It’s amazing how many people will complain that they’ve had no luck with online dating and then I’ll take a look at their profile and there won’t be any pictures and most of the fields aren’t filled out.

“I don’t want my picture up on a dating site,” they say. There’s no way you’re going to find great people to date online if you don’t have enough commitment to post at least one picture and fill out 90% of the fields on your profile page.

You might also be interested in our single parent dating category!

The thought of re-entering the dating scene as a mature single man or woman can be a pretty scary proposition.

Remember, this is pure written communication so without the added help of body language and tone of voice you need to give a bit more oomph to your words to get the desired impact and a response.

As mentioned in point 1, you need to personalise it.

I was doing research for a dating service branding project, but I took away two things I didn’t expect: first, that online dating sites (depending on which ones you join) are actual full of great people who are looking for an alternative to clubs and bars for meeting new people, and second that there are some oft-overlooked tricks to online dating that, according to many of the conversations I had, most people are not using. Make use of them, and you (and your date) should have a much more pleasant experience (and maybe you’ll find the girl or guy or transgendered person you’ve been looking for)! Do not, I repeat, DO NOT pretend to be something you are not while online dating.

I actually felt the same way about it until I undertook a research project a year and a half ago that led me to join 18 different dating sites, going on a date with a girl from each one.

There are many qualities you possess that could offset the age barrier so don't let anything hold you back - your happiness is at stake here!

For instance, you're far more wiser, interesting and experienced in life than when you were 20 years old.

To help you overcome these nerves, this week I've asked Would Like To Meet.me's Charlie Hoole to give you some tips from a female perspective. We know sending that first message can be the most intimidating element to online dating, but it needn't be. If you have shared interests or there's something they've mentioned that you can enquire about, start there; my own fascination with the Sexy Sax Man from The Lost Boys always seemed to invite questions.

Well don't worry, these worries are perfectly natural and are things that go through the heads of all daters at one point or another. So I'm guessing you've set up your profile, started searching for the man/woman of your dreams, and found someone who ticks your boxes. Well I'm afraid telepathy is a rather unreliable form of communication so you'd best get cracking on putting fingers to keyboard and wooing with your words. Make an effort, read their profile properly, and reference elements of it in your messages.