| When a girl is dating online, does a photograph | | | | and what some people (albeit influential ones) |
| make a difference? Since guys do almost all the | | | | believe reflect the tastes of the general public. |
| work in initiating contact online, there is no doubt | | | | Now, guessing the tastes of the general public is a |
| as to the value to a girl of using a photo on her | | | | tough job to be successful at, and despite the |
| profile, but there is considerable difference of | | | | prevalence of computers, there is no certainty |
| opinion as to what makes a great dating profile | | | | that the tastes of the general public are the same |
| picture. What makes one girl's profile stand out | | | | as the tastes of members on a dating website. |
| from another's? | | | | So when a large dating website in the USA |
| Firstly, there is the concern regarding anonymity, | | | | investigated the whole phenomena of profile |
| and reasonably enough, many girls feel that they | | | | pictures, and subsquently published results that |
| have more to worry about than guys when it | | | | turned these perceptions inside out, it was quite |
| comes to putting their photo up on a dating | | | | surprising. The study was methodical and |
| website. The simple way to minimise this concern | | | | conscientiously applied, and there is plenty of good |
| is to opt to keep some photographs private, and | | | | news in it for plenty of online daters. |
| only reveal them when you are satisfied with the | | | | One fundamental lesson is that smiling is vital. Girls |
| good faith of a correspondent. Alternatively, you | | | | tend to smile in online dating photos one and a |
| could put up photos that won't show as a main | | | | half times as often as guys do and it is very |
| profile picture, so they won't appear to a casual | | | | much to their advantage -- girls that smile get |
| browser, but they probably will appear to | | | | more emails than unsmiling girls. Girls that put on |
| someone that actually does go to your profile | | | | the "flirty face" -- which has a variety of |
| page. | | | | expressions for different girls -- get the most |
| As regards what photographs to put up, there is | | | | emails of the lot. The vital thing to realise though, |
| a conventional wisdom for internet dating profile | | | | is that girls do best when they look at the |
| pictures, which includes: | | | | camera -- looking away, especially if they are |
| Close up face shots are good, preferably smiling | | | | making the "flirty face" is a serious impediment to |
| and looking at the camera | | | | getting plenty of emails from guys on the site. |
| Indoor shots are good | | | | Subconsciously, the guy looking at the photo likes |
| Girls shouldn't show off cleavage | | | | the attention of the girl in it looking at him, and he |
| (The corresponding advice for guys is not to | | | | isn't too amused if he thinks she has found |
| show off their muscles) | | | | something - or someone -- more interesting out |
| Avoid shots with "props" | | | | of the shot to the side! |
| The origin of this advice is a bit hazy, with these | | | | The overall lesson is this: these photos are NOT |
| "guidelines" the result of convention, prejudices | | | | being used for a passport! |