Sometimes that little vertical line blinking at me from a
blank Microsoft Word document makes me want to tear out my hair. It seems to be
taunting me, knowing I have no clue what to write.
Anyone who has tried to write an online dating profile can
likely relate. The thought of trying to sum yourself up in a few short
paragraphs and grab the attention of potentially eligible dates is enough to
evoke great frustration from that blinking vertical line.
Regardless, more and more of us are sucking it up, getting
over our writer’s block and laying out what makes us date-worthy to the rest of
the singles (or at least we hope they’re actually single) on the world wide
web.
A recent promotional campaign by online dating website,
Lavalife, had thousands of singles entering their profiles to be named one of
the Top 10 Lavalife Singles in Canada
and a trip to Cancun for one lucky single who
was chosen at random.
“(We wanted people) who have energy, are outgoing, fun
and have a great sense of humour,” says Lavalife’s Lori Miller, on what
they were looking for from the profiles.
After short-listing the profiles down to 30, Lavalife
members and the public voted for the top 10.
“It really was the profile (that won it for each of the
top 10),” says Miller, adding each profile gave a vivid image of what that
person was like.
So, how did these top singles pen their way to profile
success?
“It took being very honest with myself,” said
Sara, 25, at Tryst Nightclub in Toronto
at a recent party held in honour of the top Lavalife Singles. “Everyone
puts the good stuff, but I also put the bad stuff.”
She says if a guy knows both and still wants to talk to her,
then she’s found someone worth getting to know.
Denise, 24, who has been on and off Lavalife for a year,
says if you truly want to find someone, you have to put a lot of detail into
your profile. “If you don’t want someone who is short, put that in your
profile,” says the Ottawa
native.
Truthfulness, it seems, goes a long way.
“You might as well be completely honest about
everything from politics to religion,” says Todd, 20, also from Ottawa and winner of the Cancun
trip. “That way you can weed out people that don’t match up to your ideal
person right away.”
Originality also seems to garner luck online.
“Don’t write what everyone else wrote,” suggests
Hiran, 22, from Calgary,
adding he looked at a few of the profiles other guys had up on the site and
then wrote something completely different.
While another single decided to completely turn the tables
on the reader. “I took a look inside myself and … then I kind of flipped
it,” says Steve, 31, from Toronto.
“What I realized is when people read this stuff they don’t want to read
about this other person, they want to read about themselves.
So, I made my profile about the person who is going to be
reading it. I kind of said ‘I know what you are looking for, and I’m this
man.'”
Above all else, Menna, 30, from Halifax
(but who now lives in Toronto),
suggests profilers “spell everything correctly,” adding it’s a little
thing, but it means a lot.
Kasia Iglinski is a journalist who enjoys her work and her
dating life. Armed with a notepad and a curious mind, she’s always on the prowl
for a good story and a good date.
