Investigate your date

Though it remains to be seen how long my most recent online dating endeavor will last, or how successful it will be, it does stand to reason that I'll at least meet a few people, and maybe go on a few dates. So it's interesting that not too long ago I received an unsolicited email about backgroundcheck.org. On a whim, I visited the site, and have to admit - it's some interesting stuff. I was particularly interested in what goes into a background check, especially because I know one was recently run on me by organization with which I'm volunteering.

Since this is a dating blog, the original email linked me directly to this post about online dating. Of course it includes some basics - using facebook and sites like 123people.com to search for information, as well as checking sex offender registries, and Department of Corrections websites.

Presented By: BackgroundCheck.org

What I found most interesting were some of the statistics about lying in online dating profiles: 

• Men's photos are, on average, six months old; women's are eighteen months
• 81% of all online daters lie about their age, height, and/or weight
• Most daters think these lies are OK

I can honestly say I've never lied about any of these things. OK - so I'd never admit my actual weight...but I always describe myself as curvy, or a "little extra" and always make sure to include current photos, at least one of which being a full length shot. 

I mean - the goal is to eventually meet in person, right? So why tell lies that will be so readily apparent when you do?

Anyway, I also liked the bit about how to detect a liar just from his online dating profile.

• Liars use more negative words (like "not" and "never")
• Liars use fewer negative emotion words (like "sad")
• Liars user fewer first person pronouns (speak about themselves in the third person)
• Liars write shorter personal essays

Interesting. 

Tips noted for future online dating endeavors.

*Please note, I received no compensation for this post, and am not recommending the site or services. Just looked interesting, so I thought I'd share.