Sarah's advice: writing a response

Why does mysinglefriend.com work so brilliantly? Well, the clue's in the title; it's because your friends are involved. Having a friend write your description means that potential dates see the real you and it also places you within a context, that of a sociable and delightful type with lots of pals. Once your friend has done their bit, you might think you can sit back and wait for the offers to come flooding in, but you do have a bit of responsibilty and that's writing your response. It's as important as your description and gives you even more of an opportunity to flaunt your fabulousness. Here are my top response writing tips.

Write something...

I'm always suprised by the amount of people who leave the box blank, or just write 'Thanks Sharon!' or even just 'x'. If you want a date, you'll have to do better than that. If you really find it hard to write about yourself, a sentence or two is better than nothing. And remember, you can always alter your response, so if you feel too pressured to write something great during the sign-up process, you can take your time over it and add it later.

...but not an essay

Be prepared to edit yourself. You want to tell us about your personality and interests, but potential dates don't need (or probably want) to know about the time you got a flat tyre on the A46 between Nailsworth and Bath. A couple of paragraphs of upbeat, witty entertainment is what's needed.

Tell us about yourself

Talk about yourself, your hobbies, your favourite film, your favourite book, your favourite member of Take That, the places you like to go on holiday, the type of jokes that make you laugh, all those little details that make you tick. And talk about the type of person you'd like to meet, as well. Just writing 'Thanks Sharon. If you'd like to know more, get in touch' doesn't really cut the mustard because, whilst vaguely mysterious, it won't make you stand out from the crowd.

Avoid the cliches

If your profile starts with 'Well, what can I say?', includes the words '...but I'm just as happy staying in with a bottle of wine and a DVD', and mentions meeting for a 'cheeky vino/rioja/mojito' then you need a serious edit. These phrases are some of the most overused when writing responses, so try and avoid them. You know you're an utterly unique and fascinating individual, so let us know it too.

Please get in touch if you've got any thoughts on the types of responses you like to read, or having any online dating questions that you'd like answering. Happy Bank Holiday!