Many times, whether you’re meeting people on internet dating sites or if you met someone at a braai, you’ll get Facebook friended even before the first official date. Not only does this mean you want your most flattering profile pic to be on display, but you also want to put your best foot forward when giving somebody access to your Facebook profile (and essentially a small preview into your life).
Now, not everyone prowls (or even uses) Facebook on a daily basis, but some people are addicted and if you’re reading this, you’re probably one of the many active users who checks their News Feed once or twice a day.
What your profile says about you
According to an article by Social Media Today, Facebook users are saying way more about themselves than they think they are every time they post a new status update or message. It also advises that you take the time to “craft your Facebook presence”. While this may seem like we’re encouraging you to be fake and pretentious – it actually makes sense if you think about it. Remember that you’re not only posting updates to your 10 closest friends, but also to family, friends, ex colleagues and that guy you had a few dates with but it didn’t work out.
Here are some things to look out for:
- Do you use cuss words and jargon? These don’t make you look powerful, it makes you look like someone who either needs to swear to convey emotion or someone that’s deliberately trying to speak above people’s heads;
- Do you share inappropriate videos? It happens so often. You see a video in your timeline with an appealing (yet slightly unsavory theme), like “OMG look what this girl did to scare her boyfriend on Halloween!” or something along those lines. You click to watch the video – not thinking that anybody will be tracking your moves – and before you know it, you’ve posted the same video onto your profile and shared it with 50 friends. This is spam. If it sounds gimmicky and has a suspiciously short link – don’t click on it!
- Are the most recent posts on your profile high scores from playing Backgamon, Texas Hold’Em or CityVille? While there’s absolutely nothing wrong with playing these games on Facebook, it could make you look like someone with way too much time on her hands. Pay attention to what apps you authorize to post on your Wall to avoid unnecessary clutter.
- Are your status updates cryptic, passive aggressive or negative? It’s fine to want to vent or fume online – and Facebook seems like the most obvious place to post a snide remark. Whether you’re complaining about the local take-out place or someone at work who pressed your buttons, remember that a snotty update will make you look like negative, petty and mean. If you’re trying to show someone you’re date-worthy and fun, rather post nasty comments on NoLimitList.com – it’s the world’s first truly uncensored classified advertising that actually encourages anonymous free speech. Not the classiest site in the world, but the ideal place to post a long winded complaint after being ripped off or hard-done by.
Take a good Facebook profile picture
The old saying that nobody is as ugly as their driver’s license picture still rings true, but this old adage has been modified to include “or as hot as their Facebook profile picture”. We’re not saying you should get all dolled up and take a head + cleavage + arm-extended-out-to-hold-camera picture – we’re just saying it makes sense to spend some time choosing your profile picture. Unless your profile is unsearchable, this is the picture that friends, new acquaintances and a potential love interest will see when they send you a friend request.
While people in relationships (or those who simply aren’t looking for a squeeze) are free to post anything from a political slogan to a picture of their cat as a profile pictures, the rest of us who want to impress should try to get a great pic that makes you look mysterious, fun and alluring.
Here are a few tips:
- Play around with the shutter speed on your camera – use the “slow-sync shutter” or “night time” to get trippy looking light effects (this works well if the photo was taken at a club or party);
- Use your smart phone aps to add neat filters to your pictures. Instagram and Fisheye are popular choices for this.
- Learn the basics of Photoshop. While it might seem intimidating at first – it’s actually pretty easy to make your pictures look quite a bit better. Here are some basic Photoshop how-to’s.
The Live Eco team
