Online Dating Tips: Profile Picture

New to online dating? Whether posting your picture makes you feel nervous, excited, or a little shy, it will almost surely improve your odds of standing out and getting noticed online. At TopMatch, our professionals take a current, quality photograph of every client to help spark real life connections in our virtual database. Whether you’re click-starting your love life with us, or another service, these tips are sure to help you take your best shot.

Don’t Opt Out

You may feel hesitant about posting your photo, especially if you are hoping to start a deep, committed relationship based on true compatibility. But seeing your photo will help humanize you to potential partners and allow them to experience the initial sparks of attraction.

Make it Accurate

The biggest mistake singles make with online dating is trying to conceal unflattering truths. Nobody is flawless and nobody honestly expects perfection. Using outdated, doctored, or cleverly cropped photos may seem to help you initially, but in the long run, many people will see a deceptive photo as a breach in trust.

Consider Using a Professional

Although our professional consultants take high quality photos of our own Members, we still encourage everyone to consider using a professional portrait. That’s because professionals have the kind of vision and equipment to help present the most attractive, authentic sides of you. A professional quality photo will guarantee picture perfect results.

Dress Your Personal Best

No need for a tux and tails, but be sure to look your best in your profile picture. Even if you’re shy, trying to look nice demonstrates a commitment to taking your love life seriously, so avoid wearing sweatshirts, caps, or torn trousers. Gents ought to be clean-shaven or have facial hair groomed, and ladies who wear makeup ought to avoid layering it on too thick. Appearing comfortable but conscientious will cause potential partners to look your way.

Show Personality

Part of standing out in a sea of photographs is showing off your personality. Try to smile and pose the way you would upon meeting a close friend. Don’t strain too hard to look classy, impressive, or alluring—just act naturally and take enough shots to give yourself options when it comes to choosing.

Happy Dating!

Dating Advice From the Heart

For some people, advice comes easy. We love our friends and family so wholly, that understanding their needs and best interests is intuitive. Considering their desires and fears, and understanding just how much they deserve, we listen to and support our loved ones with insight and empathy. So why is it, that even for naturally gifted helpers, taking one’s own advice is rarely instinctive?

Obviously, emotion takes its toll. Especially in matters of the heart, our head sometimes simply will not cooperate with our feelings. Dating is particularly tricky, because no two relationships are the same. The advice you offer a friend may not appropriately be applied to your own relationship, despite certain similarities. So in addition to heightened emotional stakes and a lack of objective distance, there is rarely a kind of cookie-cutter advice that will be useful in any dating situation.

So what do you do if you’re the one to whom your social circle turns for help? What of the times when you are in need of personalised, compassionate wisdom? Whether your relationship is new, or you’re experiencing new challenges in a comfortable relationship, keep in mind that there is one relationship in your life that will always remain consistent—the one you have with yourself. While you may not be able to turn off the swirling feelings and trying circumstances, you can still count on your own wisdom.

Ask yourself: What advice would I give to my sister? My father? My friend? Think through the process of giving good advice to others—what does the advisee feel, need, and deserve? Listen to your own feelings without judgement, and apply the same patience and concentration you would give to a friend in need. It may even help to write out the advice as if directed to a loved one. This way, you can look it over if you begin to feel lost or anxious again.

Of course, not all advice is born of pain. Relationships, more often than not, are fulfilling, satisfying, and challenging in a way that causes constant growth. Be sure to celebrate your personal happiness and victories with the same thoughtful enthusiasm.

Happy Dating!

Ask a Top MatchMaker: Who Pays?

I’ve just started my Membership with TopMatch and am excited to have my first introduction this upcoming week. It has been a rather long time since my last First Date, and I suspect the standards of etiquette have changed a bit. Does the gentleman still pay for dinner and drinks, or is it more modern to split the cheque each time? I want to make my date feel comfortable and respected.

Kind thanks,
S in London.

Great question! Many people are intimidated when they first emerge onto the dating scene after a long hiatus. The important thing to remember is that, while fads and fashions change, respect never goes out of style. If your actions stem from a place of mutual respect, you will rarely go wrong.

When it comes to footing the bill, it is almost always polite to at least offer to pay. While traditions often encouraged the male to pay every time, many people today prefer to split or trade off on paying cheques. Whatever your ideas about gender roles and dating, picking up the cheque is, in essence, a simple gesture of appreciation. Offering to pay shows appreciation for the company, so if your date prefers to pay, you must always be sure to express gratitude in your own way. Tell him or her that you really enjoyed the meal, and would be happy to pay on the next date. You may also offer to buy dessert or drinks as a show of thanks. At the very least, a simple and sincere ‘thank you’ ought to be enough.

If you should like to pay the bill, simply say so. “Please allow me to pay,” or “Dinner is on me,” will do nicely. Should your date offer to split the bill you should express appreciation, and say something like, “That is very kind of you, but not at all necessary. If you would really like, perhaps you can buy me a drink sometime?” This shows a progressive view of dating whilst also opening conversation about a second date.

So long as you avoid fighting someone on the issue, there shouldn’t be a problem. If your date insists on paying or splitting the cheque, do not make an argument out of it. Though it is not common, some people may feel patronised if not given the chance to pay their share. Regardless of your own views, always be prepared to pay for at least your portion of the bill and make value judgements later.

In short, be prepared to pay, be agreeable about splitting, and always say thank you. You’ll do just splendid!

Happy Dating!

What’s Your Dating Personality?

Team TopMatch is proud to announce the creation of our new Dating Compatibility Test. Based on the theories of today’s most revered social scientists, our assessment uses a series of simple questions to place you in one of four personality types. While some personalities do best with similar types of partners, others will be happiest dating complementary types. Which is right for you?

Once you take the assessment, you will receive results that reveal your personality type as well as the personalities that make your best romance match. Whilst these results will not automate your search for love, they may offer clarity and insight that will assist you along the way. Often, when we have difficulty meeting that perfect partner, it is because outside factors cloud our best judgement.

For many singles, it is challenging to separate ideas of what they want and need from the context of past relationships. They measure personality types by the people they have known and dated, and often rule out those who remind them of failed partnerships. While it is always valid to honour one’s feelings and learn from the past, dwelling too much on other relationships can cause us to miss out on potentially positive connections.

Well-meaning friends and family can also be a burden to our love lives, especially if we take what they say too seriously. Whether they are simply too kind to tell the truth, or overbearing in their judgement of our partners, people with subjective views of us are not always the most reliable for matchmaking and dating advice.

Ultimately, we encourage singles to trust their instincts and keep open minds when it comes to meeting new people. The very best thing you can do is check in on your own desires and expectations and keep them in mind as you proactively approach your dating future.

Ready to take the Dating Compatibility Test? Keep an eye on our homepage and be among the first.