Going to avoid the obvious ones but here's some tips that I learned and used when I used to have OLD. I DONT recommend OLD but ..

-in your bio /profile state the general field you work in (say Healthcare rather than nurse, education instead of 1st grade teacher, finance rather than cpa at whatever firm, etc) use pics of yourself that you're comfortable with. I keep mine more natural and cute and dont use sexy or promiscuous ones. Make sure the background doesn't show your car, house, or work because of stalkers.

-add one or two of your hobbies. Keep it short and sweet ie "I love crossfit as well as gardening"

-add a prompt in your bio "tell me about your favorite travel destination!" Or if you live in a certain area like nyc say "tell me your favorite thing about the city"

-see if the app has settings for preferences like age, location, kids, and substance use so you can set what you're looking for

-when swiping I keep it quick and simple: I look at the first picture of them only. I don't tap for more. I'm not reading their bios. I'm swiping through heaps and just looking at that first pic to see if I can 1 even see his face and 2 is he someone I find attractive looking? (No blurry or overly filtered pics, no group pics where I don't know who he is, no couples looking pics, no half hiding his face and yes I need a level of physical attraction to him)

-I never send the first message. I didn't use OLD that made me send first messages. Do not chase men.

.....now when guys start messaging you this Is how I would handle it

--> read the message and see if he answered that prompt you had in your bio. Or did he say anything else that shows he actually read it (ie saying something about your field of work or Hobbies, etc). Did he just send a "how r u" or "hey gorgeous" or did he send you a paragraph of generic copypasta. If he failed to read your bio then I umatch and block immediately. No explaining, not a word.

--> if he did read your bio and his message shows that, then before I respond, I go to his profile to look at the rest of his photos and see what it says. Is he actually attractive? Any red flags in his bio?

-The OLD filters for preference don't work all the time. So keep that in mind.

--> double check his location. Some people say in their bio they live in one town but they're showing up in another. Or they'll admit they're "in town for a few days"

--> beware of editted pics, blurry pics, pics that are out dated. Pics where he is only wearing hats or won't show his body as these are signs of catfish

--> if the rest of his pics and his bio checks out then I will message him back matching his energy.

--> I keep a screenshot of any man that keeps a convo up with me. I do this to see if their bio pr pics change and for down the line vetting when I look for their social media and for them on judyrecords. Always keep a trail.

Remember not to give personal info! Keep things in a vague ballpark sort of sense for your safety. Keep communication on the app no giving numbers or more. Do not give social media to him. Never get into a car with a man. Don't be driving an hour or more to meet him, that's too far. He needs to come closer to your area. Don't buy into excuses.

--> if you start dating KEEP him on the app. I wait until the end of the first date to actually give them my Google voice number (or not if it went poorly). As you continue to get to know each other remember to pull up his profile .... did he change it? Did he block you? One time I had a date scheduled with a guy and we only chatted via the OLD app. A few days before the date, I checked up on his bio and viola it changed! His bio was now full of red flags and even said "im down for anything whatever k1nk you have let's do it I'm open to anything even couples" 🚩🤡 when he seemed normal and passing inital predate stuff... so I was just starting fds and ended up telling him I wouldn't make the date and then blocked him.

Also remember REPORT anyone on OLD who becomes lewd, inappropriate or steps out of line. I make sure ro screenshot the offense then I report it then I block. If these creeps get enough reports they may even face consequences.

Keep aware for men that make multiple profiles. You'll see this happen every once in a while guys make them then delete them... these men are cheaters and do not be fooled.

These tips personally saved me a lot of wasted time in the trash heaps of OLD