Smart Date

Pick something on the profile which interests you (example kick boxing). My tip would be to pick one of the first things she mentions as this will more than likely be her primary interest and you could have a better chance of getting a response.

The subject needs to be the whole email summed up in one or two words to give your potential date an overview of what its about, eg. Kick boxing.

You need an opening line which should be interesting and friendly. If their name is mentioned in the profile, use it in the email. This personalises the message.

Good openers:

• Hey there <name>,
• Howdy doo <name>,
• Alrighty there <name>,

Bad openers:

• Hi
• Hello
• <no opener>

Then you need to start a conversation about a topic from their profile.

Tips:

• Try to give a balance of something for her to respond to and your comments about it. This shows that it is just not one sided.
• Try to keep questions as easy for them to answer as possible, don’t get them thinking too hard about the answer else it will put them off.
• Keep it consise and to the point.
• Re-read it through a couple of times and make any necessary changes.
• Check spelling, punctuation and grammar.
• Don’t write in all CAPS, it’s shouting.
• If you’re saying something humourous or particularly friendly add a smiley
• I usually put the question on their own line if I can as it will stand out with white space around it.

Finally sign off the message.

Here is an example of a recent email which got a good response:

Subject: kick boxing

Heyyy there!

First off, Happy New Year.

I tried kick boxing for the first time last night. Wowa, it’s hard work! 20 press ups, 20 sit ups, running, punches, kicks, combos, star jumps, squats, elbows, knees. I’m glad I go to the gym else I wouldn’t have coped with it as well.

How long you been kick boxing?

Jo.

Try using the following:

• Smiling, using your mouth and eyes.
• Good fashion sence
• Orginality
• Humour
• Conversation starters
• A range of different photos
• Intelligence (shown through a good level of English)

Text speak is when you shorten words or abbreviate them. Here are some examples:

• ur (your)
• 2 (to)
• wat (what)

Do NOT use text speak on internet dating sites. It comes accross as sloppy and like you’ve not put the effort in. Use plain English instead, sounds better and is much easier to read, which is important as you’re trying to impress.

1. Composition is important. Try to make sure there is a balance of space around you in the photo.
2. Make sure the photograph is big enough for people to see you clearly. I would recommend no smaller than 300×300 pixels.
3. Save the photograph as a JPEG or PNG image, not as a GIF, for quality purposes or not as a BMP for download purposes.

Download IrfanView from http://www.irfanview.com/

It is a FREE image editor, which allows you to crop, resize and rotate images.

How to crop an image

1. Open the image (File -> Open).
2. Click the top left hand corner of the part of image you would like to be cropped.
3. Click the bottom right hand corner of the part of the image to be cropped.
4. Click Edit -> Crop selection.
   

How to resize an image

1. Click image -> Resize/Resample
2. Change the width and height in under set new size. Make sure perserve aspect ratio is ticked.
   

How to rotate an image

1. Click Image -> Rotate left

How to save changes

1. Click File -> Save (original folder)