Q: You don’t need to splurge on a professional photograph, but posting a blurry cellphone photo or a photo of you as a child doesn’t tell the person viewing your profile much about your current appearance.  Have a friend take a photo of you, preferably on a summer day. Don’t wear sunglasses, a hat or stand in the shadows. Don’t forget to smile and look at the camera like you’re happy to see the person behind it. You want your profile picture to be appealing and show you at your best. Action shots also work well as they show off your interests in an active, immediate way. Choose a shot of you playing ultimate frisbee in the park or dancing at a concert. Names like “SpunkyHunk” or “HotMinx” may have been funny back in high school, but silly or overly sexual profile names will only signal to others that you aren’t interested in a serious connection or relationship. Choose a profile name that shows off your personality but still feels grown up. You can also abbreviate your name for an easy profile name. For example: “SuperSteph13” or “BradW.” It can be difficult to describe yourself well in words. A close friend may know you better than you know yourself and be able to add in details about yourself that you may not be aware of or feel awkward about putting in your profile. Don’t just put down hobbies like “walking on the beach” or “drinking on the weekend”. These are cliches that won’t help your profile stand out. Think of interesting hobbies that could be conversation starters, like “Cards Against Humanity Champion 2015” or “Addicted to traveling in South America” or “Fan of early Battlestar Galactica”.  Try to also include sociable hobbies. Hobbies like “bookworm” or “internet addict” indicate you are not a very social person and don’t go out much. Play up your love of anything sporty, outdoorsy, or public, like concerts and art exhibitions. Focus on concrete and specific details, like your favorite books, films, celebrities, or sports. Rather than noting “hockey”, list your favorite hockey team, or rather than noting “thrillers”, list your favorite action novel. Honesty is the best policy in any dating situation, especially online dating. Lying in your profile will make for a very awkward face to face meeting if things end up progressing with a potential mate. So be honest and upfront about yourself.  Be bold in your profile about you’re looking for. Avoid posting a list of highly specific and inflexible demands. Instead, try to write a simple statement that begins with “I believe…” or “I’m seeking…”  Instead of: “I’m looking for a tall, strong, outdoorsy, vegan and gluten free guy to sweep me off my feet and be a father of my three (not four!) future children.” Try: “I believe in love and in being respectful and honest with my partner. I’m seeking someone who shares my interests and is serious about a relationship.” Include a playful question or statement in your profile. This will make your profile more interesting and engaging to potential dates. For example: “If you decide to message me, I want to know: What was the high point of your day today?” Imagine you are meeting someone in a bar and only have five minutes to tell them about yourself. Stick to the main points of your biography and your hobbies or interests. Avoid rambling on for paragraphs about yourself. While sarcasm can be great in person, the tone can get a little lost in an online profile. Avoid a negative or snide tone and try to always be positive about yourself. A profile with a bitter, resentful, I-can’t-believe-I’m-online-dating tone can be an immediate turn off. So, focus on what you do want, rather than what you don’t want. Instead of: “I am NOT looking for a casual hook-up or an option relationship, whatever THAT means. Commitment-phobes and flakes stay away.” Try: “I believe that connection can mean different things to different people, but monogamy is my type of connection. It’s the only type of connection I’m looking to make. You, too?” Many people find bad grammar and spelling a turn off, or an indication that you didn’t put a lot of time and effort into your profile.  Before you post your profile, copy and paste it into Word and use spell check to make sure your profile is grammatically correct.  Be wary of using dating acronyms, like WLTM (Would Like To Meet) and LTR (Long Term Relationship). Not all users will know what these are. If you do want to use them in your profile, here are a list of several common ones:  WLTM: Would Like to Meet GSOH: Good Sense of Humor LTR: Long Term Relationship F/ship: Friendship R/ship: Relationship F2F: Face to face IRL: In Real Life ND: Non-drinker NS: Non-smoker SD: Social drinker LJBF: Let's just be friends GTSY: Glad to see you GMTA: Great minds think alike Try to review your profile on a regular basis and add in new information about yourself to keep your profile current.
A: Use a recent photo that shows your face. Pick a profile name that isn’t too silly or juvenile. Ask a close friend to help you write your profile. Be specific about your hobbies. Be honest and be bold. Keep the profile short and sweet. Stay positive. Check your grammar and spelling. Update your profile regularly.

Q: Because toddlers are so inquisitive, they may try to open doors. If your front door is unlocked and your child opens it, he or she could wander out into the world. To prevent this, you can buy special child-proof doorknob covers that will keep your child from opening the door.  These covers usually need to be squeezed from two sides in order to grip the doorknob and allow it to be turned. Toddlers cannot wrap their small hands around the covers and squeeze them sufficiently to turn the knob. However, these covers should not be the only method used to keep toddlers from getting out of the home. Some ingenious toddlers figure out how to bypass these covers by inserting their finger into the hole in the cover and manipulating the doorknob or actually managing to remove the doorknob cover entirely. An added measure of security on doors is to lock them, preferably using two locks. Any doors that could lead to danger for toddlers should be locked. This includes doors to stairs and balconies as well as any other rooms that pose a hazard. Although coffee tables are functional and look nice, they are also the cause of many head injuries to toddlers that fall near them. If you would prefer not to remove the coffee table from the room, you can pad the edges and corners with a soft material.  This can be done with special soft, plastic corner protectors that you can generally purchase at home furnishing stores. There are also protective strips that can be used along the side edges of the coffee table. One strangulation hazard that many people overlook is the pull cords on curtains, shades, and blinds. These long strings are usually hidden from sight, but toddlers are notorious for finding things that they are not supposed to find. There are special cord holders that wind the cord up short and keep it securely hidden in a plastic case so it stays out of reach. You can purchase these at your local home furnishing store. Kids generally love to climb so keep your child from climbing up to the window by moving your furniture around. Move any furniture that is near a window so that your child cannot reach the window and accidentally fall out Consider getting a lock that does not let you open the window more than a few inches. This way the child will not be able to open the windows and drop through it. Sometimes, light-weight furniture that has hard surfaces can cause injuries. Toddlers might try to use the furniture to assist them in standing or try to climb up onto the furniture. Their weight causes the furniture to topple and sometimes fall onto the toddler.
A:
Purchase special doorknob covers. Keep doors locked, particularly if they lead outside. Pad the corners and edges of coffee tables. Tie up the cords on curtains, shades and blinds. Move any furniture away from the window. Avoid using light-weight furniture.