Capitals, punctuation, and spelling, oh my...

So, I was poking around on eHarmony this evening looking at my new matches.  This is often an adventure in and of itself.  Sometimes there is a shocking lack of words and information in profiles, and other times there is an overabundance of information - sometimes too much information.  Sometimes profiles are quite comedic, and sometimes I'm left scratching my head thinking "did that person really just write that?"

Here are some doozies from tonight.  These are directly from profiles with no editing from me.

When describing what one thing he is most passionate about, S, a plumber, wrote, "writing poetry ,i haven't wrote in awhile ,for some reason i cant seem 2 write unless im in love! havent been they way in a long time or if im in a lot of pain. I need 2 write again =]"  He also wrote this about how he he spends his leisure time, "i really lik playing xbox,spin classes, im ready 2 do more fun things just dont have someone 2 do it with."  Oh, and he didn't post a picture of himself.

M, an insurance underwriter, wrote that the one thing he is most passionate about is "sports."  Come on - this is an opportunity to let a girl know about the things you like.  All you can come up with is "sports"?  And, he didn't post a picture either.

B, a shipping clerk, wrote that he is most passionate about "instrumental music."  Does that mean elevator music?  Not sure about that.  And, oh, he didn't post a picture either.

M, who is in the Navy, wrote this about how he likes to spend his leisure time, "i love camping and fishing love to breath the fresh air."  Yep, no picture posted.

M, an accountant, wrote that he is most passionate about "friendships."  Come on M, this is a dating site - you're just passionate about friendships?  And, you guessed it - no picture.

H, self employed, wrote this about what he is most passionate about, "I am passionate alot..."  Hmmmmmmmm...  really?  A lot?

I think one of the biggest head scratching moments I've had over information in a profile came a while back.  A little background.  I'm not religious.  I wasn't born into or with a religion and I don't follow a religion.  I think something is "out there", but I don't feel I need a building, a book, or a person in order to have spirituality.  I have nothing against people who follow a religion, but it isn't for me.  So, that cleared up, here is what a man put in his profile.

When describing the most influential person in his life, he wrote, "Not to sound super spiritual or anything, but I would say Jesus Christ, because he died for my sins, and I would like to make Him happy by serving Him in all aspects of my life."  He also wrote that one of the things in life he is most thankful for is "Having accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior."  WOW - that's a lot of Jesus in his life.  Again, nothing against Jesus and people who think he's the man, but that is a bit much, in my opinion, for a dating profile.

Ok.  So, a recap of lessons learned:

1. Have someone proof-read your profile.  Please.
2. Proper capitalization, punctuation, and spelling are important.
3. This is a profile, not a text.  Abbreviations don't cut it - spell words out, please.
4. The more words you use, the better (within reason, of course).  Telling me you are passionate about sports is fine, but what else are you passionate about?  Tell me something more about you that will make me want to know even more about you.  "Sports" doesn't fit the bill.
5. POST A PICTURE or 2 or 3 or 4 - current, clear pictures, please.

Until next time...