Wayne really was my profile mentor, everyone. In fact, he read mine and approved it before it was posted on the sites I used. As mentioned, I did let him down on the full photo, though.

I think my problem with Match is that most of the guys writing profiles (and girls) may be really interesting people, but having to write out so much of their their profile information seems to bring out the (barely) functional illiterate in them.

Like a deer in headlights, they wind up writing some of the most trite tripe, when they might turn out to be pretty clever and fun in real life. Although, I could be totally wrong about that… heh.

1. Head shot
2. Full length body shot
3. Candid shot (doing something that you talk about in your profile)

There’s nothing worse than a profile that talks about all the different activities the person does — then the pictures don’t support it with a candid. If you have good enough candids, you will greatly reduce how much you have to write.

Here are some NEVER do’s with respect to photos:

1. Never pose with a guy of the opposite sex no matter who he is or how old. Ever.

2. No pictures in belly shirts, bikinis, lingerie

3. No pictures holding a cigarette

4. No pictures holding liquor of any type

5. No pictures of you with your friends

6. No sunglasses

7. Always have current photos

8. If you can use candids for all three types – do it!

9. Smile (unless you have no teeth)

10. Do NOT obscure your body behind a tree, car, stone wall, dog, park bench, stairway, wall, another person.

11. Avoid those really awful super close up head shots

12. Do not use dark, dingy web cam shots that look as if they were taken in some opium den

Ok, now for profile writing:

1. If you write “Make me laugh” — I’m suggesting that most guys are on to the next profile — seeing this text makes me feel as if I’m either on an audition at a comedy club or on “boyfriend tryouts”…arrgg

2. A generic profile text listing is akin to the “Match Beauty Contest” — people have nothing to judge you on but your photos.

3. As I said, look at all the other profiles and write something that is different than what other people are writing about.

4. NEVER say anything negative in a profile.

5. It’s tempting – but do not put in warnings like “If you do not have a photo don’t contact me” — simply deal with these outside the regular profile. You do NOT have to reply to anyone who doesn’t send a photo.

6. Good golly – if your profile talks about loving to laugh — the profile better damn well be funny. It doesn’t have to be a comedy show for the entire text — but some portion of it needs to be marginally humorous.

7. Whatever you talk about in your profile as being “your passion” should be backed up with profile candid photos. Love Disney? You should have some pictures of you at Disney. If you talk about traveling all the time and every photo of you is a dingy web cam picture — I’m immediatly thinking that you are lying in your profile.

8. BE SPECIFIC — talking about “going out” is too generic, liking “to travel” is too generic. Where do you go. Where have you traveled. People respond to that.

I disagree with Judie’s aversion to the lengthy Match profile text. If you spend some time writing the text — it really weeds out lots of people and in return lets the other people “self qualify” themselves as to whether they are good matches.

To me the eHarmony “checklist” approach was too generic.

Just my .02