Photos

The most important aspect of your online dating profile is the photo. While visual-based dating apps like Tinder have made the photo the only determining factor in whether to swipe left or right, photos have always played a crucial role in how many times your profile gets viewed and by whom.

Does this seem shallow, or turn you off of online dating altogether? It shouldn’t. Let’s face it – when you meet someone in real life, the first thing you notice is what he or she looks like. The difference is, while you might not initially be attracted physically, having a chance to interact in person could change your opinion. Chemistry is elusive – you might want it with someone who looks a certain way, but actually have it with another who isn’t your type. But you don’t know until you meet face-to-face.

Which is why you want to give yourself the best advantage by including photos that will make people stop and take a second look at your profile, regardless of whether or not you feel you look like a model. The point is – you want to get to the actual in-person meeting to make that determination. But you have to get past the screening process first – a.k.a., the photos.

Here are some tips:

Accentuate your unique features – even the ones you don’t like. Think your unruly hair will turn people off? Think again. OkCupid did a study, and as it turns out, online daters have really varied tastes! Most are interested in people with unusual features rather than just ordinarily attractive features – so emphasize your curvy hips or regal nose. It will get you more attention.

Look into the camera. Most people prefer online dating prospects to look at the camera, and to smile. It looks much more inviting and engaging.

More is more. Posting a slew of selfies isn’t a great way to create your online dating profile, but you do want to post more rather than fewer photos. Have a friend take some varied shots that you can sort through later. Go outside where the best light is, and where you can have a little more fun with the camera.

Vary your poses, and do a close-up. You might not be comfortable in front of a camera, but you don’t want to make potential dates work hard to figure out what you look like. Embrace a close-up photo so your face is clear, and incorporate a body shot so you don’t look like you are trying to hide. Don’t pose with friends – this is a solo act.

Show your active side. Do you like to climb rocks, play volleyball, or strum a guitar? You’re much more likely to get messages if you have a visual of what you love to do.

Show your playful side. A big trend in online dating is to not take yourself so seriously. You are looking to meet people and have a good time, so it’s good to be a bit more playful and creative with your photos. People want to see your personality up front – so do that silly pose. Have more fun.

How many potential dates do you think clicked on your profile, only to have their eyes glaze over when they saw your mediocre profile photo? Dozens? Hundreds? Maybe even thousands?

Of course your picture isn't the most important thing, but anyone who tries to tell you it isn't an important thing is either lying to you or lying to themselves. If your photos aren't up to par, you’re putting yourself at a serious disadvantage.

Before you book yourself time with a pricey photographer, know that professional headshots are absolutely unnecessary. All you need is to learn a few online dating photo hacks that make you look like a pro.

1. Go for quality, not quantity. One amazing photo will serve you better than 10 crappy ones. Your priority, of course, should be your profile picture. No filters, strange effects, or bizarre cropping. If you can only manage one photo, nail this. If you can post several, use the selection show off your face, your body, and your personality.
2. Don't be shy. You've seen the profile pictures that are taken from so far away you can barely tell there's a figure in them. And don't even get me started on the pictures of pets. Your profile photo is the time to get up close and personal with your real self. Don't post anything that requires a magnifying glass to verify that you are, in fact, in the picture. And unless you're looking for a mate for your cat (preferably also a feline), it should only appear in pictures alongside you.
3. Practice makes perfect. Camera shyness is totally cool. It happens. Professional models rock it when they get in front of the lens because they have tons of experience under their belts. If you get nervous when the camera comes out, spend some quality time with your mirror. Figure out your angles. Practice your poses. Learn how to put your best foot (or in this case "face") forward.
4. Play make-believe if it helps. Pretend the camera is someone you're flirting with. Imagine the confidence-boosting things they're saying to you. Go ahead and say them to yourself out loud, if you want. Do whatever it takes to get yourself feeling good and, as they say in the biz, make love to the camera.
5. Show off the right side – which is probably your left. Here's a fun fact: a study published in the journal Experimental Brain Research found that the left side is your best side, because it's more emotionally expressive. Is it a foolproof conclusion? Of course not. But it can't hurt to try.

