Valentine’s Day is around the corner, and it’s both an exciting time for couples and romantics, but can also be a stressful time for singles and those who are newly dating, and haven’t defined their relationship status.

On Spectrum News 1, I joined Afternoon Beat host Kelvin Washington to talk about some ways to speed up your search, and find a Valentine’s date online.

1. Update Your Profile – Mention You Like Valentine’s Day

If you’re a hopeful romantic and love Valentine’s Day, it’s not time to put your head under the covers.

If you log on and update your profile, be bold and say, “I’m an incurable romantic, and love Valentine’s Day. It sends a message that you’d be open to meeting someone on or before Valentine’s Day.

I also recommended wearing something red for the season. After all, red is the color of love, and research backs up that profiles where women wear red do get more views.

2. Check Who Has Viewed Your Profile

If you’d like to send a message that will have a greater chance of getting a reply, on the Match app, you can see who has viewed your profile. If they’ve checked you out, but didn’t have time to write to you, it’s a good chance that your digital nudge just might turn into a date.

3. Be Online During Rush Hour

Depending on where you live, chances are being stuck in traffic during morning or afternoon drive is pretty unpleasant.

For online dating and mobile dating apps, being logged on during “Rush Hour,” is a traffic jam you’ll want to be in leading up to Valentine’s Day.

So when is Rush Hour, and how can you stand out even more?

Rush hour is the busiest on Sunday evenings, and according to OkCupid, their Rush Hour starts as early as 2pm on Sundays. I’ve found Monday nights, or just about any night when you’re home from work to find the most active users.

If you want to stand out more during Rush Hour, for less than the price of a cup of coffee, you can sign up for OkCupid’s Boost, which will give you 30 minutes of time to appear more frequently for $1.99, Match’s Boost, where you’ll be seen by three times more for $2.99 for a one-hour period, Tinder’s Boost, where you can “skip the line” and show up as a top profile for 30 minutes for $3.99, and Bumble’s new Spotlight feature, which costs two coins, or about $3.00.

4. Log On More Frequently

After you’ve tweaked your profile, viewed your matches and those who have already viewed your profile, sent out a few messages, it’s time to keep your app open for a while.

The reason I suggest not logging out, is because profiles with the most activity tend to be favored by the mysterious and magical dating algorithms, and you simply will show up more often to potential dates.

5. Take Your Relationship From Online to Offline

Chatting and texting can be fun, but it’s time to meet IRL (in real life), so suggest meeting for coffee, swapping digits and having a conversation.

It’s time to avoid becoming just a digital pen pal to someone you’ll never meet.

Life is too short to have an empty date card, when there are so many easy ways to find a quality date online.

Wishing you much love and joy in cyberspace, or wherever you may swipe or roam on Valentine’s Day.

Julie Spira is America’s Top Online Dating Expert and Digital Matchmaker. She was an early adopter of the Internet and has been coaching singles on finding love online for over two decades.

FOLLOW @JulieSpira on Instagram

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The number of singles dating over 50 is growing at a rapid rate, with new members joining online dating apps in record numbers. An OurTime Singles Over 50 Survey showed that 72% of singles over 50 say they’re open to finding love in the future., but almost half of all singles 50+ went on a date in the past five years.

On the Today Show, I shared how singles can create an Irresistible Profile, by posting my worst dating profile and comparing it with my best dating profile with Maria Shriver.

Watch the video below for highlights

The three tips we shared include:

Tip 1: A Photo is Worth 1000 words.

BAD PROFILE: As you can see in my ineffective profile below, I’ve included photos with a group of people, which is confusing to a potential date, and a selfie wearing dark glasses, which shows there could be something I”m hiding, instead of looking into the eyes of the man of my dreams.

Ditch the Bikini Photos if You’re Looking for a Serious Relationship

There is so much wrong with wearing a bathing suit in your dating profile. A selfie wearing a bikini top is a mistake, as it’s just viewed as a bra or lingerie with different material.

Plus, are there bedroom eyes behind those shades? It sends a message that a hookup is a possibility, which is not the intention.

Post Photos of Activities You Love

GOOD PROFILE: If you post photos of the activities you like doing, and caption them, it gives a formal hint to your date of possible places to take you. In this case, music is a big part of my life, and I caption it by asking someone to request a song.

For the dates who fear meeting a golf widow, posting a golf photo shows I’d like to go to the driving range with a date, or perhaps take a lesson when my date is playing a round of golf

Tip #2: Focus on the Positive

As shared on the Today Show, I compared a bad profile filled with so much negativity and an exhausting wish list. It would send someone running for the hills. How many men are really 6’+ tall? Perhaps 10-15%.

Instead, I shared one that’s realistic and easy for someone to feel like they can step up to the plate, by opening a door and having an intellectual conversation.

Tip #3 Keep Your Wish List Short and Sweet

Maria decided to keep her list simple, and desired someone who’s kind, fun, smart, funny, and smart, and we uploaded a photo of her showing her award-winning smile.

Click here to watch the full segment

It’s peak season for online dating, so if you need your hand held, contact us to find out how Irresistible coaching will help you find your dream date.

Julie Spira is America’s Top Online Dating Expert and Digital Matchmaker. She was an early adopter of the Internet, and has been called “The Pioneer of Online Dating” by Cosmo. Julie coaches singles from Millennials to Baby Boomers on finding love in the digital age.

