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Ok, I’ll admit it…

I used to be one of those people who thought that online dating was for creeps and losers and guys who hadn’t seen sunlight since 1996 (a.k.a. “creep-losers”).

I just didn’t get it…why would anyone want to spend hours staring at a computer screen, sorting through thousands of forgettable profiles like l0verman4U, lonely_1, and foxxxygurl69?

Yawn, no thanks.

I’d rather watch an endless Jersey Shore marathon while getting a pedicure with an icepick.

But one day, in between all the “juiceheads” and the “GTLs,” it hit me: I’m a 20-something in the 21^st century.  We’re contractually obligated to love all things Internet.

I had embraced Facebook, Foursquare, Twitter, WordPress, Flickr…I used the Net for everything from watching movies to ordering groceries…but I couldn’t handle the idea of dating online? I owed it to myself, and to tech-savvy singles everywhere, to give it another try.

I think you all know where this story is going, so I’ll keep it short:

I sucked it up, signed on, and – lo and behold! – I saw the light. 

Online dating has changed so much since its stigma-filled debut, and although those creep-losers are still logging on from their mothers’ basements, there are millions of great guys and gals in cyberspace.

If you’re not one of them yet, you should be. No more excuses. I’ve heard them all, and none of them are good.

I get that all that white space on the profile is intimidating. Not everyone feels comfortable writing about themselves, and it’s hard to imagine being able to sum up everything that’s awesome about yourself in 750 words or less.

But guess what?

You can create a profile that’s entertaining, intriguing, funny, intelligent, and all-around-excellent, and you don’t have to be a writer or professional dating coach to do it.

Here are 3 little changes that make big differences when it comes to writing your profile:

Use a Spellchecker. Seriously. I mean it. 

If you’re old enough to type, you’re old enough to know that your word processor has one.  And yet, so many of the guys I meet online seem mysteriously incapable of using it.

There’s a reason women fall for Shakespearean sonnets and guys who sound like Cyrano de Bergerac – we like men who can wield words just as well as they can wield…um…other things.

If your profile says “I wanna git wit u,” I definitely don’t want to get with you.

Upload a Picture Already

I’m gonna go out on a limb here and guess that you click right passed women’s profiles that don’t have pictures.  And who could blame you? The minute you find a profile with no picture, you start assuming the worst, like a third eye or a few extra limbs.

Women don’t have the reputation for being “visual creatures” that men do, but we still want to see a photo. Try before you buy, right?  Show us what we’re getting into. We even secretly like the gratuitous ab shots.

Don’t Use Lists to Describe Yourself

Lists are for Santa Claus, not your profile. “I’m cute, funny, fit, adventurous, smart, successful….”

And, I’m falling asleep.

Those are all great qualities, but listing them will hit the inner snooze button of every woman who clicks on your profile.  And you don’t want to see what we’re like we when get drool on our keyboards.  It’s not pretty.

Every time you’re tempted to use an adjective with no explanation, replace it with a story that illustrates that quality.

Or, just click here if you want more info on how to write a killer online profile message.

Just remember, guys. Show, don’t tell.

Got it? Good.

Welcome to the 21^st century.