• Photo-only search
• Who's Seen My Profile search
• Who's Online search
• Who's New to TRUE search

Watch our site tour!

We'll show you even more tips on how to get noticed! Take the site tour

So let's start: When you log in to your profile, you see a blue navigation bar down the left side of the screen. The second heading is Search. This is the start of your treasure map.

Let's look at the different ways you can use Search to see how you can turbocharge your road to love.

Photo-only Quick Search
The Quick Search option allows you to do a fast search according to some basic specs: gender, age and location. By clicking the Photos Only option, you only see profiles with photos. Guess what? Most people only want to see profiles with photos! If you haven't posted a photo, the majority of folks using Quick Search won't see your profile AT ALL!) So get a pic on that profile, pronto!

Who's Seen My Profile Search
This search lets you check out the members who have been checking you out! It will show you everyone who has viewed your profile. Something about your picture or headline got these members' attention, so you know they're already interested in you. Now you can take the next step and wink or email with confidence! Just go to the My Profile page and click on Who's Seen My Profile.

Who's Online
Under the Contact Members heading, click Who's Online, and you'll see everyone who's online at TRUE right now. You guessed it: Lots of members search this way every day. They want to talk to someone right now! So the more often you log in, the more likely you are to see and be seen.

Who's New to TRUE Search
This search shows you members who have recently joined the TRUE community. Go to the My Profile page and click on Who's New To True? under Search. Then give one of our newest members a warm welcome with a wink or email, and see if things heat up from there.

Remember that dating, whether online or otherwise, is something of a numbers game, so why not do everything you can to increase your chances of being found?

Other ways to find and be found at TRUE

Get the scoop!

For more tips on making TRUE work for you, visit the TRUE Coaching Center. Welcome to Ask Fite – a column dedicated to answering your questions about TRUE, profiles, chat rooms, winks and email. Hi! I'm Fite. I'm a real person, and it's my job to help you improve your profile. Write me! I'm here to help. Send an email to Fite right now! Ready to find someone? Search now>>

Advanced Search
Advanced Search allows you to search for your soul mate according to multiple specifications. My advice to most people: use the Advanced Search sparingly. If you click a box for each of the options, you've got as much chance of finding a person who fits those criteria as you do of, say, finding a fresh bunch of flowers at the mini mart at 5 p.m. on Valentine's Day.

In general, Advanced Search is a way to weed out potential partners according to your deal-breakers, or non-negotiables. If you're allergic to cigarette and cigar smoke, it's okay to specify that your date should be a non-smoker. Similarly, if you're a guy who's 5'7” and you wouldn't feel comfortable dating a woman six feet tall, go ahead and indicate that you're looking for women under 5'9”, or whatever the case may be.

But try to keep such specifications to one or two things only. Otherwise, if you get click-happy with all those check boxes, pretty soon you'll be searching for a Presbyterian man who lives within 10 miles of your door and attends church more than once a week, is over 6 feet tall, drinks socially, never smokes, makes over $250,000 per year, considers himself athletic and has brown hair and brown eyes. And if all these qualities are non-negotiables for you, all I can say is good luck, honey.

The moral of the story? Know what you want. Know what you won't compromise on. Don't be afraid to ask for what's right for you. But stay open to the idea that true love doesn't look exactly the way you expect it to. Leave room to be pleasantly surprised, and you might just meet someone exhilaratingly different and totally unexpected! Isn't dating online about exploring all the possibilities anyway?

Keyword Search and Screen Name Search
I like to think of these as the fun search functions. A Keyword Search allows you to find profiles with a specific word or phrase in them, like “fishing” or “fine dining.” It's not meant to be used exclusively to find your ideal date, but it can help you find others who share your interests, people you might not find in a compatibles search or a Quick Search. You can also make some great friends you might never have met otherwise, including friends across the country who share similar passions or careers.

Screen Name search comes in really handy when, for example, you've had a great talk with someone in a chat room and you don't have any other identifying information about that member besides their screen name. You can also look a profile up with a Screen Name search while you're in a chat room, read it over and find some great conversation starters. Plus the person you're talking to will be flattered by your attention and interest!

So, let's say you're chatting someone up on TRUE, and he or she uses a Screen Name search to look up YOUR profile. After your picture, what's the first thing someone looks at? Your headline! Stay tuned for the next Ask Fite, when I'll show you how to write a killer headline that'll hook their attention and make them hungry to know more about YOU!

Want me to take a look at your profile and tell you what I think? I'm here for you – email me!

Want me to use your profile in an upcoming column? Email me! (But don't worry – unless you give me permission to use your profile for a column (with names and identifying details changed), everything we discuss will remain confidential.

More tips on improving your profile:

• Webcams can be your best friend or your worst nightmare. Here's help. more >> • Make sure you're getting all your TRUE email! more >> • Expert advice on the ABC's of meeting scores of singles on TRUE. more >> • Use these questions to write your profile. more >> • Get to know someone with Virtual Dating. more >> • Find the right person for you right now. more >> • Ask Fite: So you're a Maverick. Now what? more >> • Go from online to in person. more >> • Ask Fite: Will you click behind closed doors? more >> • Write an irresistible headline. more >> • Find that cutie and generate some heat! more >> • TRUE's profile coach can help you find your soul mate. more >> • Why uploading a photo will get you more winks and emails. more >> • Your pic should match the season. more >> • Videochat: The fastest way to see if they're really hot. more >> • About You: How to write your Who I'd Like to Meet description. more >> • About Me: How to write your About Me description. more >> • How do I love TRUE? Let me count the ways. more >> • Here are the top 3 ways to get active on TRUE. more >> • Truly amazing 3-word headlines. more >> • 12 tips to make your photo picture-perfect! more >> • What to write to get your soul mate's attention. more >> • Want more people to view you profile? Here's how. more >> • Your Valentine's looking for you. more >>