Profiles

CheckedProfile.com is a new service designed to allow people to have their photo's and email address verified. They soon plan to have 5 levels of verification which will allow people to verify Name, Age, Country, Phone, Address and Net Worth. Only the first level is available now and prices range from free to $99.99 USD for all levels of service. CheckedProfile is aimed at people who use dating sites and social networks. The problem of profile and photo dishonesty is not new and there are already several other companies offering similar services which we have talked about before (see Story).

The way CheckedProfile works (at least for the level 1 photo verification) is you create an account an upload the photo you want verified. The service then gives you a custom alphanumeric code which is unique to your picture. You then need to put the code on a piece of paper and take a picture of yourself holding the paper. This new photo then is uploaded to CheckedProfile. Once verified (by an actual person) you will then get your original photo back with a verified stamp integrated into it along with a code. People interested in you, can now visit CheckedProfile.com to type in the code from the photo to verify that the photo has indeed been verified (along with any other information).

As with most of these type of services there are a few holes in the verification process that if people wanted to, they could circumvent. For one thing, a scammer could just steal someone else's photo that already has been verified and pass it off as his own. A scammer could also mock up a photo with the verified information, it may not pass the test when someone checks it on the website but I bet not everyone will understand that they need to do this. The last problem I see is, someone could just get their good looking friend to do the process for them. While CheckedProfile's verification process is not 100 percent it is a step in the right direction. If they improve on the verification methods maybe it will become one I would recommend.

Visit CheckedProfile.com directly and for more services designed to help you succeed in dating, take a look at our Dating Profile Help category.

Your dating profile has three things that must be remarkable for your profile to get clicked - your screenname, your default picture, and your headline. If one of those is sub-par, then the other two must be extra awesome to make up for it! However, so often dating profile headlines are lackluster.

"I don't know what I'm doing here..."

"Single librarian seeks book lover"

"Looking for a fun person"

You don't have to have a boring headline like those. Really, you can have better. The first step toward a better headline is this: Do not write your headline before you write your profile. Go back and read that again. I know that on the page where you're filling out your profile, the box for the headline comes first, but you'll have to hold back those OCD tendencies and SKIP IT for now.

Write your profile first. Once you've perfected the back cover of the Book of You, then it's time to go back to that empty space and put in your tantalizing headline. Tie it in to something you've written in your profile. So for example, if you've recently taken up skiing and talked about that in your profile, you can make your headline: "Graduating from the bunny slope!"

You can also tie your headline into the type of person you'd like to meet, but avoid the usual cliches when possible. Tarzan seeking Jane, Lancelot seeking Gwenhyfar, Harry seeking Sally.... all have been there, done that. Go for something a little more obscure that ties in with an interest you hope your match would have (For Star Trek fans, Jadzia Dax seeking Worf).

Bring up an activity you hope to share with your match - "Bears fans - apply here!" (Of course, you leave yourself open to being passed by if folks aren't into your activity of choice.)

Still not feeling it? The final option for a headline that works is a snippet of a poem or song lyric that means something to you. (Do not pick a depressing song!) You can choose to post it with credit or see if people catch the reference - I enjoy doing the latter because it tells me that the person shares the same tastes as me (or they're good at Googling!).

Remember that a remarkable headline gets your profile clicked. The more clicks you get, the more chances you have of The One stumbling on your profile and finding you!

No matter what dating site you choose, you'll need a screenname or username. For a couple sites, this name will never see the light of day (other than on the login screen), but for most, it will have a prominent place in your profile. What can you do to make sure it speaks volumes about who you are?

Things to Avoid

Do not use your real name as your screenname. This opens you up to being stalked by those crazy people who can't handle rejection. The last thing you need is for these folks to show up at your front door, or worse yet, your place of employment.

Don't end your screenname with a bunch of numbers. This has become a popular theme with spammer recently (especially on Twitter), so unless you want to be thought a spammer or robot, don't use names like John122483 or Suzie32801.

Avoid sexual innuendo unless your profile is on a site that caters to casual encounters.

The Screenname Formula

Can't think of a cool screenname? Try this little writing game. Grab a piece of paper and write down 5-10 adjectives that describe you. Make a second column and write 5-10 nouns that describe you or things you like.

So for example, I might have:

Adjectives: Curvy, geeky, friendly, purple, goofy

Nouns: Cat, dragon, writer, iced tea, blogger

Now, put those adjectives and nouns together in as many combinations as you can. So, I'd have CurvyCat, CurvyDragon, CurvyWriter, CurvyIcedTea (lame!), CurvyBlogger, GeekyCat, GeekyDragon, GeekyWriter, GeekyIcedTea, GeekyBlogger... etc, etc.

You're going to end up with more lame ones than good ones. However, you'll either find a perfect one, or you'll get the inspiration for the perfect one! Whatever you do, be creative and fun - your screenname is one of the first things noticed about your profile, so make it remarkable!

Every dating site has its own spin on the dating profile format. In this series, I'll take a look at some of the different profile formats and how you can write your best profile for that particular service. Lavalife.com offers a few different profile options. You can choose from Dating, Relationship, or Intimate. (Why they call casual sex "intimate" I have no idea. I'm pretty sure you can't be "intimate" with someone you barely know. You can have sex with them, but that certainly doesn't make it "intimate." Anyway....)

