What should you reveal about yourself on an online dating profile?

Grabbing someone's attention is a must when online dating. After all, you will not get very far if you fail to stand out and say anything of note.

But on the other hand, you must balance this with the possibility that you could reveal too much about yourself too early and put people off the idea of going out on a date with you, or getting to know you better via the web.

So there is certainly a skill to setting the right impression and getting people interested in you from the very start.

Among the subjects you might want to touch upon in your profile are your hobbies and interests, where you live and what you do for a living. Not only are these important details that a prospective date will want to be aware of, they make it easy for conversations to be started as daters can ask about your thoughts on these issues.

You can set out some very loose guidelines about what you are looking for in a date, but do not appear to be too picky. If you are, you might put people off the idea of getting in touch, despite them potentially being great matches.

It can also be wise to be honest about your family commitments, such as whether you have any children. There are some people who will not be looking for someone with ties, so it is better to eliminate their interest instantly rather than build a relationship and then have to reveal this detail.

Subjects you should steer well clear of include previous relationships and money, as whether you have plenty or not enough, it is unlikely to be a factor that helps you find Mr or Miss Right.

There are many thousands of people who are now trying their luck on online dating sites, so coming up with the ideal profile to stand out from the crowd should be a priority for everyone.