Running Out of Ideas? Here Are Some That Don’t Require Copying Anyone Else 😇

@JojoGriff YES! Storytelling is such a good one. 🥰 That's exactly the kind of suggestion I was hoping people would add here.

And I love that there are so many directions someone could take it — the story of how you discovered platonic cuddling, an experience that changed how you think about connection, something funny that happened at a meetup, what surprised you about this community, or even just a completely unrelated story that tells people something about who you are.

Thank you for adding this one! 💜

@2peas I really like your suggestions too, especially reading more and practicing being genuinely interested in other people. I hadn't even thought about reading as something to include here, but of course becoming a stronger reader exposes you to different ways people communicate and tell stories, which can absolutely help you become a stronger writer. And learning how to ask thoughtful questions and make people feel heard is useful well beyond writing a profile. 💜

@Minestrone101, I also have to tell you that I LOVE the shopping cart theory. 😂 I could go down an entire rabbit hole about that one, although I will spare everyone and not turn this into a shopping cart philosophy thread. But I completely understand the point you were making about what people choose to do when there isn't necessarily an external consequence forcing them one way or another.

These are great additions. This is exactly what I wanted this thread to become — not just one person's list of ideas, but a place where people can add the things that have helped them communicate who they are. So genuinely, thank you for contributing. 🥰💜

I just reported an enthusiast for plagiarizing a pro’s profile. Not directly because of the plagiarism, but because part of the profile that he copied mentions how to send payment 😂. Thereby making him an untagged pro.

If you are going to plagiarize, don’t be oblivious.

@ProfHermes Thank you for doing so!!
Thinks to myself. 💭 That's so flippin weird

@ProfHermes Okay, copying the payment instructions too is absolutely wild. 😂😭 But weirdly, your comment is incredibly timely because I literally just came across an Enthusiast profile today that contained language that was identical to my own profile. And my immediate reaction was basically, wait... why is an Enthusiast borrowing language from a Professional profile in the first place? 😂

I do appreciate you reporting that, too. I'm trying very hard not to turn this thread back into the plagiarism courtroom when we already have an entire separate discussion for that. 😂

For this thread, though, I think your example accidentally illustrates the point better than I ever could: when you use somebody else's profile as source material, you're not just giving up the opportunity to show people who you are. You can wind up copying details that aren't even true about you or accidentally representing yourself as offering something you don't.

Which is another excellent reason to use other people's profiles for inspiration about what questions you might want to answer — not as the answers themselves. 😇

@Cuddlesofcuddle And yes. “That's so flippin weird” is an entirely adequate summary!! 😂