We've all done it at one time or another, or will do it sometime in the future. Regardless of when you do it, just remember you will get caught eventually and when you do, you cannot bury your head in the sand. Too bad there are not strict policies, punishable by law in association with the internet wherein something could be written and implemented along the lines of "Truth in Online Dating". Who am I kidding, people have lied from the beginning of time and will continue to do so until Hell freezes over and even when caught some will continue to do so at our expense. Bastards! Remember the old video rental mantra "Be Kind, Rewind"? Some of you may be too young to remember that but the sentiment still applies. For this subject, lets use, oh I don't know, how about "You Lie, You Die", hmmmmm, maybe not, too blatant. Oh wait, I know, "Honesty Accepted, Deception Denied". Anyway, the point here is to be honest in all you say and do. Have you ever stretched the truth or told an out and out blatant lie? Tell me how many more lies did you have to tell to cover your ass from the original lie? Life is too short to waste all your time and energy covering your ass. Do it right and do it honestly the first time.

So, you are asking yourself, what is this crazy woman's point? OK, OK, the point is, when you are creating a profile, be it just for your screen name or for an "Online Dating Site" be honest. Describe yourself as you see yourself, if you are 5'5" don't list that you are 5'10", if you weigh 210 don't list your weight as 135. Be real, have you ever spent endless hours talking to someone and envisioned what they looked like based on the picture and physical description posted on their profile only to find the picture is 10 yrs old, they have gained 50 pounds and are 6 inches shorter than what they indicated. It has happend to me, and I was pissed, aggravated and disappointed. And, yes, I have done it myself and when it came time to meet the person I felt really bad about the lies I had told and fessed up. We met anyway and in this instance we became very good friends, but, it doesn't always work out that way.

If you are going to share personal information, be very cautious, be generic, but honest. If you plan on meeting this person and who knows, maybe start a relationship, don't sabotage it with lies. A good relationship, romantic or friendship is based on trust and honesty. Start off on the right foot, and maintain a certain mystery about yourself to pique their interest, remember any embellishments will be exposed, relationships destroyed and in most cases the trust is gone forever.

Simple advice......tell the truth no matter how bad it sounds, your honesty will be welcomed and very much appreciated not to mention the open doors that result from that same honesty. Honesty is sexy and appealing and lies, well, they are boring, unattractive and get you nowhere, but caught!

Those of you that are lying to someone right now, come clean, spill the beans, maybe you can be forgiven, maybe not, but you can start fresh from here.....the point of honesty and truth in Online Dating and every aspect of your life. It is much less complicated to tell the truth than it is to cover a lie.

Linda Reeves is a 47 year old advice columnist who writes for Cupids Blackbook she lives in the American Midwest.