Dan Mangan
John Jackson & Connie DeSousa
Danny Vacon of The Dudes
The Kid Belo's David Brunning
George Stroumbouloupoulos
Jeremy Ho
Michael Bernard Fitzgerald
Mayor Naheed Nenshi
Kyle Shewfelt
Bad Portraits' Mandy Stobo
The Market Collective
Chad VanGaalen
Is there honesty in online dating?
It’s easy to see why online dating is popular – it takes the awkwardness of approaching strangers out of the equation and allows people to look for partners in their own time. Unsurprisingly, the phenomenon shows no signs of abating. Out of the 54 million single people in the US, 40 million have tried meeting people via dating sites. On a global scale, 30% of internet users have romance in mind when surfing the web.
Whether encounters through dating sites lead to permanent relationships depends on a number of factors. Among the most important factors are the choice of website and the degree of honesty in dater profiles.
The website you use will determine the community you interact with. If you want to meet people who are vegetarian, Christian, interested in ghost walks, or after something casual, there are niche sites with communities of singles looking for the same thing. If you’re looking for something more lasting, on the other hand, there are sites such as eHarmony CA, which have a focus on relationships.
When someone’s trying to appeal to others, it’s only natural that they’ll work hard to create a profile that shows them at their best. This can sometimes lead people to exaggerate a little. Statistics suggest that men tend to lie most about their age, height and income; while women lie most about their weight, physical build and age.
So, what’s the best method for creating a true and honest representation of yourself on your profile?
Creating a profile
Before creating your own profile, look at the profiles of people you’d like to date. Make a note of the things that sound attractive to you in their profile. If you feel an affinity with someone who states that they’re looking for a ‘best friend’ and want to ‘avoid game playing’ then you can include these words in your profile.
Don’t bother making things up when writing about interests. Someone with too many interests can come across as shallow as someone with none. If you’re particularly passionate about something, let it come through – passion is attractive. However, this shouldn’t be to the exclusion of everything else. You want to portray yourself as a rounded person, not a monomaniac.
Choosing a photo
Saying that the profile picture is important is something of an understatement. For many people, the profile picture is make-or-break as it can say so much about a person. This doesn’t mean to say that everyone is rated on how goo- looking they are. For some, it will be whether someone has a nice smile, kindly face or gentle eyes.
What many people fail to appreciate is that there are so many wrong ways to take a photo. Some of the most unfortunate include:
- A picture with a past partner
- A picture when drunk
- A picture that is obviously decades old
- A picture showing too much flesh
- A picture of the person with a vehicle
When deciding on a picture, the thing to communicate is trustworthiness. An image that says authentic, comfortable and confident is ideal. So, for a start, get rid of props as these scream a lack of confidence.
If you want to show that you have friends, include a picture of you doing something relatively wholesome together – not being outrageous at a club. If your friends include members of the opposite sex, then all the better. For the profile picture, however, a head and shoulders shot of you alone is preferable.
We all think we looked better when we were younger, but using an old photo suggests you have something to hide – it’s far better to use a recent one. For best results, avoid trying to overly pose. A nice open smile works wonders.
This post has been brought to you by the awesome folks at eHarmony CA.
