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A Complete Profile is Essential to your Online Dating Success

The success to online dating starts and ends with your personal profile. Filling out your profile and writing about yourself can be a very difficult process, and let’s face it - it’s the very reason why there are so many incomplete and poor profile pages on online dating websites. But with a little time and effort, you will have an amazing profile that will help you find the love of your life.

The first thing to keep in mind when creating your profile on Shaadidates.com is to keep it simple and stick to the basics. You want potential dates to get an idea as to the type of person you are without giving away the life story about how you personally rose to power only to have it thrown away when you become obsessed with collecting stamps – after all you will need something to talk about on your first date (besides stamp collecting).

Start off with brief headline – this will not only catch people’s attention, but will also sum up who you are in a few words. Next write a short description about yourself, and feel free to mention your career, interests/hobbies, and anything else that you think describes you, or what others might like to know. Then make sure to elaborate on what you’re looking for in a partner as well fill out your likes and dislikes.

The next step is to dress it up a little – let your personality shine through with a little something extra that will make guys/girls stop at your profile and take notice. This could be the addition of music, including a poem or famous quote, customizing your profile page with the use of background colours and different fonts (but not too many, not everyone can read light pink text on a white background). Simply put, express yourself with a unique style of writing. The key is to stick out and to be remembered, but for the right reasons.

Once you have finished your profile, read it over once more. This is where you can catch and fix up any mistakes, especially grammar and spelling. If your profile has simple grammar and spelling mistakes it will show that you were careless and rushed when creating your profile and may turn off potential suitors. An easy way around this is to cut and paste what you have written and perform a spell/grammar check.

It's also helpful to read it aloud, because sometimes you realise, that what you are saying just doesn't make sense.

Now that you have ensured that your profile is error-free, click save and move on to the next stage – uploading your profile picture.

Do’s and Don’ts of Profile Pictures

Profile pictures should be the easiest step when creating an online dating profile, but it’s shocking to see how many bad profile pictures there are. From pictures with weird/drunken faces to dark webcam shots – it’s enough to make you wonder – what were these people thinking? (perhaps they really were drunk)

When selecting a picture to upload it’s important to remember that complete strangers and potential dates will be able to see these pictures, and will immediately pass judgement on you (It's only human). It’s as the saying goes “You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression”. For this reason you want to select a picture that shows off your best qualities and of course your best smile (A great smile has more power than you know).

Main Profile Picture

Your main profile picture should be a close-up shot of your face, but not too close either (With the quality of cameras these days, every imperfection can come out if too close); The best profile pictures are of the person laughing, smiling, having fun, or otherwise happy and natural (Not staring at the camera like it just insulted their mother). Another thing to keep in mind is the lighting; select a picture where your face is clearly visible, without any shadows. Also, it’s best to crop the picture so that you are the only person in it – this will ensure that nothing confuses the other person from being able to determine which person is you.

Now some would say that close-up pictures can be boring and will not allow you to stand out from the rest, but in reality you’re face and your best smile are all that you need to attract someone’s attention. And it shows that you have nothing to hide and are confident about how you present yourself. (Besides, you still want to be recognisable in the smaller thumbnail version of your image)

Another common response from people is that often they don’t have any pictures of just their face but only have group pictures and pictures showing themselves in a particular action. Do not count these pictures out just yet – they can be great pictures if used correctly (and not as the only pictures you have). The ability to crop images can transform group or action shots so that they can easily become profile worthy, you just need to invest the time and effort.

Additional Profile Pictures Although you only need to upload one main profile picture, it is recommended that you upload more than one to show your personality, this will help paint a better picture of you for others. In these pictures you can show yourself in action, whether is at work, travelling, out with friends, or at a family event. Adding 3 to 4 additional pictures should be enough for this purpose and it’s best to avoid adding too many pictures. How many is too many? Well if you have enough to create an album then chances are you have uploaded more than you needed to (exception: the more diverse the photos, the more you can have). Whatever additional pictures you choose to add to your profile make sure to keep the following in mind:

• If you love to travel then travel pictures can say a lot about you and give people some idea as to what kind of person you are ("Here's me at Stonehenge!"). And besides they can be great conversation starters. It helps if you are visible instead of some speck in the distance.
• Pictures with your pet(s) can be great way to attract others who love pets and help weed out those who are either allergic to, scared of or hate pets (Just maybe not ALL your pets, you are not the crazy cat lady! Are you?).
• There is a fine line as to what is appropriate when trying to show off your sex appeal, it’s best not to show too much skin and leave some room for imagination.
• Although this should be obvious, make sure that the picture is clear and in focus. Black and white photos are acceptable, but too many other special effects, can look cheesy and childish.
• Photos taken in front of a mirror, of yourself, are bad enough as it is, but even worse when you use the flash on your camera.
• No weird or funny faces – it might be in good spirit and show off your playful side but can turn off some people and give the wrong impression. There is an exception to every rule but its best show these pictures once you get to know a person better.
• No drunken pictures. (Do we really need to explain this one?)

Online dating can be challenging, especially when creating your own personal profile. But if you follow the simple steps mentioned above, the possibilities (and dates) could be endless – that is until you find that special someone.

Aman Dhanoa

Please keep in mind that this is a quick how-to guide to creating a great profile and as stated earlier there are exceptions to every rule. Not all topics may have been covered but if you have any questions or concerns please feel free to send an e-mail to one of our friendly staff members for more information.