Online Dating Pet Peeves

No picture. Let's be honest, our first impression depends on the person's looks. If we are not attracted to them, we will hardly want to get to know them. If your profile does not have a picture, go and upload one, this will considerably increase your chances of meeting someone online.

Bad picture. What exactly do we mean by a bad picture? A picture that doesn't show your face (your abs/boobs may be fabulous, but your eyes must be in the picture, too). An old picture (you may look smoking hot in it, but you don't look the same anymore, deal with it and don't mislead people). A picture of you with a duckface or any other strange and unnatural expression (it's not cute, it just creeps people out). The list can go on an on.

Being clingy and not being able to take “no” for an answer. Being clingy is appreciated neither in real-life dating nor in it's online counterpart. Everyone needs personal space. And continuing to bombard someone with messages even after they've explicitly stated they don't want to communicate with you is basically harassment.

Bad openers. It is not enough to write “Hi” or “What's up” to make a person want to respond. “Hey, sexy” isn't likely to make them interested as well. A couple of sentences that explain why you've decided to send a message to this exact person will be nice (it will also show that you've actually read their profile).

Suggestive messages and odd requests. If a person's profile reads that they are interested in a serious relationship, they will hardly be happy to receive racy messages suggesting quick hook-ups, threesomes, or Skype sex. Perverts of all kinds are one of the biggest online dating pat peeves.

Lying. Meeting people online is risky because anyone can write anything, and it is very hard to tell if a person is telling the truth. However, the truth is usually revealed during the first “real-life” date. Needless to say that the second date with a liar will hardly happen. The habit of stubbornly withholding basic information doesn't make online daters particularly likeable, either.

Stupid pet names. Pet names are OK when people are in a relationship, but they are typically unwanted during the initial stages of communication. Ask the person you are talking to how they want to be addressed and don't invent any pet names.