Online Dating and LinkedIn Profile Writing Advice
I regularly critique excerpts from random dating and LinkedIn profiles (for anonymity). By pointing out dos and don'ts from actual profiles, you too can look at your own with a critical eye and improve on your personal branding.
Online Dating Profiles. The Agony, Part 14.
Spring is here. Birds are chirping. Flowers are blooming. Even crows seem a little more melodic. And yet, on online dating sites, people are going all Charlie Sheen on us! Anger, depression, bad spelling – it’s entertainment at it’s most dramatic. On that note, I present “Online Dating. The Agony, Part 14”. Before you begin, let me reiterate that these excerpts do not represent the norm. Most people are genuine, earnest, and doing their best. They just need help… read more →
Online dating profiles and pics with pouts.
I believe that a well-timed pout has its place. I learned this as a child when my teenaged sister would take me out in public. One pout – that is – one small foreshadowing of the vocal discontent to come – would make my “at the height of cool” sister comply with all my demands. There is no easier way to get red Twizzlers upon request. But, above the age of three, pouts become less effective in getting the result… read more →
Online Dating Profiles. The Agony, Part 13.
The other day on the Daily Show, Jon Stewart showed a clip from one of Sarah Palin’s riveting speeches. Say what you will about her, but she’s an inspiration. The woman indefatigably uses her mouth despite overwhelming evidence that she should stop. Blithely she spouts and never, ever, lets good judgment get in the way. Naturally, this brings to mind certain online dating profiles that I come across while scanning dating sites every day. Like our Sarah, some people filling… read more →
Online dating and checking out the competition.
Early in my career, I had a lunchtime swim with a colleague. As we headed back to our offices she said, “I checked you out and your body’s not bad”. I screeched, “You checked me out? Ugh…when?” “When you were showering”, she replied. She then she turned down the hall and left me standing there partly horrified and mentally polarized. On one hand, I was just told that I had a decent body. Awesome! On the other hand, I was… read more →
Online Dating Profiles. The Agony, Part 12.
If online dating profiles were Lays Potato Chips, I too could not “eat just one”. Usually, when Friday arrives and I feature the week’s most outstanding profiles, I have to stop myself from including more than five. So, just to indulge a little more than usual, I’ve include six. I now feel suficiently satiated. Though most people don’t know how to write personal ads and market themselves (and, as such, can benefit from my marketing expertise and writing), the… read more →
What does a relationship expert know about online dating?
You know when something seems right, but upon closer inspection… About 20 years ago my friend Claude was sure that his neighbour had snuck into his loft and stolen his CDs. He was consumed with finding out if this guy was the culprit. So, we devised a plan. Claude would wait for his neighbour to leave and then he’d phone me. He would keep his phone off the hook (this was before cell-phones) while he snuck into his neighbor’s loft.… read more →
Online Dating Profiles. The Agony, Part 11.
Charlie Sheen isn’t weird or strange. He has a mental illness. What’s really disturbing about the drama being played out around him is that it’s distracting us from celebrities who truly do deserve our punch lines – like William Shatner. I know, I know. I really must leave him alone. He is a leader among Trekkies and he moved so many as spokesperson for All Bran. Now he’s regaling millions…oh okay…a handful…of viewers as host of Raw Nerve. When I… read more →
What’s more exciting than a dating profile with Live Love Laugh?
I saw a commercial the other day about a “Keeping up with the Kardashians” marathon. Apparently, three back-to-back episodes would be airing and they were not to be missed. When I saw that I thought to myself “could anything be worse?” I realized, yes, something could be worse. What in the world could that be? Seeing three back-to-back online dating profiles with the words, Live Love Laugh. I kid you not. I was exposed to three one after the other.… read more →
Online Dating Profiles. The Agony, Part 10.
Once again I feature excerpts from some of the most conspicuous profiles that I’ve seen on dating sites this week. Once again, they leave me perplexed at what some people think are “sweet nothings”. I don’t expect everyone to be a marketing expert. It’s taken me years to perfect my craft. But is it too much to ask that people be properly diagnosed and treated before they go online? In the wrong hands, a keyboard is a dangerous thing.… read more →
How to be unique on your online dating profile.
In revising the dating profile of a client, I removed the words, “I’m a happy, positive person who likes to have fun” from her original essay. This concerned her because she felt I had deleted the best aspect of her personality. In truth, that she was so upbeat was a wonderful part of her character and I loved doing her profile for that very reason. However, I didn’t need to use the adjectives “happy, positive, fun” because I had used… read more →
