Though it may seem risky, it is possible to effectively use online dating as a way to meet potential mates. Step one is setting up your personal profile for minimizing risk and maximizing success.

Online dating is a euphemism for online meeting. The Internet is one medium for making social connections, whether for business purposes like w2wlink.com or for more personal pursuits such as dating. It is a tool, and like any tool, it can be used wisely or it can be misused, putting you at risk.

The Internet can be useful to you in this way, if you have a desire to efficiently expand your pool of eligible men for dating. As a successful business woman, you have a lot at stake when you go online to meet men, so the first thing you must do is understand appropriate dating boundaries and how to use them. Your profile, or personal biography that you post on a dating Web site, is a crucial step in boundary setting. Here’s how to do it effectively.

Your personal biography should be informational: the city you live in, the field you work in, your age, your degrees, if you have children or not and so on. Leave out the details of your company name, your position in the business and any financial information. If you are listed on the executive or management profile page of your company with your title, that’s okay. But don’t make it a part of your personal dating profile online.

Include your personal interests with this guideline: if you can comfortably discuss it in a business setting, then put it in your online profile. For instance, you may love playing tennis – great information for your profile. But you may not want to disclose online that you have been divorced twice from two different tennis pros! A silly example, true, but it’s an illustration of too much self-disclosure in your profile.

When you meet someone you like, one of the purposes of dating is to slowly get to know that someone over time. Good boundaries means a gradual peeling away of layers of your life and who you are, self-disclosing at deeper levels as you build trust and confidence. Too much information on an intimate level in your online profile creates two strikes against you. One, men may unconsciously disqualify you because they go into judgment mode about you and the details of your life. Two, you can become the subject of gossip with peers or customers who may discover the profile.

One of the trickiest questions you’ll be asked is, "What are you looking for?" Here, I recommend total honesty: yes, you are looking for a committed relationship leading to marriage. Telling the truth on this one will scare off the commitment-phobes and attract the intentional guys. Don’t describe in detail your ideal man – the right kind of guy will feel intimidated while the egotistical guy will think he’s all that and more. Instead, describe your ideal relationship – loving, good communication, a soul mate, etc., but keep it short and simple.

Photos are a good idea for your online profile, but again, within certain boundaries. Do headshots only; avoid full figure shots unless they are very professional in nature. Why? Men are primarily visual when it comes to women. Too much physical information can disqualify you as a potential date if you are viewed as overweight, underweight, too short, too tall and so on.

Never post a sexually suggestive shot – cleavage, short skirt, or too much glamour. Putting your sexuality up front attracts men who are interested in sexual conquest not long-term relationships. Of course, the last thing you want is to have a colleague or customer see a suggestive shot of you. The message you want to send with your profile and pictures is that you are an attractive, accomplished woman, and he will have to invest time with you in order to find out more.

Yes, use online meeting as a way to expand your field of candidates. It no longer carries the taboo that it did 10 to 15 years ago. I personally know several highly successful women who are happily married to men they met online. But keep these boundaries in place: post a short, sweet, informational profile that signals you are a high quality woman worthy of pursuit by a high quality man!

In the remainder of the series, "Online Dating for Professional Women," I’ll give you all of the tools you need to handle Internet dating appropriately and to achieve maximum positive results. Stay tuned!

Written originally for w2wlink.com by Nina Atwood.