Online Pics: Try Not to Make People Scream
- Sunday, March 21 2010 @ 08:00 am
- Contributed by: Jet
- Views: 2,386
One thing I always say with regards to online dating profiles is that it's really, really difficult to be funny. Flat sarcasm is often taken seriously, and jokes seem to have a darker undertone when there's no facial expression or light tone of voice to balance it out. Still, the other day I was taken aback by something I had never considered: shock humor.
I was helping someone check out potential guys on a dating site. We'd IM each other links and essentially say, “Check out this guy.” We'd been sending links for quite some time, and I was beginning to scan them a little more quickly. I spotted a guy who seemed compatible enough from a quick read-through of his profile. Rather than click on his separate page of pictures, I moused over his default pic to see the first three. They were bog-standard, and he looked pleasant. I passed along the link.
There was a lull in the conversation as she clicked on the link, and two minutes later this popped up on my IM screen: “OH MY GOD APRON PICTURE!”
Confused, I hurriedly clicked on the page of pictures. There were seven or eight of them, all completely innocuous... and then in the last picture, the guy was wearing an apron that was printed with a muscular, naked man. If you glanced at the picture quickly, it looked like he was naked. Really, really naked.
I'm not sure how I feel about this brand of humor. Clearly it struck out with the girl I was working with, but I can think of others for whom this spark of humor would make him more appealing. Like every other brand of humor, the shock approach is incredibly hit-and-miss – but on the other hand, if it's a hit you might have someone who really “gets” you. If you're thinking about using this route to spice up your own profile, tread with caution (and make sure you're not breaking any site rules). It's a gamble, to be sure – and even though gambles occasionally pay off, you generally lose more than you win.
I was helping someone check out potential guys on a dating site. We'd IM each other links and essentially say, “Check out this guy.” We'd been sending links for quite some time, and I was beginning to scan them a little more quickly. I spotted a guy who seemed compatible enough from a quick read-through of his profile. Rather than click on his separate page of pictures, I moused over his default pic to see the first three. They were bog-standard, and he looked pleasant. I passed along the link.
There was a lull in the conversation as she clicked on the link, and two minutes later this popped up on my IM screen: “OH MY GOD APRON PICTURE!”
Confused, I hurriedly clicked on the page of pictures. There were seven or eight of them, all completely innocuous... and then in the last picture, the guy was wearing an apron that was printed with a muscular, naked man. If you glanced at the picture quickly, it looked like he was naked. Really, really naked.
I'm not sure how I feel about this brand of humor. Clearly it struck out with the girl I was working with, but I can think of others for whom this spark of humor would make him more appealing. Like every other brand of humor, the shock approach is incredibly hit-and-miss – but on the other hand, if it's a hit you might have someone who really “gets” you. If you're thinking about using this route to spice up your own profile, tread with caution (and make sure you're not breaking any site rules). It's a gamble, to be sure – and even though gambles occasionally pay off, you generally lose more than you win.
Subscribe
