A good screen name is important because it often is all a man has to go by, other than your photo, when he browses personals. If you get it wrong, you could attract the wrong kind of men or no one at all. This article pulls together dos and don'ts for your profile name with real-life examples.

Dos:

• Use initial capital letters to draw attention and help important words in your screen name stand out. Remember never to use just capital letters - this can come across as loud or aggressive.
• Be factual or give hints about your appearance. You could point to your height, hair or skin colour. Being descriptive in your profile name helps men zone in on what they are looking for. Examples includes: BlackBeauty81 or LittleBrunette.
• Hint at your area. This can be helpful if you're interested in meeting men locally or your dating site has large catchment areas. Examples include: BondiBrunette or CBDJessica.
• Say something about who you are. A popular saying, song title or movie name is worth a thousand words. Examples include: CharliesAngel, WonderWoman81.

Don'ts

• Don't be too sexual, unless this is exactly what you're looking for. You could otherwise attract the wrong sort of men – those looking for no strings fun or married men after an affair. Examples include: sexybabe69 or kattiehottie.
• Don't be too emotional, intense or esoteric as this can scare men away. Examples include: mybirthwithyou or GlassHalfFull.
• Don't sound miserable even if you feel down and lonely. Try to sound light and breezy in your profile name. Examples include: MsUnlucky or RatBag.
• Never use your phone number in your screen name or even profile text. You could otherwise be receiving aggressive or sexual calls an any time of the day or night.
• Never use your real name, as social networking sites have made it easier than ever before to find people by name. Try to keep your real and dating identities separate until you've met someone you're comfortable with.