5 Profile Faux Pas Single Fathers Should Avoid

By Lori Bizzoco for SingleEdition.com

Dan, a hardworking father of eight-year-old twins, was single for over a year before he started dating again. "It's not that I didn't want to meet someone. I had no idea where to begin," he said. "I was married for 10 years."

For most single parents, the dating world has changed drastically since the days when they were single. Online dating, speed dating, and matchmaking have taken the dating world by storm. In order to catch up, Dan joined an online dating service but unfortunately, finding someone new wasn't as easy as everyone said it would be.

A careful review of Dan's information revealed some common mistakes that many single fathers make when looking for love online. The biggest of which is the online profile and photos. Remember, the only information that a woman has at this point is what you tell (or show) them. If you're ready for the world of cyber dating, follow these do's and don'ts to increase your odds of meeting someone new.

The Profile Pics
Dads, don't post a photo of your college beer chugging days or one where your overgrown chest hairs are hanging out of your favorite button down shirt. A clothed full-length body shot or a photo of your face is all you need. If you want to include a nice moment with you and your child, that's fine too. For the best impression, spend a few extra dollars and invest in professional quality headshots. One company getting rave reviews right now is . With photos that look natural and un-staged, the company claims that 87% of their clients report more dating success.

P.S. If you opt to include no photo, be forewarned that responses are usually low no matter how well you can write.


The Ex-Factor
Many men make confessions about their past relationships in their written profile. "I was married for 5 years to a woman who was a jealous, controlling tyrant." "I caught my ex in bed with my best friend." This is too much information for a stranger to hear. Also, off-limits is the honeymoon, wedding or photo with your ex-wife, no matter how good you looked in your tux that day. Now is the time to impress not cause unrest. You'd be surprised how often single fathers do this.

Mr. Unavailable
Jack, a single parent of three wrote in his profile that he owned his own business and lived bi-coastal two weeks out of the month. He also noted that the other two weeks, he spent with his children. He never mentioned that he was looking for someone to settle down with or that he'd be willing to stay in one place if he did meet the right person. His profile made him sound like a fantastic father and solid breadwinner but it was a red flag of a unavailability for the women interested in a serious, long-term relationship. If you're looking for a fling, there are easier ways than joining an online dating service. If you're serious about meeting someone new it's important to explain your intentions upfront.

Leave Sex Out of It
The last thing a woman wants to hear about is your ravenous appetite under the sheets. Yes, being a tiger in bed is great, but not in the beginning. You do deserve to live fully after being in a bad relationship for years or maybe you were in a healthy one that didn't work and now you're anxious to explore. But, talking about your libido won't increase the number of bachelorettes lining up at your door. Write a profile that will show the much more attractive, gentleman side of you.

Second Opinion
Single fathers are often too busy or proud to get a second opinion on their profile before posting it. If you feel modest about showing your family or friends your new way of looking for love, get over it. Instead, find a woman you trust to review what you wrote and give you some helpful advice. Ladies know what other women want. Having someone comment on your profile can increase your odds of finding love in the end.

From monitoring orgasms to locating clean bathrooms in your neighborhood, there seems to be an application for everything. But amidst all the hokey and often useless tools there are some real lifesaving and changing technologies, particularly where self-health management is concerned. We took a trip to the iPhone Apps Store, and found 5 helpful health applications for you. Take a look and see what we uncovered!

Health Trackers: One minute you're feeling fine, the next you start feeling that knee pain that seems to come and go. It's next to impossible to keep track of each new ache, pain and symptom that affects you in between visits to the doctor. Thankfully, there are several mobile gizmos that promise to remember your health history so you don't have to! iHealthTrax, MyHealthRecords and MyMedical each let you keep track of illnesses, allergies and historical medical records. Plus, they store information for physicians, emergency contacts and insurance providers in one central repository so you have it handy at all times.

Medical 4-1-1: For in case of emergency help, iTriage is the application that can save your life. This one has a comprehensive medical encyclopedia so you can check symptoms anywhere, anytime. The real benefits are the nationwide directory of hospitals and pharmacies in the United States, a listing of more than 750,000 physicians plus GPS technologies and emergency room waiting time lists that will get you to the right doctor in the nick of time!

Outbreak Alert: Finally we may be able to curtail the next bed bug, e coli or swine flu outbreaks thanks to iHealthMaps. Just download a version of the software and you never have to set foot into a dangerous health zone again. Using advanced interactive mapping technology, iHealthMap gives individuals disease outbreak and epidemic information in real-time. End-users are also encouraged to report outbreaks in their areas and get credited as "disease detectives" on the global map!

Butt Out: If you are a smoker you know how harmful the habit is to your health. But if you cannot kick it, MyLastCigarette may be just what you need to do so for good. Here's how it works - simply enter in details like your date of birth, when you started smoking and how many sticks you have a day and the system spits out readouts on nicotine levels, expected cravings and life expectancy. Daily motivation tips as well as tracking of your before and after progress will empower you along the way.

Stress Saver: When stress and pressure get the best of you, a therapist comes in handy but may not be there to calm you down 24/7. Enter, iCounselor Anxiety, a learning application that delivers stress reduction and management skills from real-life professionals. The system lets you enter in stress levels, and doles out thought- changing techniques to help alleviate that stress. Pick the solution that works best for you and learn new coping mechanisms that can help you change the way you handle pressure situations.

SingleEdition.com is the premier lifestyle destination for singles women and men of all ages who have never been married as well as those who are divorced, solo parents or suddenly alone.

Lori Bizzoco is a writer, journalist and blogger living in Brooklyn, NY. She is currently working on a memoir detailing how she found love in less than a year.