it would probably make your …

In a previous post, we talked about how to figure out what the internet says about you. If you’ve googled yourself, it’s possible that you’ve found at least one or two things that surprise you. An unflattering picture, a bunch of petty comments about someone who gets your goat on an internet forum, or (worse) a pile of information that just paints an inaccurate picture of who you really are.
If you find that you’re not pleased with how the internet reflects you, there are two basic approaches to fixing …

Once you get comfortable with online dating, it can actually be quite fun. In your office, you may be the frumpy secretary, but on the Internet, you’re the most popular girl in town! Everyone wants to talk to you and tell you how gorgeous your smile is and how unique your profile is. They all want to take you out. The winks start rolling in and the attention can be, well, addicting.
The problem is that eventually, some people come to value the attention over face-to-face contact. It’s surprisingly easy …

Ten years ago, if you’d asked someone whether or not they’d be comfortable with a blind date knowing everything about them before they met, you’d get an answer somewhere between “Ew, that’s creepy” and “That’s just not romantic.”
Today, we almost expect our internet crushes to know intimate details about us, even if we’ve never met. No one thinks twice about telling the internet what they had for breakfast, why their roommates annoy them, or how much that guy in O-Chem makes them think of other, more interesting O’s. It’s easy …

When searching for a partner, most people want someone with similar interests. When you fill out your online dating profile, you might include your love of running, of 16th century British history, of Dalmatians. You probably wouldn’t list “getting high” or “boozing.” But if there’s someone for everyone, there’s someone for the stoner singles. Why not choose an online dating site to suit your vices?
If you’re a wine connoisseur, there are many sites for those looking to share a glass of vino (and maybe more!). Wine Lovers …

Technology and social networking have plugged us into a much broader world than we could ever have hoped for. Facebook, Twitter, and Myspace have given us the opportunity to expand our boundaries and make “friends” with people we ordinarily wouldn’t bump into at the farmer’s market or the local dive bar. Meanwhile, user-generated review sites like Yelp and UrbanSpoon are giving us feedback regarding the “cool spots” in our neighborhoods — hopefully so that our dates are as magical and seductive as possible.
Yelp and UrbanSpoon are sites that you can …

Online dating is difficult, alright. Research by OKCupid has shown that your greetings have an impact on whether or not you will receive a reply. (“Howdy” is better than “Hey.”) Some folks are sticklers for spelling and grammar. Your profile pic can make or break you. And frankly, the whole process of transitioning from introductions to real live dates is awkward.
In response to the lack of success of so many people in the realm of e-romance, a number of services have cropped up to craft online dating profiles and …

Online dating can be a total bust – ridiculous e-mails from guys who aren’t your type, discovering that Oh, hey, men lie in their profiles – or it can be bliss. If you find someone you actually like and want to date exclusively, you might be ready to give up searching for love on the Internet once and for all. So … when is it time to delete your profile?
First, what does your online dating service offer as options? Can you hide your profile completely without actually deleting …

If you’ve ever been on an online date, you know that something about your first date is going to surprise you. They’re bound to be taller than you imagined them, or balder, or have a lisp, or be much … bigger … than their pictures suggested. This last in particular is a common complaint, and the refrain in online dating horror stories is more often than not, “She/he must’ve been a hundred pounds heavier than I expected!”
When you first consider it, it just seems weird that people would misrepresent themselves …