Dating Information

Top 10 Photo Blunders


The following no-nonsense list was compiled from interviews with long-time online daters and the business executives and support staff of several major online dating services. What's the bottom line? The single most important part of online dating is how you handle the simple act of representing yourself with photos.

1. Not posting a photo at all. Not posting a photo at all is arguably the most serious mistake. You must have something to hide if your photo is a blank space. Trust us, everyone thinks so. And that jaundiced phrase "ask for my picture" is sounding pretty lame these days. Describing yourself in words is lame, too.

2. Posting a photo that is more than 2 or 3 years old. If you are too much older than your picture you've committed the sin of "age shaving" online. This is guaranteed to put your relationship on shaky ground from the start and is usually an instant "deal breaker." Ever wonder why that second date never happens? It's a sure bet they won't tell you if you "age shaved".

3. Is that little figure in the background you? See # 1. If your image is so small you can't be seen clearly you must be butt-ugly or have something to hide. Lame. Get a real photo of yourself. We've already seen Yosemite - in person.

4. Compromising by using a photo with a strange or goofy expression. If the only fairly close up, kinda' clear picture you have of yourself looks like you just smelled something unmentionable, it's time for a better photo. Even prose by Shakespeare in your profile can't overcome the awful first impression created by a drunken, or worse, that dreaded "deer in headlights" look.

5. Is that you - or is the one on the left you - or is the one in the background you? Why are you kissing that strange-looking man on the cheek? Who is that man with his hand on your ass? Are those your parents? If we have to guess or if you have to explain it in your profile text, it's too late. Try to avoid posting a photo with more people than you in it, especially if the other person(s) are of the opposite sex, even if you think the photo of you is good.

6. Take off those sunglasses. See #1. Going incognito are we? Playing Joe Hollywood? Wearing sunglasses just suggests you have something to hide.

7. You at the party, head tossed back in laughter, beer in hand, having so much fun you make us puke. It's not that we believe that you get drunk and party 5 nights a week, but why should we take the chance.

8. Trusting your mother or brother to tell you which photos you should use online. Your mother thinks even your goofiest picture looks absolutely charming. Your view is biased, too. That favorite photo that you think looks really, really good might not. Instead, ask someone of the opposite sex who you find attractive which photos you should use online. That's the single most accurate measure of your photo's effectiveness. Why? Because when you post your photo online, you'll be impressing just such people - or not impressing them - a thousand times a day.

9. Showing too much skin. This will get you just the wrong responses if you're a woman, and usually no responses at all if you're a man. There are exceptions, but not many.

10. Using your crappy snapshots because you think using professional photos is "cheating". Using professional quality photos is the first thing online dating experts suggest you do if you take your online dating seriously. You certainly don't trust your health, your vision or even your haircut to an amateur. So why trust your online image to one? Making a lasting first impression with professional photos is a sensible way to put your best face forward.

Merav Knafo

Merav Knafo is the co-founder of LookBetterOnline.com. LookBetterOnline offers an easy and economical solution to the problem of sub-standard online dating photos. Available in over 6000 cities in the US and Canada, all the photographers they employ are pre-screened, are specially trained and will make you look your best! You get 12 great images that are the perfect size and resolution for your profile - and for no additional charge, their staff will recommend the best photos to use!

Do your photos do you justice? If they aren't working for you, they may be working against you.

For more information and to schedule a photo session that may change your life, visit http://lookbetteronline.com


MORE RESOURCES:

Bgay.com

EHarmony Settles Dispute Over Gay Matches
Wall Street Journal - Nov 19, 2008
By NATHAN KOPPEL and SHIRA OVIDE A settlement Wednesday between eHarmony Inc. and the New Jersey attorney general requires the online heterosexual dating ...
UPDATE 1-Suit forces eHarmony to offer gay dating service Reuters
Dating Web Site, eHarmony, Settles In Gay Discrimination Case Evening Bulletin
eHarmony settlement could mean changes for Utah dating Web sites KSL-TV
Boston Herald - Tango
all 276 news articles


San Francisco Chronicle

Hartnett Dating Miller?
San Francisco Chronicle,  USA - 11 hours ago
... Actor Josh Hartnett was reportedly spotted enjoying another intimate evening in London with British star Sienna Miller, fueling rumors they are dating. ...


"Boom": an apocalyptic dating game
Seattle Times, United States - 1 hour ago
Played by Gretchen Krich, Barbara can freeze the action, or drum up a mood by bashing away on a timpani, and her role in this apocalyptic dating game is ...


BuddyTV

Emily Blunt and 'Office' Actor Rumored to be Dating
BuddyTV, WA - 1 hour ago
No comment has been issued by both parties regarding the dating rumor but Star magazine claims that Blunt and The Office actor were seen on Sunday, ...


Gay Dating
TheStorygroup.com, GA - 1 hour ago
Great Gay Dating! Worth seeing! Check The Site For Gay Dating To Find Out More. Meet girls online and check their pictures from our site! ...
Mobile Dating TheStorygroup.com
all 4 news articles


Oh, Baby! Big News for Sanchez
Washington Post, United States - 3 hours ago
By Amy Argetsinger and Roxanne Roberts The SoCal Democrat is by far the House's finest comedian -- sharing wacky tales of dating life on the charity ...
Linda Sanchez is pregnant with first child PolitickerCA
all 180 news articles


eFUEL EFN Corp. Is Developing Virtual Dating Technologies That ...
MarketWatch - Nov 19, 2008
This virtual dating platform will be introduced in early 2009 to the over 8.5 million members of eFUEL's online dating Websites -- a number increased ...


The Dating Game: Is it game, set, match? We have to wait and see
Kentucky.com, KY - 19 hours ago
By FRED GONZALEZ - McClatchy Newspapers I hopped on a jet plane to Puerto Rico for the weekend with CoolGirl, whom I have been dating for close to a year ...


After 27 years, I was dating a social moron
SunHerald.com, MS - 20 hours ago
I re-entered the dating world after 27 years absence. I had high hopes. I was a good person, a valuable human being with wants and needs. ...


MSNBC

Just dating him in the meantime? Don't!
MSNBC - 17 hours ago
Dating “in the meantime” is based on the belief that time is infinite. But in reality, “in the meantime” is wasted time, which means missed opportunities. ...

Dating - Google News

home | site map
© 2006