Let’s face it, we human beings are visual creatures. When you meet someone new in person, what’s the first thing you do? Most likely, you look at him and decide on how attractive he is. Would you pursue him if you had an opportunity?

This type of superficial behavior is pretty standard. Most of us assess and judge others according to their appearance. The soaring popularity of apps like Tinder give us evidence that even in the digital age when we can get more information on almost anybody we meet if we just took the time to Google them – we prefer to say yes or no based on their looks.

Case in point: in the two years Tinder has been on the market, smartphone sales have gone up dramatically, which means more people have access to the app. The statistics speak for themselves. Tinder processes more than a billion swipes daily, matches more than 12 million people in the same amount of time (only a fraction of the overall swipes are mutual however), and though the company won’t release information on the number of users, sources say it could be as large as 50 million active users.

More important than people signing up for Tinder is the fact that they use it – as regularly (if not more often) as other popular social media like Facebook or Pinterest. According to a recent article in The New York Times, on average, people log in to the app 11 times a day. Women spend as much as 8 and a half minutes on it, while men spend 7.2 minutes (sorry guys). If you add it up, that’s almost 90 minutes per day.

But is the phenomenon of Tinder purely based on our basic animal instincts? Are we really only looking for someone who is physically attractive, or who embodies a physical ideal of some sort?

Maybe not. Many of Tinder’s users (mostly men) are looking to rogue apps like Tinderoid that manipulate Tinder’s database so they can “swipe right” to multiple profiles at once without even looking at a single photo. They are looking to increase their odds of matching with a woman, rather than looking for someone they find physically appealing. But what is the goal - is it just to hook up with more women? Maybe, but that’s another matter.

Tinder is a vehicle for meeting more people, and works a lot faster than your traditional online dating process. Maybe it’s appeal is not just about the photos, but instead due to the vast quantity of people you can “pick and choose” anytime, anywhere - and how quickly you can match and meet up.

The real question is: does it improve the overall dating experience? The jury is still out on that one.

I've got good news for Apple fans. If using the Match app on your iPhone and iPod Touch just isn't enough for you, you can now get your fix on your iPad, too. Match has just announced a brand new, redesigned, fully maximized app for the the larger iDevice with iPad-optimized functionality.

Check out the new app in the App Store or at Match.com and get the scoop on its robust features below:

See Endless Photos With Stream

Stream is an iOS-exclusive feature that uses an innovative algorithm to serve up photos of singles. Stream finds the members closest to you and highlights photos in their profile in addition to the primary profile pic. Because the iPad has a larger screen, Stream can display multiple pictures at once. Ostensibly it's there to help you discover more of someone's personality, but let's be real: you're not looking for personality in the pics.

Make Quick Connections with Mixer

We live in an era of NOW, so Mixer aims to match you with potential partners at warp speed. Using geographic location, another exclusive algorithm, and your favorite swiping technology, Mixer makes it easier than ever to browse profiles.

Additional Features

Stream and Mixer are the big additions to the new Match App for iPad, but it's got plenty of other interesting ingredients to look forward to:

• Facebook sign-in: Signing into your Match.com account just got even easier. Now you can sign in using your Facebook credentials.
• Grid search: The impact of Pinterest is undeniable. Now you can see more singles at a time with Match's enhanced search view, which takes a cue from Pinterest's famous grid.
• Easier photo uploading: The snap-happy can now add photos from three different locations within the app's interface.
• In-app notifications: Stay even more connected in this hyper-connected world with in-app notifications.
• In-app purchasing: For the first time, you'll be able to purchase subscriptions and additional features while you're signed into your iPad app. How did it take Match so long to make it even easier to spend money on their products? Who knows, but you'll be glad you can when you're itching for an upgrade on-the-go.
• More ways to communicate: Your communication options are practically endless in the new Match iPad app. You can chat with potential dates throughout the entire app, from Stream, to your Daily Matches, and even directly from a member's photo. And there's no waiting – you can communicate from the second you start up the app.

If you want to put your best foot forward and drum up the most interest from potential partners, you won't be surprised to learn that it all comes down to your profile photo.