Three Profiles

Beware! When you first sign up for Lavalife, you will have all three profiles activated. If you have no interest in casual encounters, you will want to delete your "Intimate" profile. Likewise, if you have no interest in long-term relationships, you should delete the "Relationship" profile.

The Writing Portion

There is only one open section to write in for a Lavalife profile, and that's the one that is originally presented to you as "tell others about yourself" during the sign-up process. Once you move into editing your profile, this field changes and is called "In My Own Words." This is the place where you'll want to talk about who you are and the type of person you'd like to meet. Keep it short and sweet and tell a story that others will want to join in! Think about the last book you purchased. You probably read the back cover (about 300 words) and thought, "Wow, I really want to read this!" If your profile reads like the back cover of a book, it should convince people to pick you up! (Pun intended!)

The great thing about having a couple different profiles (Dating/Relationship/Intimate) is that you can edit the "In My Own Words" for each one separately. I recommend having both Dating and Relationship active and test-driving different profile texts in each to see which gets you more results. Internet marketers do this with sales pages, why not do it with your dating profile?

Fill-Ins

Each type of profile also has some interests and fill-in-the-blank type questions to fill out. Dating and Relationship have the same interests list. I like the fact that they've given you the ability to select whether you enjoy participating in or just watching sports. So if you play softball but love watching football, you can be clear about that in your profile. Very handy!

Pictures

Lavalife offers the ability to upload up to 30 pictures and select which pictures appear with which version of your profile. This is a great way to keep your profile fresh if you happen to have 30 recent pictures. Since Lavalife will hold them for you, you can alternate and swap them out until you find the combination that seems to get you the most results!

Here's hoping that you find someone to click with you at Lavalife!

For more information on the dating site mentioned in this article, read our Lavalife.com review.

Every dating site has its own spin on the dating profile format. In this series, I'll take a look at some of the different profile formats and how you can write your best profile for that particular service. Let's take a look at another geek niche dating site, Geek 2 Geek (gk2gk.com). They've apparently bought up a ton of Google ads lately, because I've seen their banners everywhere (and heard lots of commotion on Twitter from people who have seen them).

As a geek, what may appeal to you about Geek 2 Geek is their pretty sleek and clean interface. SoulGeek can be a little colorful and animated and hard to navigate in comparison. However, I feel that SoulGeek gives you a better feel for who your matches are on a geek level. Geek 2 Geek does not offer the extensive list of geek activities or allow you to talk about your passions in the same way SoulGeek does.

In your Geek 2 Geek profile, you can select your geek interests, but the only two places you're allowed to write your own material are the same as every other dating site, geek or not - Description (about you), Match Description (about them). Keep both sections short and sweet - remember that you're telling a story, not listing your qualities like items in a catalog. You want to give just enough information for someone to want to get to know you better. Since it is a geek niche site, feel free to let your geek flag fly and talk about your D&D character or how many hours you spend glued to your Xbox controller. There are sympathetic ears here!

Geek 2 Geek allows you to upload several photos. Be sure to have one close-up of your face and one full body shot. The rest are up to you - and since it's a geek site, why not upload your geeky photos? (You know which ones I'm talking about!)

Happy dating, geek friends!

Every dating site has its own spin on the dating profile format. In this series, I'll take a look at some of the different profile formats and how you can write your best profile for that particular service. PlentyofFish is a free dating service that has skyrocketed in popularity in recent years. It has a very basic profile setup, so it's straightforward to fill it out.

Interests

List your top 6-9 interests here. Why 6-9? The default layout is three columns and you want something even and pleasing to the eye. Three interests aren't quite enough to fill out the box, but more than 9 and it starts to get a little bit like a laundry list.

About me

One of the biggest mistakes I see people making on PlentyofFish is being redundant. In other words, repeating information found elsewhere in the profile. In fact, the profile I chose at random to reference for this article is doing just that. In her statistics it lists her age, height, and location, yet she repeats them again in her profile. This is just wasted space!

This is the internet age, folks. We've been trained to skim and then LEAP to a new page if something seems boring within a few seconds. Save those precious words in your profile for things that haven't already been said.

Your profile is the back cover of the Book of You. Tell that interesting tale that gets people intrigued enough to pick you up, but keep it short and don't give away too much. A little mystery is what make people want to get to know you better!

Even though this says "About me," you will want to write about the type of match you seek here as well. After all, there's no other place in the profile to put it!

First date

What a random choice for a second section. What I'd do here is give potential matches a variety of ideas of places that you'd like to go for a first date. Bonus points if you can keep this section fresh and updated with local events!

For example: "There's a great film festival going on Downtown on Saturdays through the end of the summer. I'd love to go check it out!"

Having a good selection of date ideas puts a potential match at ease. You've done some of the work for them! Instead of suggesting a film festival and wondering if you hate movies, they'll know for sure that you want to go and would enjoy it!

Photos

Be sure your photos for your PlentyofFish profile include a close-up of your face, one full-body shot, and at least two other good photos of yourself. Avoid self-portraits, webcam photos, and group shots when you can and please, please, please, be sure your photos are recent so you are advertising exactly what you look like now.

Good luck going fishing at PlentyofFish! I hope you catch the big one!

For more information on the dating site mentioned in this article, read our PlentyofFish.com review.