If you have ever been to a family reunion or the wedding of a friend, and gone alone, then you must have noticed that you often find yourself making excuses for not having a partner. No time, can't seem to meet Mr/Miss Right, all the good ones are taken, are probably familiar excuses you'll have made yourself for being single. Of course, there are some of us who prefer being single, and the excuses are merely a polite way of saying you don't want to share your space with anyone. For those of us who would like to meet someone, there are no longer any excuses for not doing so. Millions of people are now meeting their partners online, and if there was a bit of a stigma before about Internet Dating, this has been removed completely. This article discusses how to get started in Internet Dating. The first thing you need to do is choose a dating site. Dating sites tend to offer different levels of memberships, in which free membership offers nothing but the basic features. Often, you will be required to pay a monthly fee in order to send/receive messages. With this in mind, you will probably only want to join one or two sites. Do some research on the internet before joining a site - read some reviews and make sure there are plenty of local singles on the site before you join. You can ascertain this by using the free membership before committing any money. If you are serious about Online Dating, you will need a photograph of yourself. While it is possible to meet someone 'blind', you will experience much more success if you use a photograph. Choose a natural looking photograph of yourself, not too posed, and one that captures you in a favourable light. Try and choose a photograph in which you are smiling - you want to be perceived as someone that might be fun to hang around with. The next thing you need to do is choose a user name. This is the name that will be displayed to other users of the site, and helps to create a first impression. Spend some time thinking about a user name; think about how others will perceive it. If you are a guy, then a name like SerialKiller21 is a big no-no. It might be an amusing email name, but ladies on a dating site will probably run a mile.... The most important aspect of joining a dating site is the profile. You must make yourself look like you'd be an interesting person to spend time with. Think about how you want to be perceived - you don't want to come across as arrogant, pretentious, needy or desperate. Read other peoples' profiles to get some tips - pay special attention to the bad profiles and make sure you don't make the same mistakes. Try and use some humour - your profile is like an advertisement of yourself, and the purchase is a date. You want to make yourself seem like a fun date. Writing the profile is the most difficult aspect of online dating, so be prepared to spend some time on it. And that's all there is to it!! By now you will have realised that Internet Dating is straightforward and a great way to meet people. If you are considering this then get started soon- you no longer have a valid excuse for turning up alone at family reunions...

About the Author

Julie Westbrook is an expert in the field of Internet Dating. If you liked this article, visit Julie's website http://www.internet-dating-lowdown.com - a site dedicated to all things internet dating.