Okay, not all of it. Some people do actually read the words you painstakingly chose. But let's be real: the profile pic is the first thing someone sees, and it has a lot to do with how well you sell yourself online.

Before you start contemplating plastic surgery, remember that the perfect profile picture isn't about conventional beauty. There are plenty of other factors that go into a photo that catches eyes, and none of them have to do with how well you apply eyeliner or how much time you spend in the gym.

Zoosk conducted a study of 4,000 online daters and discovered some of the more unexpected elements that attract attention online:

• Yes, your pet is cute, but your furry friend is not helping you find a date. Photos with animals lower the average number of messages received by 53% for both men and women.
• Posing with human friends also lowers your average – by 42%.
• Women get a 60% boost in messages received if their profile picture is taken indoors.
• On the other hand, men get 19% more messages if their photo is taken outdoors.
• A full body shot is must, regardless of your gender. It'll give you a 203% bump in your incoming messages average.
• Ladies: your selfies earn you 4% more messages. Gentlemen: sorry, your selfies lower your incoming average by 8%.

What you're seeing here are some similarities, but also a couple of key differences. Take that last one: why is it we think it's normal for women to take selfies, but think it's vain for men to do the same thing? Shocker – we have double standards were beauty and gender norms are concerned.

Those double standards continue into the text of the profile. Zoosk's research came to the unsettling conclusion that honesty is the best policy for men, but that women should keep their mouths shut about the big issues until later on. Looking at the data, Zoosk found that:

• The words "separate" and "divorce" up men's incoming messages by 52%. Mentioning children means another 7% boost.
• For women, on the other hand, mentioning the same words causes the incoming messages average to drop by 7%.

So what does that mean? Does that mean women should hide their pasts while men should celebrate them? Does it mean that online dating is fundamentally broken?

What it really means, more than anything, is that online dating sites serve as a microcosm of society as a whole. Regardless of gender, double standards are firmly in place – and we'll never beat them online until we beat them offline.

For more on the dating site that commissioned the study you can read our review of Zoosk.

With millions of people signed up for online dating sites, making a memorable first impression is a must. And what makes the ultimate first impression?

Your photos, of course. Choosing the right selection of pictures could make or break your online dating experience. Here are 7 tips to set you on the right track:

1. More is more. Having just one photo on your profile isn’t going to cut it. The more photos you have, the better you’re able to show off who you really are (and at the end of the day that’s the point, isn’t it?). Use each photo as an opportunity to illustrate a specific side of your personality.

2. But sometimes, less is more. A busy background detracts from the most important part of the picture: YOU! Photos with multiple people have the same effect. Intense make-up and over-the-top clothing can also distract from the person underneath. Choose photos in which you’re the center of attention. If you have a favorite photo that doesn’t fit the bill, crop it until it does.

3. Mix it up. Do you look exactly the same in every…single…photo…? Yawn. Boring. Vary your poses, locations, and outfits. You probably have a good side (who doesn’t?), but a date isn’t always going to see you at exactly the right angle. Change things up. Variety is the spice of life, after all.

4. Make eye contact. Studies have found that the most popular online daters look directly into the camera and show teeth when they smile.

5. Don’t just go for the glamour shots. There’s no harm in having a picture that shows you at your best, but every single photo on your profile shouldn’t look like a modeling portfolio. Include photos that show off what you like to do for fun. What are your hobbies, passions, interests, dreams? Express them visually. Show emotion in your photos. Nobody wants to date duck face.

6. If you’re looking for fun, be fun. Some people turn to online dating to find love. But you’re not one of those people. You’re just looking for a little fun. So look like someone other people will want to have fun with! Brooding bathroom selfies aren’t going to convince anyone to come on a spontaneous roadtrip with you. Photos of the awesome costume you worn to that crazy party last weekend, on the other hand, might.

7. If you’re looking for something serious, take it seriously. No gratuitous shots of your abs, please. No ambiguous pics with guys or gals who may or may not be your ex, either. And no shots of that time you passed out, wasted, in the middle of the bathroom floor. Think about the message your pictures convey. Are you sending the right one?