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.
The evidence is in: singles dating online love life.
I’m feeling unusually warm and fuzzy today. I was on match.com and read several dating profiles that said “I love life”, one even said “More importantly, I love life.” The emphasis was inspired. I then visited Plenty of Fish and saw several more dating profiles with the same sentiment. Not to be outdone, one man said “I absolutely love life.” Wow, that’s love for sure. According to the July 2010 edition of Lonely Planet, one of the happiest places on… read more →
Why some online dating profiles are a little like plastic surgery.
Breast implants and some online dating profiles have a lot in common. Both can look happy and bouncy. Both can get your attention. Both can be impossible to ignore. Yet, upon closer inspection, there’s nothing in them that’s real. The big difference is that most people won’t reject you over plastic surgery (unless you’re that horrifying cat lady, Jocelyn Wildenstein, or Carrot Top, or Mickey Rourke.) Point is, while an embellished profile might initially arouse the interest of potential suitors,… read more →
Dating profiles that “prefer not to say”: about as fair as William Shatner getting work.
The first time I truly grasped the meaning of, “life’s not fair” was when I was 12 years old. That was the day I was told I probably wouldn’t grow any taller, and that my chest would not probably not get any bigger than that of my Aunt – the one known for her personality. Since then I’ve come up against much injustice. Carrying one teeny item over to the presumably “fast” self-serve area of a grocery store only to… read more →
Online dating profiles and spidey senses.
There are some things in life that we know never to trust. For instance, with the exception of cheerleaders, everyone knows not to trust an outhouse in the middle of a forest in the middle of the night. Obviously serial killers – not to mention slugs (gross) – will be lurking there. Everyone also knows not to trust a country song that starts out happy. It’s just stringing you along for that tragic moment when someone leaves, dies, cheats or… read more →
Is your online dating profile kind of like birth control?
I read a few dating profiles of single, straight women on a dating site today and decided that I could, quite possibly, put a fork to my eye. Ladies, for the record, the number one most effective form of birth control is a profile of deep emotions that culminates with verses by Rumi. A lot of the women’s dating profiles read like Harlequin novels – you know those books that are all the rage among men (yes, I’m being facetious… read more →
Online dating profiles that say I have an unnatural attachment to my Harley.
When I was 2 years old, I dropped a pair of glasses into a sewer to see if they could float. That they couldn’t infuriated my mother and puzzled me. This was the first in a long history of confusion. For instance, I’m bewildered by the popularity of Kate plus Eight. I wouldn’t even grasp the popularity of Brad Pitt plus Eight (or 100…oh come on, we all know that’s where it’s going). Certain Black Eyed Peas lyrics are baffling… read more →
Online dating and looking for a man who looks good in your clothes?
When I was little, a pigeon walked right out in front of my Mom. I blurted, “Wow pigeons are brave!” My Mom retorted, “They aren’t brave Kate; they’re dumb.” Upon scanning some dating profiles on one of the mainstream dating sites, I was reminded once again of the difference between brave and dumb. I was reading dating profiles found in the long-term relationship section of the site, not the intimate encounters section. Yet, I came across the profile of a… read more →
Dating profiles and headlines that make me go ick.
Though I believe that every online dating profile should be written in a way that’s as brilliantly deliberate and as emotionally manipulative as an ad (though in advertising we use the euphemism “strategic”), I’m not convinced that the headline has as much importance. People tend to look at the photos then go straight to reading profiles. A headine is usually inconsequential unless it’s especially good or bad. My concern is with the bad ones. I scanned three sites today: Match.com,… read more →
I’m a “god” guy and other reasons to spell check your dating profile.
I’ve been known to forget many things. In fact, my sister is convinced that I’ve had ridiculously early Alzheimer’s since I was six years old when I forgot to turn off the bath water and it ended up flooding her bedroom. Nevertheless, despite my memory lapses, there are just some things you never forget. For instance, I never seem to forget the words to Delta Dawn (what’s that flower you have on, could it be a faded rose…) I also… read more →
Writing your dating profile? There’s no such thing as a “young” 50 unless you’re next to a 90 year old.
I once had to rent an apartment sight unseen. The landlady said “Don’t worry. It’s charming”. When I arrived I realized that her “charming” was my “teeny”. People use objectionable adjectives all the time. To get me to go swimming, my Mom used to say the lake water was “refreshing” rather than “so cold you’ll beg hell to take you early” . I’ve also heard big boned instead of fat; tipsy instead of drunk; and creative instead of bipolar. I’ve… read more →
