A Picture Paints A Thousand Words

When thinking about posting your picture on your chosen online dating UK web site consider the following facts:

Guys are 14 times more likely to look at a profile with a photo.

Girls are 8.5 times more likely to look at your profile if you have a picture.

A recent study showed that members with photos get up to 15 times more attention than those without one.

The research is clear, if you accompany your personal profile with a picture or two or three you will get significantly more attention and will meet many more people. So what sort of picture should you upload? Here's our quick guide to uploading a great photograph!

Those who study how we interact with others now know that when we first look at someone we first notice their eyes, followed in order by their smile, their face and their hair. So don't hide away your features, make sure that your face and head can clearly been seen. Blurred shots and those taken from two miles away will reveal nothing about you and may even put some doubts into other people's minds. Be brave and post a clear head and shoulders shot of yourself that is recent, no shots on the beach from 1996!!

Smile!! You are trying to meet someone special, a great new friend, so why look glum? Polish those nashers, pucker the lips and dazzle them with a big friendly smile.

Make sure that the photo is well lit - You do not want to appear to live in the castle's dungeon. Take the photo outside on a sunny day or in a well lit room.

Once you have started dating online you will be amazed how many people have photos with other people in them. It's very confusing when you see a photo of five guys on a beach in Tenerife or three girls on the hit and miss in Newcastle when you cannot make out who it is that you are talking to. Take the photo on your own and don't send in any with your ex-boyfriend/girlfriend's head torn off - You are trying to meet people and create a good impression not scare the living daylights out of them!

Think about how you present yourself and your dress. Stuffing your rugby socks down your Speedos and posing semi-nude to show off your once a fortnight gym muscles and tattoos saying "I Love My Mum" may at the time be a good idea but they are unlikely to attract anyone who your mum would actually approve off.

Similarly showing off your well washed and slightly off-white Marks and Spencers Bra, G-string and Stocking Combo set will attract a certain sort on interest in your profile. Interest that may be unwelcome. Think carefully about how you want to portray yourself and dress accordingly.

Do not place any text or fancy colour effects/borders onto the picture, the dating agencies will refuse to allow them. Keep photos simple, friendly and clear.

If you can, crop the image to remove any additional background and keep it below 100K (kilobytes) in size or less. The best way to ensure this is to scan the photograph at around 150dpi or take a digital shot on the automatic settings. Save it as a JPEG file onto your computer and upload it using the instructions on the website. If this is all too technical for you, contact the site's help desk and they will be able to help you.

Be brave. Adding a photo of yourself feels awkward to many of us and is quite a personal thing. But a picture will enhance your profile hugely and will help you to meet that special person.