A year passes by so very quickly. It seems only a few weeks ago that I was visiting NAIDEX 2019 as a speaker and now NAIDEX 2020 is just around the corner. Whilst there will certainly be many innovations on show for visitors my own seminar will focus, as ever, on the great possibilities for the UK disabled community in finding love online. Dating, never really changes, it always that period when you test out possible relationships and hope that somewhere out there is ‘the one’. Online dating makes it easier to cast your net far and wide because there are so many members of the disability community online and many of them looking for love. My own site disabilitymatch has more than 50.000 members from all around the country and in all age ranges too. Whether you are 18 or 65 you can certainly find possible dates.
Online, you have fewer than 10 seconds to get their attention before they move on. Make them count! Try making your profile title catchy, you can use activities you are involved in . They can be kind of silly, but that’s okay. Your goal is to get a dater’s attention quickly. Between your smile, a great picture and a goofy or clever name, you’ve got a chance to stand out from everyone else and be noticed.
One of the main functions of an online dating profile, is helping people come up with ways to start a conversation with you. Often after you’ve matched with someone, they’ll check out your profile to try and come up with something to say. If you have very little information, or don’t have anything someone could form a question about, they might just be at a loss for words. So here’s a good cheat—give them a question to ask. Do you love books? Add “Ask me what I’m reading” to the end of your profile.
Don’t be shy in putting up a profile picture – in fact put up several! I recommend putting at least one full length shot (statistically you get more replies) and one showing you involved in an activity you love. It could be angling or wheelchair dancing or anything that can strike up a conversation. Amazingly, a photo showing you in a sporting outfit will get 21% more interest. I think it is also nice to have a photo with a group of friends or with a pet to show what your life is all about. Remember, the whole point of dating is to invite someone into your life so you should make that an important focus when creating your dating profile.
The big advantage of using a disability dating site is that you do not need to hide the fact that you have some kind of disability and honesty is always the best policy with online dating – indeed it is the most highly ranked attribute in all dating surveys.
