Tinder is in your hands.
Credit: Metro World News
It’s the dating app that’ll have your electronic lust life swiped into reality. Here’s our guide to meeting the person behind the profile pic on Tinder.
Profile pictures: Don’t mis-sell yourself
Frankly, group shots are irritating. You’re selling yourself, not your mates – so your first image should be a headshot and nothing too distorted and artsy. No abs shots, guys, this isn’t for the cover of Men’s Health. Remember: People are flicking through photos at a rate worthy of R.S.I. (repetitive strain injury) so make ‘em stop with a flirty face or power pose – and yes, pouting does work, girls, as long as you’ve got the lips for it.
Bio: Peppy, not prosaic
On a site where the sole focus is on the superficial, the bio can seem kind of redundant. Keep it down to a few helpful hints about you – but don’t expect the furious finger flicker to take any notice of it. Girls: If you’re tall (above 5 foot 10 inches), include your height, unless you’re after a Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes situation. Lastly, any quirky facts (Burlesque dancer) or particular passions can be a great way to start a convo.
Openers: Don’t come on too strong, bunny boiler
Unless you’re a condemned man, don’t profess your love over Tinder. Conversely, save the dirty talk for a hookup site: “You absolute babe 🙂 I would love to totally wreck you x.” You’re not talking to a sex-crazed avatar, so kick off with something that you might actually say to a real person, like “Hi, how are you? What did you get up to over the weekend?”
Seal the Deal: Get that date down
OK, the Tinder texting is sparking and you wanna meet up with the person behind the profile pic. Ask for their number and if they’re a bit nervy, send yours first and make friends over Facebook. That way, the potential love interest can get an idea of your social life and decide whether they want to be part of your weekends in a torture dungeon.
First date: Play it cool
People have a tendency to overthink the first date scenario, and when it comes to a blind date (of sorts) it’s best to keep it simple. That means no dinner, comic convention or an invitation to your pad. Just go for a drink, preferably a cocktail. They’re short, strong and easy to quaff, especially if the chat is drier than a martini.
Tinder Talk
- Men, aka Tinmen
- Girls, aka Tindettes
- Blueing: You’ve got a match
Tinder 101
- It’s a dating app, not a sex app.
- It’s a free smartphone download.
- The app connects to Facebook and accesses your friends. Although it doesn’t broadcast the fact that you’re on Tinder, it will display shared friends, likes and interests.
- Your About section, if you have one, will also appear on Tinder.
- You can only choose profile pictures from your Facebook page.
- Your first name and age are displayed and up to five images.
- User settings include gender, age (18-50) and distance (1-100 miles).
- Swipe right to like and left to pass.
- Get a match (you’ve both swiped right on each other) and the Tinder icon turns blue. Now you can chat or, as the game says, “Keep Playing.”
- You can block users.
