Online Personal Ads - A How-To Guide
By Devon McCollum

Looking at the Men Seeking Men ads always get my testosterone going. I get such a kick out of cruising the online personal ads with pictures, checking out all the cute guys looking for a date. It takes creativity and nerve to put a successful pitch together.

The number one rule when creating a personal ad is simple: Be honest. State a fair representation of yourself. The size queen that hooked up with you for your physical endowment will probably be disappointed if you've been liberal in your measuring. Height, weight, likes, and dislikes should be right on. HIV pos or negative status is a good thing to include.

Try to avoid being negative. "I take care of my body - you should, too" sounds better than "No fatties", doesn't it? Not everyone is an Abercrombie & Fitch model...unfortunately. Be sure you spell check the ad. Try to put some of your personality into the ad and make it positive and hot.

If you've browsed the ads, certainly you've seen pictures with a couple of people in them. "I'm the guy on the right" doesn't cut it. Is that the ex I'll hear about for months when we're dating? Unless you are posting an ad as a couple, try to put a pic of you...although I might ask you about your friend! You should post a picture online, as the response rate is always higher with a picture.

When responding to an online personal ad, try to have a phone conversation with him before you meet. At least try to chat on your AOL/CompuServe messenger or ICQ so you can get a preview of what the date will be like. Always meet in a safe place the first time. Most importantly, get out there and have a good time!

Copyright 2002 Fun Online Corporation.

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