Saturday, July 28, 2012

The Run Down

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the different features that PoF has to offer, let me break it down for you.  These are the many outlets within the site that allow you to interact with other PoF members…
*Disclaimer: this blog will not necessarily increase your interest in online dating or your faith in humanity overall. The writer does not take responsibility for the uncontrollable laughter you may experience from witnessing these fine specimens of the male gender. She also guarantees that the female gender is equally misrepresented on PoF, however, she does not have a fake male account in which to demonstrate this for you at this time. hmmm....*
1) The Profile
The basis of any online dating site is the compilation of user profiles, in which to display both a quick glance summary and an in-depth section as to what kind of fish are truly in this online sea. The frame of each page includes: a profile picture, a headline (or as I call it, their “Catch Phrase”), and their description of a quality first date. In the center of this is their bullet-point information, the What You’re Looking For section, & any details one would like to share more about themselves.
The Catch Phrase is located below the profile picture and is often used to demonstrate a person’s wit or declare some sort of disclaimer, sometimes of their intentions, or maybe their personal behavior.
j141***: "Fishing for a keep"
Westbound***: "I love bacon"
reldni***: "Greetings: I bite! :D"

Or the Catch Phrase can be used such as in this person’s case, to demonstrate how intelligent he is…

2) The Photo Gallery
The creators of PoF tell you to consider uploading photos that best demonstrate your life: activities you partake in, social settings, basically anything that shows what makes you happy. This guy took this as an opportunity to send a message about the activities & social settings he wants to take part in…

3) My Matches
This is where the geniuses behind PoF attempt to take the vague generic information of your interests and find your perfect match! Great, right!? Don’t be fooled. The only aspect they actually can narrow in on with any sort of accuracy is listing people who are in the same income ranking as you.
4) "Meet Me” -- easily my favorite feature
This is the online version of the Roman battle coliseum. The page shows you the profile pictures of various PoF members with the words “yes,” “no,” or “maybe” displayed across the bottom as to whether you’d like to meet them or not. But before you give your thumbs up of approval with a “yes,” or condemn your potential online relationship with the thumbs down by clicking “no,” you have the opportunity to view their whole profile or send them a message.
Now come on ladies, who wouldn’t want to meet these fellows? No judging, I pinky promise.

What a ladies man!

Oh he went there...

You can also click (or swipe if you’re using a smart phone) to see who has given you the thumbs up to indicate interest in meeting you. Let me tell you, reading the usernames listed in the email notification when someone wants to meet you can be hilarious. Fill in the blank with some of these usernames! “______ wants to meet you!”


Do I want to know....? No. I probably don't.
  Well that's all for now! If you want to see any more examples from a particular section, feel free to let me know in the comments.

Happy Fishing!

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Men in the Spotlight

This week, instead of focusing on a general theme among Plenty of Fish, I decided to pick just a couple of unique profiles and share them with you. These two men had two very different approaches to online dating than what I've seen so far. Props for originality. But does it spark any interest? Or go just a little too far? Let's discuss...

JazzyJ***– Does all the heavy lifting for you…
Talk about someone who invests his time in everything he does! Jason, or JazzyJ as referred to above, made 4 YouTube videos (7 to 8 minutes long) titled “Jason’s online dating interview” Parts 1-4, in which he tells you all about himself, his interests, and what he’s looking for in a relationships. Well it’s obviously sparked some interest in the PoF world because his videos have been viewed about 400 times since the last 3 videos were posted semi-annually since 2010. Jason so kindly posted his YouTube username in his “About Me” section so you can search for his videos yourself.
Ladies, in case you like a man who takes initiative like this, I’ll save you some time. I watched the videos and here’s the scoop. The videos are shot in front of a backdrop that he says he has set up in his living room due to his involvement in game show entertainment/production. The videos are staged like a talk show in which he is the host. So this is what you learn about Jason in a nutshell:
1)      Super big fan of Disneyland. He goes at least twice per year as it is a “passion” of his. He will gladly debate you as to why it truly is the happiest place on earth.  He even owns a Donald Duck costume.
2)      In addition to game entertainment, he is a wedding DJ and IT specialist.
3)      Really, really likes using Facebook.
4)      Huge Suns fan

Well, you have to give the guy props for answering legitimate questions about himself and really putting himself out there with confidence. He also covers anything you could possibly want to know on at least the first two dates. But that could almost be a problem because…where is the fun in that? But if you’re into him, may I suggest sending him a YouTube response video monologue of yourself to see if he is interested as well before deciding to go on a live date. That’d be a super cute way to say you liked his creativity, and brings him up to speed on you so you’re not the only one talking on the first date.

