Huzzah! According to this random blog entry:
The least useful profile elements in helping people get other people (in increasing order of utility) were:
• Profile picture was a non-person…
This amuses me greatly as my Facebook profile picture has been, since I signed up, a picture of Stitch. I think this actually conveys a lot about my personality, which is why I chose it (well, that and not wanting my ugly mug out there). Yet strangely enough they conversely claim that the #1 most useful predictor was “A link to a funny video”, which seems very much in the same realm; it’s all about expressing your sense of humour, which is – I would argue – the most important factor in a relationship (platonic or otherwise). So, contrary results there, but still. It’s a good little read, that entry… I’ve always been at a loss as to how to interpret profiles of people. Aside from reading Craiglist personals for great amusement – the things people write there, ee gads – you see them everywhere; that blog itself notes, for example, that even Facebook, which isn’t explicitly a dating website, ultimately functions as one as a side-effect of being a social network. I’m pretty sure I can’t take anything at face value, though, that’s exactly the opposite of what the blog in question claims. But my approach – my own opinion – is certain to be much more reliable than their silly scientific method. Pfft. ;)
On this note, I’ve always found I interpret and picture people completely differently when talking to them online, than in real life. It’s okay going the other way, because I can frame what I’m reading in terms of their voice and how I know they think, but, going from online to real life seems entirely unpredictable.
Also, I am so tired of one-line cut-and-paste dating advertisements. “Hi i’m 23 i’m good looking and funny and want to meet someone nice”. Really? No shit? That’s awesome – how do these people know that I always get really confused with these ambiguous profiles that don’t indicate whether they’re looking for a nice or an evil guy? You can never tell. Good to see some people using some common sense and cutting down that confusion.
In my own defence re. this suspicious knowledge of dating site habits, I offer Best of Craigslist!
