An unfortunate aspect of being gay is that it makes you a statistical anomaly. If the rule-of-thumb is that ~5% of people are gay, then your chances of meeting another gay person on any given day aren’t astronomically high. The chances of you running into another witty, attractive, successful gay person are even slimmer. And even if you do come across one, you better hope that your extrasensory perceptions are up to snuff, or you might miss out.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise then that online social networking is a big deal in the gay world. Whether you’re looking to make gay friends, to find someone to date, or to find some to date in the, ahem, overnight sense, your best chance is probably online. For those gay young professionals living outside of major metropolitan areas, online might be your only chance to make these connections.
However, very few people write effective online profiles, gay or straight (or whatever). When creating any online profile, you should always keep in mind the ultimate goal. Why are you making the profile to begin with? Do you want to make new friends? Do you want to find people to date? Do you want to network with other gay professionals?
In the upcoming weeks, I’ll write about some of the specific social networking sites and what they have to offer to gay users, along with specific suggestions for each site. In the meantime, here are some general tips that I try to follow when writing an online profile. I think you’ll find them useful.
1. Write an interesting headline.
Never leave the headline blank. It’s your shot at a first impression, your chance to communicate the essence of you in just a few words. Even if you feel that you’re not a creative person (which is a self-defeatist lie, and you know it), put SOMETHING down. You can always change it later.
For the extraordinarily uninspired, you can use a song lyric or a quote, even if it doesn’t make much sense. Potential friends and suitors will be able to ask about the headline as a way to approach you online.
2. Keep it short.
Most people don’t read online. It’s true. They scan. So keep your online profile to the point.
3. Make lists.
Also, web users prefer easily-scannable lists to chunky blocks of text. This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t list all fifty of your favorite movies. For one, it’s cumbersome, and two, who cares? Don’t overwhelm your audience with an exhaustive record of all of your favorites or your likes and dislikes; instead focus on the most important ones. Try to keep all lists to about 7 points or less.
4. Don’t be generic.
It really irks me when people write in their online profiles that they enjoy having fun. I mean wow, what a shocker. “You enjoy having fun, too?! I thought I was the only one who enjoys fun!”
(Similarly, I also forbid you from ever writing in your profile that you enjoy “chilling,” “hanging out with friends,” “going out,” or “relaxing.”)
Instead, write about how you like to have fun, and use examples whenever possible. Swimming? Okay. Scuba diving? Even better.
This also applies to describing your own personality. Almost everyone thinks of himself or herself as “nice” or “friendly,” but you’ll get a better response if you try to paint a picture for your audience. For example, don’t write that you’re a good person, write that you volunteer with an organization that tutors underprivileged, blind, pregnant, drug-addicted orphans. With scurvy.
Don’t be afraid to stand out, because it’s what will get you noticed, which is the whole point of an online profile. An interesting hobby could even segue into real conversation. “Oh you like scuba diving? That’s pretty intense. When’s the last time you went?”
See how easy that was? Stayed tuned for more on this subject.
I owe most of the cost-cutting credit to 
We all have our own personal inner demons. Some people struggle with chemical addiction. Others cultivate unhealthy co-dependent relationships. For some it’s an obsession with the gym. Me? I have a crocodile. 
