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Using online dating sites is the norm for my single friends. One even found her husband through J-Date. And for all of them, creating that initial online profile is one of the hardest things to do. So they turn to me, the writer, to help them create a profile that showcases all the wonderful traits they have to offer their Prince Charming.
But just because I can write, doesn’t mean that I can reach deep into their psyche and identify all those critical components of dating success. So to get my friends started, I send them to ProfileWiz, a site that promises a 500-word custom dating profile in about five minutes. It costs $4.75.
ProfileWiz generates your profile based on answers to 22 questions. Some are big questions like, "If love was a place which would it be?" or "What does happiness mean to you?" Others are more mundane, such as "If you had an extra hour today, what would you do?" or "What do you like doing on holiday?"
For each question, it asks you to answer by selecting a picture from a set of six to 12 images. I like the fact that the answers are images, though some are a little unclear. For instance, how does warming your hands in front of a fire differ from being wrapped in a blanket and holding a steaming mug of coffee when it comes to the meaning of happiness? I assume there must be some magic to the madness.
There’s also the question of whether you should answer truthfully or in the way you would like your potential mate to see you. For instance, in real life, you may want sleep if you had that extra hour. But wouldn’t it be more appealing if you put down your aspiration of going to the gym or reading a book? My advice is to be honest if you want to find your best match.
At the end, you get a 500-word profile. It reads well, has proper grammar and won’t embarrass you when it sees the light of day. If you don’t like the way something reads, you can choose from three or four other suggested ways of saying it. Or you can edit the words right on the Web page. And, if there’s something completely wrong, you can always go back and retake the quiz.
When you’re satisfied, you can download the profile as a Word document for posting onto dating sites. There are other services out there that will write profiles for you as well, ProfileWiz's appeal is in its approach and low cost (ProfileHelper.com, for example, charges $69.95 to create a profile; at DatingprofileCoach.com, another service, basic profiles start at $99).
In all, you’ll probably spend closer to an hour retaking the test and tweaking the wording, but you can have a profile in hand in 5 minutes if it nails who you are the first time. And if that hour leads to a lifetime of happiness, it was an hour well spent.
Meet Suzanne on Facebook or get her daily Techlicious Newsletter.
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