Love Helper

A study of 4,000 singles by the dating website Loveawake has determined the perfect formula for a fetching profile picture. Women attract 60 percent more attention with photos taken indoors, whereas men do 19 percent better with shots that showcase their outdoorsy side. Full-body shots are a must for both sexes, providing a whopping 203 percent boost in messages received.

It also helps if you, like these people, are unusually attractive.

Selfies are a divisive issue. Female online daters who upload them experience a slight bump (4 percent) in popularity, but selfie-happy men see an 8 percent drop. Women may prefer guys in pictures taken by other people – which, by the way, is what I will be calling all conventional photos from this moment on – because that proves they’re social, or at least that they’re capable of building an android companion to stave off the terrible, terrible loneliness in their remote mountain lairs.

Whatever you do, avoid photos that feature a friend or animal at your side. Cute as he, she, or it may be, you can expect his/her/its presence to slice your popularity in half. “Which one are you,” your suitors will wonder, “The blonde, the redhead, or the dog?”

Zoosk’s study also turned up what is arguably the single most baffling online dating statistic of all time. The emoticon :-) will net you a 13 percent increase in replies, but :) results in a mysterious 66 percent decline. Noses are important.

You are making this too hard. People are human.

E.g. your stated preferences are just that: preferences. If George Clooney asked you on a date you would not decline due to age difference.

Your advice is, perhaps inadvertently, an enumeration of the ways in which some women make this way too hard. Probably guys do it too. Maybe online dating is just too superficial. 

Actually George Clooney is in my preferred age range…

I agree everyone has preferences and states them on their profile. It’s acceptable for someone who is SLIGHTLY outside of those preferences to contact you, one or two years beyond the age range, maybe an additional 25 miles beyond your stated dating zone. If there is enough interest on both people’s part they’ll decide where and when to make allowances beyond their preference. What Moxie was striking at is people GROSSLY beyond the range of a users stated preferences. She’s is 100% correct that people who ignore those preferences didn’t read the users profile or are so incredibly arrogant to believe they’re above those preferences without reproach. Neither scenario is attractive.

Online dating isn’t that hard if you’re willing to do your homework. Moxie has mentioned time and time again on this blog about how on Backpage a member may have a great narrative and photos but you’ve got to check the answers to their questions for clues about their attitudes to lifestyle, sex, religion and other key factors. I’ve been doing that as part of my “vetting process” and it’s helped me pick better matches overall.