Sorry for the single update this week, guys. I'm blaming illness -- though I loathe giving those awesome microbes a bad name, those buggers got me good.
Inspired by the dashingly handsome Gus who gets tons of really strange hormonal followers.
Whenever I meet someone on Wattpad, the first thing I do is check out their profile.
It's a pretty common course of action -- I mean, your profile is supposed to tell us a bit about yourself, so why not find out more about them quickly and easily?
But profiles can be a real minefield of unwanted information.
I'm going to make this clear right off the bat; I have no issues at all with any sort of fandom pics/references. If you love a TV show, a sport, your buddies, or yourself, by all means show us what matters to you! For crying out loud, my background pic is a nod to Browncoats everywhere (for those of you who don't know what a Browncoat is, think Whovian only nerdier and way more awesome)!
That's the point of profiles. To show people what matters to you -- but not something that matters so much that it can be seen as disturbing for some people.
Things that shouldn't show up in your profile is really personal stuff. Like "I'm an emo who cuts themselves", "I'm a sub looking for a master", and I'm just going to stop right there with the examples. 'Cause I may just have scarred myself again.
Regardless, there are three kinds reactions viewing those sorts of profiles.
One: Oh, this person sounds cool... wait... Ewww! Why would you tell me -- a total stranger-- that you're a necrophiliac?! Jeez! I wanted to get to know you but some warning is needed! Now I'm going to feel dirty every time I message you because I know what you like in bed. And it's a damn cold bed. *shudder*
Two: Yep, yep, yep. Cool. Huh, what's this word here? "Necrophilia" *waits happily for google search to complete. 0.45 seconds later* My eyes! My eyes! Where's concentrated hydrocholoric acid when you need it?!
Three: Whaddaya know. There's another necrophiliac out here. *Hi-necrophilia-five*
Hopefully option three is a rarity.
The point of a profile is to give us an idea about you as a person -- are you animal lover? Manga addict? Car enthusiast? What you love, do and so on. We shouldn't get your whole life-story, sexual preferences, or current mental state from your profile. That's stuff that can be revealed slowly over time.
It's like a the outfit that you wear when you're out in a crowd; by all means, show us your style but don't be surprised to see people look at you oddly or even avoid you if you show up in a pleather jumpsuit with a whip.
Or you can think of it as a strip-tease. You're only showing us a tiny bit of yourself so that we want to discover more about you later on. Don't just run around naked -- streaking is off-putting, simplistic, and can go on your criminal record which anyone can read (with the internet as it is). Wouldn't want pics of that little incident leaking out to Granny dearest, now would we?
And if you're still confused, here's a great acronym that should be kept in mind when making a profile: "TMI TMI".
Too much information is totally, mindlessly inappropriate.
And yeah, I made that up just now. Shiny, eh?
