New Year, New You

Keep it fresh. That sounds like something we’d probably see on a head of lettuce at the supermarket. Or maybe it’s something some rapper would say on his new album. But, when I say, “Keep it fresh,” believe it or not, I’m talking about your JDate profile.

A lot of people recently stated their New Year’s resolution as, “I will find love in 2012.”  In fact, The Huffington Post [1] just reported in December that “for nearly 60% of single people over 50, ‘finding love’ is the top New Year’s resolution, and more than half rank it as the number one priority in 2012… [ranking it] higher than exercising more (34%), reducing stress (29%), saving money/spending less (28%), dieting (20%) and quitting smoking (12%).”  But when it comes to finding love – as opposed to those other resolutions – it can seem hard to judge your results with anything short of “I met someone.” Given this, just setting that as an arbitrary goal isn’t the best way to go.  The better goal is to “Keep it fresh.”

Now, I’m not saying that everyone needs to go to the salon or barber shop and cut off their hair or anything. Rather, I’m saying that it’s important to assess what’s working and what’s not in the online dating arena and do something to fix it.

Some ideas are:

1.  Update your profile photos

Have you gotten a haircut since you last took your pictures? Have you lost some weight?  (Another resolution many make). Are your photos just not getting you the attention you think you deserve? Then, it’s time to take some new ones. As a general rule of thumb, if your photos are more than a year old or don’t look like you anymore for some reason, it’s time to get new ones. And when taking your new photos, don’t forget these tips.

2.  Change your profile often

Did you do something interesting over the holidays, like snowmobiling in Alaska or taking your dog on a hike through a new trail that you’ve always wanted to explore? It’s time to share that info! Your online dating profile shouldn’t be changed as often as your Facebook status, but it shouldn’t be static either. You’re a dynamic person, so let people know it. As a side note, the more often you change your profile, the higher you’ll come up in people’s searches.

3.  Start sending those e-mails

If you’re already sending a lot of e-mails, good for you. If you’re not, it’s time to get started. Simply putting a profile up and then just waiting around is like walking into a bar, sitting on a stool, and not talking to anyone. It’s just not going to work. If you want to get noticed, it’s time to take control and start sending those e-mails.

4.  Give more people a chance

As a goal, give one person a month whom you normally wouldn’t consider going out with a chance. You never know if you’ll have chemistry (what I call the “wild card”) until you meet in person.

Simply stating, “I am going to find love this year” may be too hard, but taking smaller, measurable steps to keep it fresh will give you the full confidence to know that you put the effort in and worked toward your goal. Don’t be too hard on yourself, either. Meeting someone takes time, but the reward for working hard now may be a lifetime of happiness.  Remember, with the New Year comes a new you.

[1] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/19/seeking-love-online_n_1158597.html