Did you spend 2015 praying for God to send you the person of your dreams? Well God works in mysterious ways, and it just so happens that today (Jan 3rd) is the day you should start swiping! At around 6pm ET tens of thousands of new users will be joining online dating sites looking for that special someone to spend 2016 with. Maybe it’s the gloom of winter or the optimism of the New Year or all those New Years resolutions coming to fruition but January 3rd is the biggest day for online dating sites. So if you’re looking to get your pick of the litter here are 5 things you can do to make sure your profile on Salaam Swipe or any other Muslim matching site is in good order.
1. Update your pictures!
Studies have shown that users with pictures in their profile are more likely to find a match than those without pictures. In fact they are considerably more likely to find someone so use your best and most accurate pictures.
Now I know this sounds odd, but for men, it’s actually best not to be looking at the camera and not to be smiling. For women, a selfie from a high angle with a coy look is actually the most effective picture you can have. Don’t ask me why this is the case, it just is! People are weird. Maybe ask your new partner after your no smiling; not looking at the camera or high angle, coy selfie pic does the trick for you and get back to me on that. It also helps to have a picture of you doing something interesting, makes for a great conversation starter.
2. Now that you’ve matched what are you going to say?
Well the messages that get the best response rate take about 2 minutes to compose and are around fourty to sixty characters, so don’t over think it but don’t just say “hey” or “salaam.” Look for something to relate on or point out something interesting in their profile. humour is risky but can have huge payoffs if done right. Also, don’t procrastinate. Messages sent within 24 hours of a match are more likely to get a response. Majority of users wait for 2 days before sending a message!
3. Emoticons and emojis
They’re a no-no for guys, but a yes-yes for gals… don’t ask me why. For men, if there is a smiley face in your message your response rate drops 66 percent. For women using a smiley face has the opposite effect and can increase response rates by 60 percent. Yes, 60 percent! :)
4. Be open!
Studies have shown that being open to people who don’t check everything off of your list can actually lead to great relationships. On Salaam Swipe there is a list of filters that you can use find someone that meets your core criteria but you might have more success with using just a few of the filters instead of being really specific. Same thing goes for your profile description, don’t put in so many criteria about what you are looking for, the more you put out there the less likely it will be that you will find that special someone who actually was not on your list. The best things about a significant other are usually not things that fit into a category.
5. Take your conversation to the next level (but you know, keep it halal folks!)
Moving conversations offline or off the app is not a bad thing at all. The best way to determine if someone is right for you is to meet them face to face, or if that isn’t possible over Skype or some other medium. Nothing other than actually meeting and talking can give you a better sense of what someone is like and if there is any chemistry.
