Dating in general is not easy; so tons of men and women have opted to go the online dating route. But here’s a newsflash: Online dating is not easy, either.

If you want to make sure that you meet the right person when you’re on an online dating site our friend, a professional speaker, author, relationship coach Alex Wise from Loveawake dating site suggest you to take into consideration the things you need to avoid if you don’t want to be red-flagged.

When you decide to respond to someone and use a “form” response – that is, a letter that has no specific reference to the person you’re writing to – you can bet that they will not only feel like a number, they probably won’t bother with you.

When you write to someone, make sure you mention something positive about their profile or picture that reflects that you’ve been paying attention.

It’s bad enough if you write up negative things about everyone and their mother, but do you really need to do it IN CAPS. Caps indicate that you’re yelling in the online world, so you can bet you’ll get red flagged by most if not all people online because the last thing they want is to date someone who is constantly raising their voice.

Avoid writing anything in caps at all costs because you will be red flagged and you will not get any responses that will lead to anything good.

ICumForYou69 or CantBeFaithful will not score you big points in the online dating world, so if you’re using anything remotely close to this, there’s a good chance you’ve been red flagged by many.

Try to use a name that defines you in a friendly way. Something like ShapeOfMyHeart or LatteAddict would work well.

You will get dismissed in a heartbeat if you don’t list your height, weight, or body type simply because online dating is about attraction before anything else. And if you don’t enter those things, one will assume it’s because the truth is horrifying.

There is someone out there for everyone, so even if you don’t fit the typical mold, don’t be ashamed of who you are. Enter your stats and you’ll be surprised how many people will respond to you.

You’re looking for someone between 22 and 23 who like to eat boiled eggs every day. Guess what? You will get no responses because not many people will fit that criteria.

List what you absolutely want (no smokers, drinkers) but ease up on the absolute specifics. Relationships are about compromise and you won’t even know what you’re willing to let slide until you meet that special someone.

When anyone starts a profile speech with things like “I hate” or “I don’t want”, it sends out a negative vibe and you will come off as a negative person. And not even negative people want to be around other negative people.

Instead focus on what you do want from a relationship. There’s no sense in listing off everything you hate about the opposite sex.

Even if the last 6 exes cheated on you, this is not the place to advertise that. The person reading your profile will think something is amiss with you, not them.

We al come to the table with some form of baggage, but don’t go into online dating with 3 pieces of luggage and two carryons; no one will even bother.

While some people think that taking a photo with friends, their cat or even grandma might make them seem empathetic and more friendly, it actually does the opposite.

If you’re in a picture with a friend of the opposite sex, you have no idea how the person viewing it will react, and if you’re with friends of the same sex, the person checking your profile might think they’re better looking and will want to meet them instead.

As for animals and grandma, well, the point is to sell yourself looks-wise so hugging Fluffy or having your arm around grandma doesn’t sell you esthetically.

Writing “no liars or players” will only make you seem the rest of the people playing the online game. Not only that, but such a statement also might demonstrate that that’s what you’re accustomed to.

“Long walks on the beach” also fits into this category because, well, it makes it seem like you have no sense of original thought and just regurgitate what you’ve seen online.

Try to say something that’s unique to you like “I am like Edward Cullen when it comes to the woman I want. I will worship her.”

This might work well for those looking for a one-night stand, but if you’re clearly not on a site that caters to that, then you might want to hold off on the “I cum for you” jargon or usernames for a while.

Opt instead to use this opportunity to get to know someone before you hop into virtual bed with them. The last thing you want is for people to block you because you’re so vulgar.

Online dating isn’t easy, no doubt, but with these tips on what to avoid, you can bet that I’ve managed to make it that much easier for you. Thank me later.