JLPD**** – adopt a fake persona to theme your entire profile
JLPD is a 32 year old, never been married bachelor who has decided to write his whole About Me in line with a spy theme. His catch phrase: “Secret Agent in search of Bond Girl”. He actually signed the end of his profile, “007”. The gallery includes multiple photos of him with various London scenery in the background, like Big Ben, a red payphone booth, and double-decker buses. His whole About Me section discusses his past as an English secret agent, saving the world one mission at a time, and fighting off women (including his boss “agent M’) who only want him for his spy gadgets.
While this is a cute way to summarize what might usually be classified as the boring details of your life, three large paragraphs written in this fashion can get a little overwhelming. Yes, you’re quite the story teller. But really, what the hell do you do? What qualities do you actually look for in a lady? And what would your first date be like???

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Photo Gallery Do's & Don't's

So lets be honest. More often than not, you probably skip over the step of scrolling through someone's profile and go straight for their pictures. Am I wrong here? With maybe a few exceptions when you're feeling extra patient or kind, you otherwise just want to know right away, are you attracted to that person?? Fair enough! Well maybe it's time you reconsidered your own photo gallery. Do you have any of these types of photos? Shame, shame! ;)

For Ladies
·    No cleavage/booty pictures – you have no idea how many times I’ve heard guys complain about girls posting that they “want to be taken seriously” or “don’t want to just hookup” but then they have photos posted that just scream “booty call!”
·    Instead, show pictures of you in your many different clothing styles. Hopefully, there is no one out there who ALWAYS dresses the same. Typically, you have different outfits that you would wear say, on a date, on a girl’s night out, a casual day at the beach, whatever. So show your different styles. It helps a guy get a feel for your whole lifestyle.
·    No duck faces- I’ve been told a few times that my profile looks “so normal” and I’ve attributed that to the fact that I don’t pretend to actually walk around trying to resemble a bird, meaning a duck or otherwise. Men want to know what you actually look like!
·    Here is a concept, smile! A great smile can outshine almost any other flaw.
For Men
·    I do NOT suggest posting super specific examples in the “what you’re looking for” section, (for example, “short thin brunettes are perfect!” *cough* Thechad-- *cough*) and then casually mentioning that looks don’t really matter or you’re not that picky. Anyone who doesn’t fit that description will now hesitate to contact you. Or worse, say they find the courage to reach out anyways, things go well, you begin dating, and then god forbid a girl matching that description walks by! Even the most secure female will think back to your profile and just wonder.
·    Don’t post pictures of you with a group of sexy ladies out on the town. You may look like a baller to any straight men that somehow get lost in cyber world and stumble upon your profile gallery, but to women, you just look like a player. Or at least someone who likes to oogle at any pretty ladies you happen to come across and then proceed to ask to take a photo with them. For all we know, you don’t even know her. You just want to be seen with a pretty girl for your ego.
·    Now I say this next one with limitations: If you’re a pet person, feel free to post a picture of you and your beloved animal. Not a million photos of JUST your pet. And not a photo of your pet making out with your face. Please, it’s the equivalent of a crazy cat lady playing dress up with her feline friends.

Keep in mind, YOU CHOOSE YOUR PICTURES. They don't just appear on your page, leaving you to defend them in your captions. So make sure you’re communicating the message you want to send.
I would like to thank a handful of men who gave me their feedback on women’s profiles they’ve seen on the site. *Josh, Tyler & Ben* You guys are awesome.