Top 10 Dating Personals Profile Mistakes
You may be sabotaging your online profile...and you don't even know it
By Dating expert Jeff Cohen
Special to Yahoo! Personals
Updated: May 22, 2009
You've
just invested your hard-earned dollars in an online
dating site. After a few hours you have what you believe is the perfect
online profile. You kick back, waiting for the prospects to roll in.
Day after day goes by -- but still your inbox is empty.
Where did you go wrong? How could you have misjudged your online attractiveness?
Maybe you inadvertently sabotaged your chances by making one of these 10 online profile mistakes.
#1 - Profiles With No PhotosDepending
on which research you believe, the photo represents anywhere from 50 to
90 percent of your first impression. Omitting photos also creates a
first impression: it may signal you have something to hide or that
you're not proud of the way you look.
#2 - Photos That Look Too Good to Be TrueMight
someone confuse your photos with a magazine spread? If so, it's
possible your photos look too good. Prospects will begin to wonder if
the real-life version of you will look anything like the model depicted
in the profile.
#3 - Screen Names That Are Too Cutesy
An original idea for a screen
name hits you like a bolt of lightning.
An original idea for a screen
name hits you like a bolt of lightning. You'll call
yourself LuvDamesNoGames. Yes it rhymes, but might the word "dames"
offend some prospects and send the signal you're
old-fashioned?
Sure,
you're anxious to get online and surf for prospects. That doesn't mean
you should rush your profile and fill in the first thing that comes to
your mind. If your profile reads like everyone else's, it simply won't
stand out from the crowd.
#5 - Profiles With Contradictory InformationIn
the opening paragraph you detail your desire for a serious
relationship. But later in the profile you rave about the benefits of
casual dating. Contradicting yourself confuses prospects and makes them
believe you have no idea what you want.
#6 - Photos With FriendsMaybe
you want to send the message that you're a social creature.
Unfortunately, prospects will automatically compare you to the other
people in the photo. And they might decide they'd rather date your
friend than you.
#7 - Photos With the Ex Cut OutWe
can all tell when a photo used to have someone next to you. If the best
photo you ever took happens to have your ex in the picture, then do
yourself a favor and post your second best photo.
#8 - Profiles Full of Spelling MistakesTake
30 seconds and run a spell check on your profile before posting.
Nothing says laziness like spelling mistakes.
Show prospects you care about your
profile and they'll think you just might care about them
too.
Show prospects you care about your
profile and they'll think you just might care about them
too.
It's
tempting to tell people what you think they want to hear. You might
even think you'll score more prospects that way. But sooner or later
you'll get found out and develop a negative reputation
online.
#10 - Jokes That Are OffensiveWe
all know a sense of humor goes a long way in making a great impression.
But jokes that offend will backfire and get you canceled out right
away. Run your profile humor past a trusted friend to make sure it
serves the right purpose.
Jeff Cohen is the author of "
Dating, Inc.," a that shows women a step-by-step plan for finding true love using the same skills that already make them successful at work. Jeff has appeared on CNN, CBS, and Voice of America, and been interviewed by USA Today, Daily News, Denver Post, the Chicago Tribune, the Boston Herald, and Martha Stewart Living Radio. He earned degrees in marketing from the Wharton School of Business and psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and readily admits taking charge of his love life through a game plan that included 77 blind dates before he found the one.
