Opening Lines
3 March 2010
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 Shakespeare 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 beginning. 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.
