A while ago I set up a profile on an online dating site. Online dating is part of the tech era. I read a statistic on the London unground that said 1 in 4 relationships start online, but I think it’s probably closer to 1 in 2. I think everyone should have an online profile at least once in their life, the experience has been educating to say the least!
The experience of being a girl or a guy changes how online dating works. Dramatically it would seem. There’s plenty of blog posts around the interwebs where people have posed as the opposite gender to see results. As a girl, I was expected to have it “easy”. I probably did.
My profile was simple enough. The key is your profile picture. You’ve got to look good. People are shallow on the internet, and have very little attention spans. There’s a 2 rules on reddit I read about how to successful date.
- Rule 1: Be attractive
- Rule 2: Don’t be unattractive.
On the bright side, with only two rules, you can keep things nice and simple. So always pic the best photos of yourself. If you’ve only got one decent looking photo, then only use that one. This is actually advice I give to models who creating their portfolios.
So your profile pic has to be amazing. “But I’m ugly!” I hear you think bitterly in your head. No problem, plenty of ways to get around that. Get a decent hair cut. Hair makes up for 70% of first impression on attractiveness, so splurging out on a good hairdresser should be seen as an investment. Wear a suit. That fits. Clothes maketh a man, and if you’re a guy who doesn’t know much in the way of fashion sense then a suit is the way to go. Otherwise, wear a white t-shirt and jeans. It’s been statistically proven that white shirts make men look hotter.
Moving onto the profile itself. There’s the bio bit, you know, the “about me” bit. The key is length. Don’t make it too long, or too detailed. Don’t make it so short that it might as well have been left blank. The number one thing I’m attracted to is confidence and you can be confident in this bit. You know yourself. You know what you do. Be edgy, be funny, be precise and to the point. Don’t put yourself down, even if you think it’s a funny joke. Try not to be too arrogant, but that’s actually not always a bad thing. Don’t come across as desperate, or cynical about the whole ordeal. Keep positive and full of energy!
Favourites and Winks. What the hell are those things? I always ignore winks I get. Would you wink at a girl in real life? For not apparent reason? No? Then why do it online? If you really like the look of someone, just send a message and say so.
As for what you write in the message… Hmm. Something more than “Hi, I think you’re pretty” . I always ignore those too. Don’t make the first message too long, just something quick but nice. The message formula I liked the most was a simple;
- Hey, how are you?
- I saw your profile and liked [x] and[x] about it
- I actually agree with [x] point (Hurrah, we have something in common!
- [insert question here]
- Hope you’re having a nice day, would love to get to know you
Obviously not those exact words, but that sort of thing. It shows the person has read my profile and deemed we might actually get a long. They seem casual and so I’m not scared off.
Things that also help include: Writing in full sentences. Humour. Popular culture references.
Coming up next – some of my own personal experience with online dating!
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