Experiences from cyber space.
Dating? Here's some advice on surviving the online dating world from the book "How to Survive Dating" (Hundreds of Heads Books, www.hundredsofheads.com, $12.95), straight from people who've done it:
“It wasn’t so important to me that somebody’s profile was catchy or clever. It was more important to me to look at the traits they had marked off. In fact, you really have to watch out for that—to not be enticed by a catchy paragraph. In my case, I was looking for somebody who talked about their kids and marked off that they didn’t mind having more. I wanted someone who had a great relationship with their kids, because I had to know they could be a good stepfather to mine.”
—Heidi, Chicago
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“Don’t try to describe your soul mate in your profile. You want to sound casual, fun, and funny, if you can. No one wants something superdeep. You’re just looking at the profile to know if someone has the same interests and might be attractive. After that, you just have to figure it out for yourself. Trying to describe your soul and your soul mate is silly. It’s never going to happen that way.”
—Anonymous, Atherton, Calif.
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“When reading profiles, go with your instinct. There is no trick to decoding it; it’s a combination of what and how they write. Do they seem sincere? Do we have things in common? Do they sound educated? You need to consider these things. But on the other hand, you also have to keep an open mind because sometimes a good person will not necessarily jump off the page.”
—Ellis, Seattle
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“Always post current color photos. Your date will immediately know if you’ve posted an old or inaccurate photo. I had dates where the person looked ten years older than in the photo. One photo should be a close-up of your face. Another should be a full-body view. The others should show off your personality. Avoid including pets — it makes you look cheesy and desperate for love.”
—D.R., Atlanta
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“I met my fianceé when she contacted me. She wasn’t registered on the site but she saw my profile and sent me an e-mail. It turns out, she has a similar corporate background; we’re both executives in multinational companies. This appealed to me. We continued to correspond and we ended up meeting, after three or four weeks. The rest is history.”
—Anonymous, Weston, Fla.
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© 2006, Hundreds of Heads Books, Inc.