They’re out there somewhere. You know they exist, but you’re just trying to find a way to make contact with them, hopefully even something more by even getting a chance to meet face to face.
Aliens, you say? Far from it. We’re talking about finding opportunities to meet new dating interests (for some, the chances of finding ET is probably higher than them connecting with whomever they want to romantically connect with). For many professionals, their opportunities to meet people diminish over time as their social circle dwindles with more and more of their friends either marrying or moving away. So nowadays, most people have shifted their choice to search through online dating.
What was once considered a taboo, has now become common for a lot of professionals. But whether it’s Match.com, OKCupid, or even Tinder, you still need a positive impression to garner some interest. So, what does it take to make your profile stand out? Let’s take a look:
- Choosing a Name: Having trouble coming up with an interesting name? Think of two hobbies that you like, and then “adjectify” one of those them by turning it into an adjective. For example, if you like “hiking” and “watching movies”, you could use it as “CinematicHiker”. A username is the first ice-breaker that shows what type of person you are. One more note: any alias that consists of something seductive should probably be used elsewhere. Names like “2Sexy4U” or “MakeItRain” should probably be used elsewhere.
- Show a Fun-Loving Smiling Pose as Your Profile Pic: I’ve got some friends who absolutely refuse to put a profile picture on their Facebook account, as some of them feel they want to maintain privacy. If you’re one of these type of guys, don’t use this strategy for online dating. You want others to find you. Also remember this: just putting up your passport photo is really not going to scream, “Hey, I’m here! Come find me!”. People can read your body language from the pose that you have. Smile (preferably without sunglasses) and look like you’re fun-loving that you’re worthy enough for their time.
- Diversify Your Pictures With Fun…: What kind of activities do you like to do? Now’s the time to actually show yourself through pictures! If you like traveling, show yourself in front of a famous landmark. You like the outdoors? Show that picture of you hiking on top of the mountain. People want to see what common hobbies and what makes you interesting to be together with. Just make sure that your face is visible enough for others to see. A picture that requires you to point out where you are is probably best to use on another platform.…
- But Not Too Many Pictures: Ever heard of the phrase “less is more”? Quality over quantity. Sometimes having too many pictures can bore people out. Make yourself mysterious that other people are still curious to know who you are. Four to five pictures give you some mystique; ten might be overkill. So make people see that you’re only showing a trailer of yourself instead of the entire documentary.
- No Shirts, No Way: So, this tip is mostly for guys. If you’ve got a 6-pack, great; just keep that shirt on. If you don’t have a 6-pack, then you really want to keep your shirt on. Regardless whether you have it or not, pictures that show selfie pictures of you shirtless in front of the bathroom mirror just shows how uncreative your profile can be. Too many women have complained how this is a real turn-off for them when they see it. It’s an online dating site, not a catalogue from the newest issue of Abercrombie & Fitch.
- Show it, Don’t Tell It: Are you funny? Are you outgoing? Great! Show it when you’re writing this in your “About Me” section. So many people write in their profiles that they’re “funny, smart, friendly, etc.” Just like posting action shots of yourself, show your personality traits on here. If you’re funny, add some humor into the content. If you’re outgoing, add some flair by either bolding, italicizing, or even add exclamation marks.
- Modesty is Not Always the Best Policy (…but Neither is Outlandish Bragging) Too many times I’ve seen profiles of people that start off in their “About Me” section that says something like, “I don’t like to talk about myself, but here it goes”. Stop right there. Right off the bat, that just lights up Displays of Low Value. Think of yourself as a salesperson trying to sell merchandise. Chances are you won’t start off by saying, “Well, there’s really not much that we have at our store to show, but here is what we have.” Now’s the time to make yourself shine. Put your best foot forward and show what makes you awesome. Just make sure to avoid exaggerating yourself. Nobody wants a hot shot.
- Write proper: This really should be pretty self-explanatory. Everybody on this site is over 18 years old (or, at least you should be). You’re educated and you should have a grasp of writing with some solid grammatical structure. Words that you see on Twitter like “u”, “dis one”, “lmao”, “smh”, should be left on social media.
So there you have it! The key thing is to have fun and show to the world that you are a fun-loving person! Remember, no one in the Internet knows who you are (unless your friends spot you on online dating, but there’s nothing to be ashamed of). In a way, you are an alien to the world out there. Now’s the time to show how cool of an alien you are though!