When to Lie in Your Profile.

After a solid month of posting on my blog, I realized I enjoy blogging immensely. Saving up material for a month is taxing. Getting inspired by a news story and writing an article that goes online seconds later is exhilarating. And I want to share my exhilaration with you. So be sure to check out Advice From a Single Dating Expert for new material every single day. Letters from readers. Hot new dating sites. And, as always, my honest opinion on how you can get the most out of your love life.

Happy reading and warmest wishes,

Evan

In this issue:

Dear Evan,

I am 45, living in NYC and just getting over a relationship...it ended really well and we are good friends. So we shared an apt together and when we ended it I moved back with my folks to take my time hunting for a new place and to visit. Then my father got cancer and I am helping care for him. How do you put that in a profile? And when women see "living with Parents/extended family" that must be a red flag for sure.

Any advice?

Alan

Click here to read my surprising answer:

I've got two tips this month. One has to do with sex. The, other, with perspective. Let's get to the perspective part first, or you'll never even read the sex one...

As Valuable as Your Options

Because the greatest frustration in online dating is the number of people who don't write back, I wanted to help make sense of it. So here's the deal:

It's not that you're not a great catch; it's that the person you're attracted to is also a great catch…and he/she has more options than you might think.

Click here to read how you're as valuable as your options:

When do You Do the Deed?

No doubt about it: The first time a woman beds down with a guy she's crazy about is an exciting and special time. Still, the question remains: When? Well, it depends. Some women are happy to get down to business the night they meet; others will wait weeks or months before doing the deed. Whatever a woman's decision, we had to wonder: Does the double standard still exist today? In other words, if a woman knocks boots with a guy too soon, does she automatically nix her chances for long-term love—or is that old-fashioned nonsense in today's modern-day dating scene? To find out, we grilled three women about the ups and downs of when they get down to business... and what they said may surprise you.

Click here to read when a woman should sleep with a man:

Either you or someone you know has a hard time meeting people. And two of the most common obstacles that I've seen are age and disability. Which is why I think it's great that there are increasing numbers of businesses that cater to alternative demographics.

Here are two articles that talk about these trends.

For people over 40:

For people with disabilities:

And if these pieces don't apply to you, please forward them to a friend or family member who could benefit. They'll be grateful that you're thinking of them, I assure you.

All the News That's Fit to Print

My good luck continued in March as a reporter from the Sunday New York Times did a feature about online dating coaching services. I was interviewed for the article, as was my client, Marianne, who just returned from a Caribbean vacation with her boyfriend.

Many thanks to Marianne, and the Times, for painting this small industry in an extremely flattering light.

Click here to read how Marianne found love (with a little bit of help):

Highbrow Journalism from Cleveland

An extremely well-written piece by John Campanelli of the Cleveland Plain Dealer on a subject near and dear to my heart: online dating profiles. I swear, if John isn't working on a book right now, I'm gonna ask him to work for E-Cyrano. Look at that use of detail!

Click here to read how John Campanelli writes more like a novelist than a reporter.

An email from a former private client that I worked with in 2006.

See for yourself why she's a little wiser than the rest of us.

Hi Evan -

Just wanted to check in and let you know the results of my Match personals experience. I dated a few of the regular candidates - fascinating men with absolutely no potential for long-term anything. Then I met Sam in October and have been dating him ever since. Of course, I want to throw him (or myself) off a cliff at least once a day, but on the plus side, he's around my age (56), in good health, very smart - and he wants to be in a relationship. So I'm trying to look over/under/around his tendencies and I remind myself (frequently) that I don't want to be 60, 70 or 80 and still looking for that one perfect match. We all need a reality check after being weaned on fairy tales and told "not to settle".

Even if it doesn't work out, I know I can go back to Match and I have a great personal to make visible again. I really am very happy with it; it's the sales version of the real me - a little photo shopped, a little wordsmithed, but very recognizable.

Thanks for your help - hope all is well with you!

Betsy

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