When it comes to dating, there are a ton of different ways you can approach your journey for love. Some of us are all about swiping on Tinder, while others might be exploring their dating pools with people they already know. But if these strategies aren’t working for you to help you discover what you’re looking for, it might be time to try something a little more detailed. Enter: a ‘Date me’ doc — a newer dating trend to put out into the world what you’ve been looking to focus on in your love life.
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What is a Date Me doc?
The concept of a Date Me doc is pretty much exactly what it sounds like: a document (typically a Google doc) or website (think: a Squarespace or WordPress site) that has specific details on who you are, what your interests are and most importantly, why people would want to date you. The point is that it’s a lot more detailed than what you’d typically see on someone’s dating profile and saves you from the endless swiping on people with limited info about who they are.
A Date Me doc can be customized to whatever you want the world to know. You can list what you’re looking for, your romantic wants and needs, your love languages, your dealbreakers, etc. Everything you feel is relevant can be included, so your doc can be as long or as short as you wish.
The idea of a Date Me doc first made its rounds on the internet when Chris Olah, an engineer, tweeted that he wanted a more in-depth way to date.
“Normal online dating seems pretty suboptimal. Recently, I’ve seen several people experiment with public ‘date me’ docs – I think this is a really interesting experiment in alternatives, enabling long-from, earnest dating profiles,” he tweeted, with a link to his Date Me doc, a Google doc with chapters and subcategories.
While Olah’s was extremely detailed, yours doesn’t have to be pages and pages long. It should have more information than what you could put in a bio on Tinder or Hinge and get down to the specifics of what you’re looking for in a partner. As WIRED puts it: “the authors of the Date Me docs are optimizing for partnership.”
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Should you make a Date Me doc?
There is no right or wrong way to make a Date Me doc, and that gives you the freedom to be as creative with it as you want. Back in 2017, one girl created a PowerPoint presentation on why her crush should date her, proving that you can make it unique, fun and genuine to who you are.
When creating a Date Me doc, the first thing to decide is what platform to use. If you simply want to create a Google doc and share that link out with potential suitors, that’s an easy way to go. However, you could also create a website or a blog post that details what you want people to know. You can include fun details such as photos and links to music, TikToks or other things to show off your personality. You can even include a quiz, if you’re really looking to amp things up.
Related: 10 ineffective dating app profile tropes to avoid in 2022.
What are the benefits of a Date Me doc?
It definitely takes some work to create a Date Me doc, as a result of the layers and detail they require. But the time and effort are worth it if you think this is a way to make a more authentic connection and narrow down who you want to date. (There’s a good chance this is one way to weed out people who won’t take the time to read your entire doc.)
Plus, if you’re over using dating apps, this is one way to customize your dating experience in a way that goes deeper than only looking at photos and sending cheesy pickup lines.
If you’re brave enough to put yourself out there for dating in the first place, a Date Me doc might just be the thing to take your dating life up a notch. To make the most out of it, be yourself and don’t be afraid to be playful with it.
See also: How to calm first-date nerves – tips from a dating expert.
