Contributed by: Jet on Wednesday, December 30 2009 @ 09:22 am
Last modified on
Now that we're about to embark on a new year, as well as a new decade, mentioning the big 2010 is one of the easiest ways to bring your profile up to date. However, as you write your New Year's update, it might be prudent to take a moment, proofread, and make sure the message you're sending is positive.
For example, a typical, positive update might be something along the lines of, One of my New Year's resolutions is to try new things, so I'm starting a salsa class! Here, the writer is obviously excited about the resolution, and provides a concrete way in which the resolution is already being pursued.
You could make a joke, like, Here's hoping the next decade brings miracles, like the end of Reality TV! It's just silly enough that no one will wonder whether you're serious and the exclamation point drives the joke home as well. Humor doesn't always read well on the Internet, so tread with caution on this one, and stay well away from inflammatory topics such as politics.
It might be easiest to go with something simple, such as, Do you have resolutions for the new year? In this case, you're asking a question that the reader can respond to in a first-contact email, and it's not exactly holiday-specific, so it won't look out of place until the end of
February.
It can be easy, however, to stray into the realm of negativity. For example, My New Year's resolution is to stop smoking to get my coworkers off my back, here's hoping I stick to it or at least don't get lung cancer, ha ha. We've got a resolution without any excitement behind it, and a joke that falls flat, to boot.
The whirlpool of negativity can make it easy to overshare, as well:
Wow, I hope this decade is better than the last one. Nothing's really been the same since my pet bird died and I had a root canal on the same day...
These bad idea examples might seem ridiculous, but many fall victim to the Negative Nancy trap without realizing it. It might not hurt to give your profile updates a second look, and ensure that you're starting off the new year looking forward.