Follow @JulieSpira on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

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In today’s digital age, how do you define cheating? Where does it cross the line between friendly flirting, and something that could be more damaging to your relationship?

RELATED: HELP! MY BOYFRIEND CREATED A TINDER PROFILE

Is liking or commenting an attractive person’s posts on Facebook, Instagram, or other social media accounts a warning sign that your relationship is in trouble?

What if someone creates a dating app profile on Tinder, Bumble, OkCupid, Match, or Hinge? Does that mean they’re searching for greener pastures?

RELATED: WHY IS MY BOYFRIEND ON TINDER?

On Global News, I shared the signs of cheating, from following a hot model you don’t know on Instagram, to texting and private messaging your ex after hours, and to saving your relationship!

Watch this video below, and click here for the full article

RELATED: 5 TEXTING TIPS TO HELP IMPROVE YOUR RELATIONSHIP

Julie Spira is America’s Top Online Dating Expert and Digital Matchmaker. She’s the founder of Cyber-Dating Expert, and as an early adopter Internet dating, has been coaching singles on finding love online with her Irresistible Profiles for over two decades.

FOLLOW @JulieSpira on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

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Hang on to your digital hats and make your mobile phone your new BFF, as the momentum from Dating Sunday, the busiest day of the year, will now continue through the peak season, now through Valentine’s Day.


What happens on During Peak Season?

Peak season is one of the busiest times of the entire year for new signups and activity on dating apps, Know that you won’t be swiping alone and that your next match could be a click or swipe away.

Between breakups from last year, New Year’s resolutions including finding love, and the ticking countdown clock to Valentine’s Day, there’s a huge flurry of activity going on, and it’s time to join the digital party.

Here are four tips to help you fill up your date cards online right now, so you can meet someone to connect with offline in 2019.

RELATED: USA Today: ‘Dating Sunday’: The busiest day of the year for online dating is Jan. 6

1. Post New and More Photos.

When you post at least six photos, you’ll have a greater chance of someone reaching out or responding to you.

Most dating apps allow you to post six to 10 photos, and I encourage you to use all of the digital real estate available to shine and look your best.

The options usually allow you to snap a photo on your mobile phone’s camera, use existing photos from your camera roll, or often you can link to your Facebook or Instagram photos, to grab some of your favorite pictures.

Apps including Bumble and OurTime let you upload six photos, Match and OkCupid apps allow up to ten photos, and Tinder and Coffee Meets Bagel lets you post up to nine photos.

Which Photos Should You Post?

Did you get a new puppy? Post a few shots and let your potential date know the name of your four-legged friend in the caption. Women love photos of men with their puppies, but men shy away from women with cat photos.

If you’ve just returned from a great vacation, post some scenic shots and make sure to add the captions.

Try to keep the photos about you, and leave the party shots behind. Posting too many group photos can become confusing to those gazing at you, and I recommend that you toss out the photo wearing sunglasses and the selfie shots.

When you’re dating online, your profile needs to be about “you,” so your potential date she can start imagining becoming an “us” with you in mind.

The good news is you’ll start receiving notifications and comments about your photos, so you can see which ones are the most popular when it’s time to swap or rotate pictures. It’s also the perfect opportunity to write back to those who have complimented you.

2. Give your bio a digital facelift.

Many singles write a profile, toss up a few photos, and wait for all of the messages and push notifications to roll in.

RELATED: 5 Ways to Find Love Online and IRL in 2019

Being passive isn’t going to work, and neither does playing the waiting game. I’m here to tell you there’s no magic formula to attract “Mr. or Ms. Perfect instantly,” but this advice is as close as you’ll get. You MUST rewrite last year’s profile, which is now stale, and continue to update it from time-to-time, just like you do on social media.

To keep it simple, try rearranging your sentences to help boost your visibility, or tease your potential date with details of your upcoming vacation. I tell my clients they should always revise their profile with their latest travel photos. Even if your dream is to hike Mt. Kilimanjaro, snap a pic at a local hiking trail in your neighborhood and remember to caption it.

3. Use your mobile app and turn on push notifications.

Make sure you have the push notifications set to the “on” position on your dating app, so you can know instantly when someone is interested in you, or replies to your message.

Everyone is using their mobile apps to check texts, get calls, and scroll through their Instagram feed, so finding love on your phone is the most effective way to fill your date cards.

4. Start Scheduling Dates.

There’s been a lot of chatting back-and-forth, and not enough meeting in person. If someone interesting writes to you, don’t wait to write back. I say strike when the digital iron is hot and get a conversation going and put a date on the calendar.

If you don’t, someone else will, so start searching, swiping, get the convos going. It’s time to fill your date cards and schedule dates on your calendar with someone who’s been waiting to meet someone just like you.

If you need help to jump start your dating life, contact us to find out how our Irresistible Profiles can help you find your dream date.

Wishing you much love and joy in cyberspace, or wherever you may swipe or roam. xo

Julie Spira is America’s Top Online Dating Expert and Digital Matchmaker. She was an early adopter of Internet and mobile dating, and has been coaching singles on finding love online for over two decades.

FOLLOW @JulieSpira on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

SIGN UP for the FREE Weekly Flirt newsletter for dating advice delivered to your inbox.

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