After much nail-biting and pacing, youve finally made the decision to join an online dating service. Now you face the seemingly monumental task of writing your personals ad. Sheesh, you say. How do I do thisespecially when the personals youve taken the time to read through are so, well, lets be honest, awful. All those abbreviations! All those long paragraphs! All the fluff that a over-sexed seventh-grade boy could see right through!

The trick to writing personals ads that get noticed are to be original and creative when it comes to writing yours. Think about it. Does a Volkswagen ad read like a Mercedes ad?

Of course not. Thats because though theyre both cars, they are completely different carsjust like two short, blonde women or two tall, brunette men. Other than sharing some physical characteristics and being the same sex, theyre going to be as different as a BMW and a Jeep.

So before you even start pecking away at the keyboard, think of yourself as a brand. This is easier for most people if they stick with the car metaphor. If you were a car, what kind would you be? If you consider yourself to be a Beemer, then your personals ad should be written to highlight your Beemer-ish characteristics. For example, youd want to include your love of fine white wines and Prada shoes.

On the other hand, if youre a Beemer wannabe (and dont feel bad, many of us are), dont give in to the impulse to describe yourself as Beemer. Not only does this set other people up for a disappointment when they find out you dont share their interests or meet their expectations, you may, worse, get stuck having to drink a lot of red wine at a cocktail party or theater when youd really, honestly prefer is cold beer, pizza and a movie.

After youve defined yourself as a brand and can describe yourself thoroughly, from your tires to your, er, headlights, youre ready to start writing that personals ad. Youve already done all the hard work, so the writing will be very easy. And you didnt think it would be, did you?

Some other things you want to keep in mind as you write your personals ad are:

Keep it positive. That is, unless you want to attract someone who reads Sylvia Plath poems for kicks. Which, hey, is no problem if thats your idea of a good time.

Be short and to the point. This isnt the place for your life history. Let that part come later.

While keeping it short, dont overdo the abbreviations. A few are fine, but too many are irritating.

Hit your high spots. If you have the sleek lines of a Jag, say so. If youre as trustworthy and loyal as a Toyota, speak up! Let your chrome wheels shine!

Voice your passions. Yep, if youre wild about 4-wheeling to the point youd rather than have mud on your tires than eat when youre hungry, dont be afraid to say so.

Creativity rules. Youre clever. Just that fact that youve found this marvelous way to meet people and find dates shows it! So you want to stay away from clichs in your writing, and think of new, fresh ways to describe yourself and your attributes. Saying youre loyal will most likely get a yeah, yeah, but say that when it comes to your friends, you stick like mud on tires, now that will have people eager to know more about you.

Following these tips will help you write a personals ad that wont just be noticeditll guarantee you not only get replies, youll get dates!