This one goes out to all you guys feeling sorry for yourselves. Well, not all of you, just the ones who have given up on online dating. I once was a skeptic. I signed up for OKCupid as a joke, but I’m happy to report I’ve learned a few things since then and it has been one wild ride! I spent one dull Saturday night six months ago on the couch fixing up my profile and tuning up the rest of my internet presence, and I feel like a whole new man!

First Things First

Have you been a gentleman on the internet? Have you googled yourself recently? If you’ve been careless with your privacy settings, it can be a good laugh strolling down memory lane, remembering the good times flaming your bros. But what if she’s checking up on you? Get your kicks in now while you go through your internet presence with a fine tooth comb. Find the unflattering things and make sure they aren’t available to the public. I had to log into my centuries old MySpace and ask Tom himself to remove a comment I’d said about a friend’s mom. These things matter. Being a gentleman on the internet is just like being one in real life. You dial in your security settings and only make crass comments in private.

Get it Together!

You don’t have to be a working professional to play the game. The tidier your internet presence is the more honest you can be. It’s important to be yourself if you’re trying to meet people in real life. It helps on dating sites too. Once my security settings were tight and I deleted tweets I went ahead and linked my Facebook and Twitter to OKC. Here’s where I earned extra credit points: I started a LinkedIn account and shared that too. It shows that if I may not seem particularly ambitious now I’m open to a solid future and I’m laying the groundwork.

Hang Out with Your Bros!

So now you’re an honest man. Are you going to sit in front of your laptop and wait for a date? You’ve got be be an interesting man too! If you are tied to your dating site, you can probably get an app for your mobile. When you are making plans to roll with your crew, suggest doing something adventurous before you hit the clubs and start mackin’. Make an effort to do special things with your bros. Go to a park, a science museum, or take a drive to the coast together. Check the arts section of your local weekly paper and see when the open studio/gallery nights are. You can often hop from one opening to another, all the while snagging complimentary wine and crackers with your buddies. Does your cell phone have a camera? If so you have no excuses. Blog about your good times and share lots of pics, then link it to your dating profile. Save this space for sharing things you do other than going out and partying. It’s not just about bonding with your boys, it’s about bragging about it.

So I spent a lot of time sitting in front of the computer tooling and tweaking my presence, but it was definitely worth the effort. Once I seemed more approachable on dating sites I started to talk to lots more girls. I’ve been on countless dates now, and to be honest the best part hasn’t even been ladies. The best part is that I’ve opened a whole new door to adventure!

Mark Yale writes for Phase Frame where you can get information on working out and building muscle mass.