Do you know what the single most important part of your profile is? Your photo!

Hey, there TRUE members, let me give you a scenario, and I want you to think honestly about what you would do.

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Imagine you’re in the cereal aisle at a grocery store. Everywhere you look you see wall-to-wall product names, slogans, pictures, flavors. The choices are virtually endless.

The cereal companies know that you have a lot of choices, so they make sure that the outside of their box clearly advertises just what’s inside and makes it enticing so you’ll want it.

Now imagine that in the midst of all the colorful, informative boxes, you see a plain white box with just the word CEREAL on it. Are you likely to choose that one? Probably not! You want to see what you’re getting, right?

So now think of yourself as a product. You need to sell you! You can see that a profile without a photo is just like a cereal box without a picture of the cereal! Nobody can tell what the heck is in there, and not many will take the trouble to find out. So why are so many of you without pics?

Hold it right there. Don’t even start with the excuses – I’ve heard them all.

“How do I upload a photo?”

1. Log in to true.com. This takes you automatically to your My Profile page.
2. Click the "Add a Photo" icon on your profile’s home page.
3. Then click the "Add Photos” button. This opens the "Select file(s) to upload by www.true.com" box.
4. From this box, you can browse (or point to) the various locations on your computer to select the files (pictures) you want to upload.
5. After you have selected the file(s) to upload, double-click its filename; the photo will be automatically uploaded.
6. You can select multiple photos to upload by holding down the CTRL (or Apple Command Key icon on a Mac).
7. If you are uploading more than one photo, you can select the “Set as Primary” button to choose the photo you’d like to use as your main profile photo.
8. If you would like to delete a photo or replace one that you’ve previously uploaded, click the trash can icon in the upper right corner next to the photo you want to delete.
9. After you’ve selected the photos, you must confirm that you want to continue and delete the selected photo(s) by clicking the "Continue” button.
10. You may now add a caption to the photos you’ve uploaded. If you choose not to, simply click the "Continue”button again.

“I don’t have a digital camera or a scanner.”

There are tons of ways to get a digital photo or two of yourself without having to buy a digital camera or a scanner. Go to the drugstore, buy a disposable camera, hand it to the clerk and ask him or her to snap your pic. Then order digital pictures. You can get the finished pictures on a CD in most cases, and once you have them on a CD, just insert the CD into your computer at home and save them onto your hard drive.

Once you have them saved onto your home computer, simply follow the steps above to upload your picture(s) to your profile.

Or better, choose your favorite photo and email it to us. Remember to include your screen name in your email. Or get our mailing address to send your photo in and have Customer Care scan it in for you.

“My photo isn’t good enough.”

Your photo IS good enough for your soul mate. Besides, it’s not about looking like Brad Pitt, one of the Jonas Brothers, Angelina Jolie or Lauren Conrad – it’s about having the confidence to show who you are.

“I’m embarrassed to post my picture on a dating site.”

There’s no shame in wanting to find your soul mate and taking action to do so!

“I haven’t had time.”

Posting pics on TRUE doesn’t take long. And isn’t finding your TRUE love worth investing five minutes?

So no excuses, got it?

Now for my three cardinal rules for choosing the right pics and making them pop:

Rule No. 1:
Your primary photo needs to be a clear, up-close shot of your smiling face. People are 23 times more likely to click on a photo of someone with a smile than someone who looks bored, or worse, like he or she just ate a bad shrimp. So grin for the camera, for pete’s sake – I know your soul mate will find an open, friendly smile dazzling!

Rule No. 2:
Your secondary photo (it’s a good idea to have at least two or three photos in all) should be a full-length shot of yourself in your best outfit. For guys, a dressy shirt with a sport coat and khakis, and for girls, a nice top (not revealing) and dress slacks or a knee-length skirt. You can also include shots of yourself on vacation, participating in your favorite sport or activity, or just hanging out with friends and family.

Rule No. 3:
Make your photo come alive with a caption. Something clever and flirtatious is always good, but keep it casual.

Seriously, if you haven’t posted a picture, get with the program! Take a few minutes and submit some great pics for your profile – you won’t get much response, or any at all, without them. It’s great that you’ve joined TRUE to find your soul mate, but you have to expend some effort.

Finding your soul mate is worth putting in some effort, and we’re here to help, but YOU have to give us and the singles on TRUE something to work with. Don’t believe me? Post a photo or two and see how much you can increase the number of times your profile is viewed, as well as the number of winks and emails you receive.

You’ve got nothing to lose, so take charge of your dating destiny today – SAY CHEESE!