To be begin, I hold no grudges and assess no blame. I'm merely writing this as an example of things that not only irritate me but, hopefully, to help you as well. However, if you're offended... eh.
Ahh...standards. To begin, we'll start with first impressions. It begins with a photo in your Profile. What you choose, or how you look in it will say quite a lot about who you are. Still, a photo, while worth a thousand words, is not enough to judge a person on. Well, not unless your screen name is "Let's have sex tonight." But honestly, not many of us care too much about the bots.
So..how to make a good first impression? Well, in your profile, give some information, perhaps some hobbies. Just be careful to capitalize and punctuate your sentences. Not just because it's good grammar, (Let's face it, none of us are perfect in the grammar area. I know I"m not.), but because it not only makes your message easier to read, but makes you look intelligent.
Another point, because I had a pet peeve twinged in a message recently; Avoid talking ..er..typing, like you're in a chatroom, at least if you're contacting me. AOL grammar tends to make me mentally cringe, and I"m sure a lot of guys will agree with me that it's very hard to see what type of person you are though it.
Thank you for reading and good luck in love.