Remember the personal ads at the back of the Saturday paper? You paid by the line, so you squashed a whole life into a few words and hoped for the best. Thankfully, things have moved on. An online profile lets you say as much or as little as you like, in your own time, with a cuppa at your elbow.
Plenty of us freeze when asked to write about ourselves. The trick is to forget about impressing anyone and simply tell a few stories, the kind you would tell over a sausage sizzle.
Where did you grow up, and where has life taken you since? Are you a footy fanatic, and if so, which code, and are you prepared to defend it? Do you bowl on a Saturday, grow your own tomatoes or make a pavlova that wins arguments? Kids, grandkids, a dog that thinks it owns the couch? A short, funny story about your pets or your travels says far more than a list of adjectives.
A couple of subjects are best kept for later. Long stories about past marriages can make a reader wonder whether you are ready to move on, so keep it brief. Politics is another one. A dating profile is no place to start a debate that could outlast a federal election.
Still stuck? Write about what you would love to do with someone special. A trip around the country in a caravan, a winter escape up to Queensland, Sunday lunch at your favourite pub, or simply watching the sunset from the verandah. Using "we" and "us" now and then helps a reader picture themselves there beside you.
Above all, be honest, be cheerful and be yourself. The right person will like you just the way you are.