When it's time to contact someone for the first time, what's the best
approach? It's all a question of style: your style. Some people opt for an
enigmatic "Hello, how are you" and leave it at that, whilst some choose to
rewrite the collected works of Shakspeare and include a complete medical
history as well.
Our advice is strike a happy medium in between. If you're hoping for a
reply, and that's what it's all about, we suggest a paragraph or two with
something about you and possibly some reference to their profile. Invite a
reply by asking an appropriate question or two.
Avoid the negative: "We're not a match because....". If that's the case,
well then why are you bothering to contact me?
Put your best foot forward. Before you hit send, review your message. Bad
grammar and spelling are a major turnoff. The same goes for your profile -
whenever you edit your narratives, have a look at your Profile Summary to
make sure you're happy with how others will see you.
Exercise caution. Be careful when including personal details in your
message, especially in a first contact. Including an email address may
expose your name, place of work, etc, so it's best to play it safe in the
begining. While we're pretty confident that there aren't any axe murderers
lurking amongst our members, we have it on good authority that some people
can be a tad persistent about sending you mail once they have your real
email address.
Opening Lines
11 April 2002
