Forget the bars – forget the clubs. You can meet people online in a safe way without having to get all dressed up. There’s nothing worse than meeting someone you believe to be compatible, then months down the road to realize there are huge value differences. Plus, you can skip the boring interview-style first dates because all the data has been laid out. Their passions, interests and goals are all online and ready to be searched for by like-minded people.

One nice feature about online dating is that once you’ve met a few people you might like to pursue, you’re able to take it at your own pace. If you feel comfortable, you can escalate emailing to chatting online to chatting on the phone, or meet up, if you so choose.

Since there’s millions of users, people are always on the dating sites – no matter day or night. This works out for those that work unusual hours or single parents that can’t easily leave the house, or those that dread the idea of hitting the bar or club again to hopefully get lucky and find someone that’s like-minded.

Because you can easily escalate from chatting to talking on the phone to meeting in person, you can be sure that you’re compatible with the person before moving onto the next step. You can avoid weird conversations and find people who share your same tastes, ideals and intellect.

Here’s how you can make the most out of using an online dating site. And just because it’s a dating site doesn’t mean you can’t make friends on there as well.

First, you need to find a few sites to sign up with. You can do a search on a search engine and it will come up with hundreds of sites. The sites you want to signup with will offer some form of a free trial, and you should be able to search for members. You can then start meeting people online.

Many dating sites also offer offline activities. They’re designed to let members get out and meet people in public and organized events, so that there’s no pressure. If you’ve been chatting with someone for a while, you’ll also be able to put a face to a name.

If you decide to meet someone for a one on one meet up, be sure to take some common sense precautions such as meeting in a busy place and telling your friends and family where you are headed. Just because you met them online doesn’t mean that you won’t ever meet any unscrupulous people.

The good news is that online dating has been the spark of many great marriages, strong friendships and babies. So, if you have a little room in your schedule and are want to meet new people, going the online route might just be your ticket.

And while there’s a multitude of things to think about, I’ve narrowed things down to the five most important things you can do to maximize your online dating success. Some might sound obvious, but bear with me; they’re important. So, here goes…

1. Always upload your photo. It doesn’t always have to be the most flattering picture you’ve ever taken, but you should always have a picture on your profile. Since the great majority of other members on a dating site will be posting pictures, it only makes sense that if you want to get any attention, you must post a picture of yourself. It might not be the most recent, but who cares, tell your viewers that you’re working on a new picture.

2. Create a captivating profile. This alone is the one important element that will make or break your online dating experience. Don’t simply say “Nice guy seeks down to earth girl to hangout with” – I’m already bored. Invest the time to say something about you, your lifestyle, your interests, what are your passions, and the person you’re looking to meet.

Remember to be upbeat and happy, confident and a spice of funny. If you’re hurt on the inside still from your recent breakup, keep it to yourself. A witty profile will go a long way if you’re trying to capture the intellectual types. If you’re seeking the happy-go-lucky types, tell about the activities that you both would enjoy. Humor is a great icebreaker. If you’re able to make them laugh, they’ll be much more likely to contact you.

3. Be active – be proactive. Don’t simply join a site, and then sit around expecting others to start contacting you. You need to be regularly searching the data of people that might be compatible so you can find people you like. Write them then and there, and tell them about why you believe you might be a good fit.

4. Write great emails. So, you’ve searched the database and found a person that looks very interesting. They have similar interests, but what in the world do you say to them? Well, apply the same rules to the first email as you did for the profile creation phase. Put some thought into it. If it appears that you didn’t even put the effort in to say something personal, or comes across as a bulk message, they’re probably not going to respond. Give some details away about who you are, what you like, and why you think you might be compatible with each other. Use details that you just read about in their profile, make sure you sound interesting and always do a spell-check. If you want a sure-fire way to get ignored, be boring and downbeat.

5. And lastly, don’t forget to be checking with the site frequently. The reasons are two fold: Since there are hundreds of new members a day, you’ll be able to find new people. And another more important reason, but not very well known is that when you login your profile gets an extra priority boost. This means that when people search for specific things, your profile shows up higher on the search if you’re a frequent visitor and login to you account frequently. My recommendation is that you visit every site you’ve signed up with on a daily basis to check any messages and continue modifying your profile to make it better and better.

So, put those five tips into action and you’ll see results. Remember, have fun.

Here we go:

1. First, create a profile that has an introduction that will capture the attention of the opposite sex. Don’t push the envelope and overdo it, but keep it factual and fun. The idea is to reveal just enough information to get the reader interested and also for your safety online.

2. List what interests you and be sure to include specifics about what you like. For example, if you enjoy hiking, list what clubs you’re a part of or great places you’ve been.

3. Keep your descriptions simple and easy to read. Remember that, in their mind, you’re still a stranger. Keep to adjectives to a minimum to avoid coming across as too phony.

4. Be unique. There’s nobody like you. Therefore, don’t blend in with the crowd and create a mediocre profile. Maintain your own individuality and create an online presence on the dating site.

5. Although tempting to use, leave the clichés alone. Try to truly be as original and sincere as possible, and understand that people can easily misinterpret your wording. Be sure to think what you’re saying through.

6. Nobody likes a bragger, and you won’t impress anyone. Being confident is an admirable quality, but there’s nothing that turns a potential date off faster than bragging. If you’re a good looking person, it will show in your photo. There’s no need to say that you’re hot. If you try to play the intelligence card, be certain that your grammar is perfect.

7. Negativity will kill your success. If you’re just out of a relationship and you’re lonely, depressed or frustrated, it will surface in your words and attitudes. People in the online dating community shy away from melodramatic people. Remember, dating is supposed to be fun, not depressing.

8. Hopefully you are using spell-check. You always want to be spell checking by opening up a word document and checking your profile for any errors.

9. I hope this is obvious but, tell the truth as often as you can. You can always reveal information that won’t end up harming you, such as who you are, your hobbies and passions, where you work, your family background… But for your own safety, don’t reveal how much money you earn or how many successful businesses you own, since that kind of information can be used to defraud you.

All in all, online dating is supposed to be fun. There’s a bunch of rules and techniques you can do to get more dates, and meet more people, but in the end it’s about your happiness. The real key is spending time tweaking and testing your profile. That’s the initial impression, and you certainly want to make a good one. Anything worthwhile takes time, and realize that if you want quality dates, you must give a quality and a like-able profile.