Extreme Makeovers for Online Dating

Valerie S. Johnson · #1 (**permalink**) 03-13-2007, 07:57 PM

By Valerie S. Johnson

Online dating is an enormous commercial success for the owners of websites such as Match.com, jdate.com, and eHarmony.com. However, the site users have common complaints: either they don’t get satisfactory responses to their own ads, or the dates they meet bear little resemblance to their online profiles and photos.

Companies such as Dating-Profile.com, ProfileHelper.com and E-Cyrano.com claim to meet a growing need for profile makeovers. The least expensive option is to submit your existing profile for an objective critique and light editing for $40-$60, which may include a review of your photo as well. (Hints from Dating-Profile.com: never say “I am honest, creative, and spontaneous” because everyone likes to think they are, and don’t say you’re “funny and witty,” because if you were, you wouldn’t need to point it out.)

Can’t express your true personality in words? For $70-$200 a consultant can create an entire profile for you based on your answers to a questionnaire and possibly a phone interview. You can also find a professional photographer to shoot more flattering photos or to retouch your existing shots (just improving the contrast and lighting, of course).

Be careful. If your profile is too perfect, you'll have a lot to live up to on that first date.

Broken Arrow · #2 (**permalink**) 03-13-2007, 08:47 PM

Wow. Didn't know there was a market in improving someone's online dating profile....

fairy74 · #3 (**permalink**) 03-14-2007, 09:42 AM

hysterical, but I'm sure it will be quite popular

crabbypatty · #4 (**permalink**) 03-14-2007, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Valerie S. Johnson

By Valerie S. Johnson

the dates they meet bear little resemblance to their online profiles and photos.

hence the reason people ask for "full body shots"

Broken Arrow · #5 (**permalink**) 03-14-2007, 10:27 AM

This is kind of crazy, but a lot of people are "chatting" on YouTube video now. However, even though video is not perfect either, it's still the most honest kind of internet self-representation I've seen so far.

Many that I've seen are downright creepy too.... Guess I should be glad I'm not alone?

Gruntina · #6 (**permalink**) 03-14-2007, 11:00 AM

I met my soon to be hubby via eHarmony! I highly recommend that one because it’s very rigorous with answering all sorts of questions just to register. It seems if people are willing to give a lot of time to answer all the questions, they are more serious with dating.

But it just one method I chose to use because I was looking for someone who was not superficial and not judge me right away with my deafness!

But I certainly can understand the article especially with most basic online dating such as yahoo or match.com.

On eHarmony, you actually preview your profile and see what the site says about you before you proceed.

Broken Arrow · #7 (**permalink**) 03-14-2007, 12:22 PM

Actually, I did eHarmony's profiling on a lark, but alas, no matches.

I do agree that they have one of the most comprehensive personality profiling online though, which I think is good.

The downside is then they'll start to spam you with their belief.net stuff.

Still, not too bad though.

jIM_Ohio · #8 (**permalink**) 03-15-2007, 01:18 PM

I met my wife on yahoo... we ended up living about 5 minutes from each other.

We met a couple who was dating thru e-harmony and they had good things to say (the cost to it appeared expensive to me).