Should You Freshen Up Your Profile?
- Sunday, April 22 2012 @ 09:27 am
- Contributed by: Jet
- Views: 1,452
So, you’ve worked hard on your online dating profile. It’s been edited to within an inch of its life, and you’ve decided it’s not going to get better. Hooray! That’s one step out of the way. There’s just one problem: after a few months, it doesn’t really feel like... you, anymore. How do you know it’s time for a fresh start?
First, evaluate why you want to change up your profile. Are you unsatisfied with the number of responses you’ve been getting? If so, there’s nothing wrong with determining if your profile is sending an unintended message, but you might also want to consider other factors: your first-contact emails, or perhaps the dating pool on the site you’re using.
What if it just feels stale to you? If you feel overwhelmed at starting from scratch, see if there’s any way you can freshen things up without starting over. Perhaps you have new favorites in the TV or movie categories, or you’d like to address the time of year or current events. Just remember: if you go super-current, you’re going to have to replace that information before it becomes obviously outdated. Remember to check the expiration date on your pictures, too - a picture that barely qualified as not-terribly-old last year might not make the cut now.
Perhaps it’s you that’s changed since you first created your profile. You might be at a different point in your career, or at a different place in your life philosophy. Make sure the “voice” of your profile still lines up with you. Just because the interests and facts are the same doesn’t mean you’d tell your story the same way today.
Maybe you simply want to start over from scratch, whether it’s because you have bad associations with the old one or you’re just plain bored. There’s nothing wrong with that! Just remember: save a copy of your old profile! What seems like a good idea at 2am might seem like a terrible one by the light of day, and it doesn’t hurt to have an already-edited alternative while you’re polishing your new thoughts.
However you choose to tackle your profile, keep one thing in mind: proofread before you post! Nothing detracts from your message more than an obvious typo. And though no one likes the idea of “homework,” it’s worth putting in a little extra work to make the first impression you want.
First, evaluate why you want to change up your profile. Are you unsatisfied with the number of responses you’ve been getting? If so, there’s nothing wrong with determining if your profile is sending an unintended message, but you might also want to consider other factors: your first-contact emails, or perhaps the dating pool on the site you’re using.
What if it just feels stale to you? If you feel overwhelmed at starting from scratch, see if there’s any way you can freshen things up without starting over. Perhaps you have new favorites in the TV or movie categories, or you’d like to address the time of year or current events. Just remember: if you go super-current, you’re going to have to replace that information before it becomes obviously outdated. Remember to check the expiration date on your pictures, too - a picture that barely qualified as not-terribly-old last year might not make the cut now.
Perhaps it’s you that’s changed since you first created your profile. You might be at a different point in your career, or at a different place in your life philosophy. Make sure the “voice” of your profile still lines up with you. Just because the interests and facts are the same doesn’t mean you’d tell your story the same way today.
Maybe you simply want to start over from scratch, whether it’s because you have bad associations with the old one or you’re just plain bored. There’s nothing wrong with that! Just remember: save a copy of your old profile! What seems like a good idea at 2am might seem like a terrible one by the light of day, and it doesn’t hurt to have an already-edited alternative while you’re polishing your new thoughts.
However you choose to tackle your profile, keep one thing in mind: proofread before you post! Nothing detracts from your message more than an obvious typo. And though no one likes the idea of “homework,” it’s worth putting in a little extra work to make the first impression you want.
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