In today's high pressured world, many people simply don't have the time to find suitable partners outside the workplace.
Also, people of a certain age, like myself, find no pleasure in the club scene which is not really designed for the over forties! In recent years internet dating sites have sprung up.
Some are very good, others are average, and some are simply very poor.
They can also be divided into both "adult" type sites, where no commitment is wanted, to sites seeking to find longer term partners for the member.
This article is concerned with the latter, though no doubt some of the advice could be applied to both.
I personally know five couples who got married after meeting on a dating site.
I am also engaged to a woman I met by the same method.
She is absolutely wonderful, but I nearly missed her because I made some basic mistakes when filling out my profile.
So here's what to avoid: 1.
Control Your Ego.
It's always a good idea to upload a picture.
It's shallow I know, but most people will not respond to you unless they can actually see what you look like.
Just because you think you are unattractive does not mean that you are.
However, the mistake I made was to pander to my ego.
What I mean is this, I have ridden motorcycles since I was eight years old as I grew up on an airfield and always had old bikes around for fun.
So I uploaded a picture of me with my motorcycle, a massive Triumph Rocket 111.
Now, if you are a female reading this, I bet you wanted to switch off when you read that! Not all, but many women just don't want to date a forty something biker! Our bike may be our pride and joy, and impressive to our male friends, but most women just aren't interested.
2.
Get Any Picture Checked Out.
It's not just our hobbies that can let us down as men.
Sometimes the basic image can be flawed.
I did not get a lot of response initially to my profile.
I was a little surprised as I was in reasonable shape and knew I was OK to look at.
However, my first two dates (after much writing to others on the site with no success), both said I looked nothing like my picture I'd posted.
I was surprised as I thought they were really good! I changed them to some a friend "approved", and suddenly things changed.
So make sure your picture is a good one, as seen by others.
3.
Be Honest.
If you are overweight and five feet one, don't say you're tall and slim, and that you workout everyday! Yes, it does happen as my partner can testify.
You can bend the truth a little, and be forgiven for it if things go well on a first date, but if you describe yourself in such a way as to be nothing like the body shape you are, you have no chance at all, and just waste your time, and that of your date.
4.
Look And Smell Good.
I lost two stone in weight before going on a dating site.
Even if you don't feel you can do this, at least invest in some new clothes and toiletries.
Most women like well groomed men, so try and make a subtle, but noticeable, impression.