Friday, February 19, 2010

Friday News Roundup: The OkCupid Blog

Apparently, OkCupid, the free dating site whose (lack of) price tag somehow makes it seem sketchy, has a blog.

And it’s actually pretty good. Unfortunately, most of their posts have to do with maximizing results on online dating, and they spend a lot of time building charts and graphs (which seems like the perfect job for a hopelessly romantic statistician) whose value and relevance we have to question.

But it does make for an interesting read.

Today, we want to highlight two posts in particular.

The first is a dissertation on the role your profile picture plays in your success (or lack thereof) in online dating.

A quasistatistical study of OkCupid users reveals that everything Match.com ever told us is wrong!

Showing your face in your profile picture? Don’t do it!

Posting a “MySpace” shot (i.e., a picture you took by holding a crappy Webcam over your head and pouting up at the camera)? You’ll get more messages!

Guys—have a six pack that rivals The Situation’s? Show it off!

While all of these profile picture faux pas might attract more attention, the lovestruck statisticians don’t really have a way of measuring which types of people who contact these brooding meatheads.

And so the only really useable information this post provides is their take on girls showing cleavage. The economists who dropped out of grad school to fall in love found that women who show cleavage get more messages that lead to extended correspondence (i.e., not just one message that says, “Nice tits”) than women who don’t.

But you have to take the rest of the data with a grain of salt.

Yes, the MySpace girls might get more messages than the English majors who use more “normal” headshots, but the guys who contact the MySpacers might be equally emo, unemployed 17-year-olds—not the type of guys the English majors would necessarily want to meet.

Then again, the girls who post MySpace pictures are probably pretty compatible with the guys who post shirtless pictures. So maybe the lesson is, it’s just easier to find dates if you’re the kind of girl who makes a kissy face in her profile picture.

The other finding worth noting is that people who post pictures of themselves doing something interesting tend to get more messages than the people who post a neck-up version of the best photo ever taken of them.

When we look at someone’s profile picture, we expect the photo to be at least 10 percent more attractive than the person is in real life. After all, inordinately hot photos attract the most attention, right?

But after a guy’s first month on an online dating sight, he’s going to know that if she looks too good to be true, she probably is.

And you don’t want to start competing for guys on looks alone. So post a photo of yourself doing something you love. Or post a quirky photo. It’ll probably take you farther than that bikini shot from the summer you had Mono.

22 comments:

  1. What if your six-pack, "The Situation"-like abs are currently in the cooler but your mind is sharp as a triple edged sword? How do you express than in a profile picture?

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  2. online dating sites are opping up every where online, is there true love out there for everybody?

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  3. There are statistics for just about everything now-a-days and to see ones for dating just makes for good advertising and user attraction. How to get a date online Is also a good way to attract attention

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  4. Wow, I have to honestly say this blog post made me smile and chuckle, as I completely see and feel the author's point. Over the years, I used online dating websites in order to meet people I would not otherwise have crossed paths with, and I ultimately met and married my husband from one of them. I tried Match, Yahoo, OkCupid, and PlentyofFish--where I met my hubby! I tried out a number of different photographs of myself throughout the years, and I found that having a variety of real, natural photographs that clearly showed what I truly look like, as well as portrayed me doing something interesting or fun definitely got me much more quality attention than anything artificial or cutesy. The internet can be a great way to meet some wonderful people; you just have to be careful how you go about it. My recommendation to anyone trying online dating is to be real, and to be honest—oh gosh! And polite, please! Soo many people are so rude now-a-days! Best wishes!

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  5. Some very interesting points raised. Its funny you mention flaunting a six pack because that's exactly what I would do, I don't want to sound arrogant but if you've got it, show it off right? First impressions are unfortunately too important in the dating game.

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  6. well guys are naturally attracted to sexiness.. and the more sexiness that can be portrayed in a pic, whether it be cleavage, long legs or even sexy eyes.. will ensure the lady gets attention. You do see more and more self pics holding a camera in the online dating sites these days and thats probably so the advertiser can display exactly how much or how little he/she wants to..

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  7. To get more response to your dating profile post a full picture of yourself. Profiles with full picture makes the first best impression that the concerned person has no intention to hide anything.
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  8. Good pic is a king at online dating site, everyone will see your pic before read your complete profile. Upload your best pic to get best impression.

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  9. And so the only really useable information this post provides is their take on girls showing cleavage.

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  10. we must surely be at saturation point with dating sites they seem to be everywhere

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  11. A good picture yes a good profile is an added advantage it will reveal a lot more information about yourself to increase your chances of finding a match.

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  12. Unfortunately, most of their posts have to do with maximizing results on online dating, and they spend a lot of time building charts and graphs (which seems like the perfect job for a hopelessly romantic statistician) whose value and relevance we have to question.

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  13. I strongly agree on your thoughts about profile pictures. I wonder why most of the people want to post the sexiest photo they ever had?

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  14. It’ll probably take you farther than that bikini shot from the summer you had Mono.

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  15. Posting a “MySpace” shot (i.e., a picture you took by holding a crappy Webcam over your head and pouting up at the camera)? You’ll get more messages!

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  16. The economists who dropped out of grad school to fall in love found that women who show cleavage get more messages that lead to extended correspondence.

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  17. I really enjoyed reading this post. I agree that profile pictures matters. Thanks for the advice.
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  18. I want to comment about the profile picture. I think that first impression should be one of the things at the heart of online dating. It is true that you cannot tell a book by its cover, but it is also true that an unattractive cover can prevent you from picking up a book in the first place. How you look in your photo on the dating site, can determine if you will meet someone or not. Your appearance on a first date can determine a possible future with that person or not.

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  19. Interesting post... The importance of a good profile picture is undeniable.
    Posting you hottest photos will definitely get you more attention in the short term.
    But having a profile picture picture displaying you doing what you love will get you more positive results.
    In the end, it all depends on what kind of person you want to attract.

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