Blank Profiles

Ingénue{VK} • Mar 18, 2024

Profile blurbs aren't my focus, exactly. I prefer looking at their blogs and forum contributions. Easier to gauge who they are from how they are there.

If there are none, I'm rarely interested in them.

tallslenderguy​(other male) • Mar 18, 2024

^^This^^
Whether is be profile, blog, or forum post, it's not just about length, but how one expresses their self. Any expression where a person has a list of their self perceived qualities, attributes ("...I'm kind, considerate, sexy, generous, love puppies, long walks on the beach, movies, good food, etc..") is really them just telling us their opinion about their self. On the other hand, telling about real life experiences, unvarnished, expressing what they thought and felt in those experiences gives the reader a snapshot, a short video of sorts. of that person.

Being vs telling.

Miki​(masochist female) • Mar 18, 2024

Well, they'll have to go by forum posts and any interacting via DMs.. I'm one of those oddballs who can't abide walls of text ergo I neither read nor ever plan to write-- blogd.

Just not my thing. "But That's Just Me"

decadentEssence​(sub female) • Mar 19, 2024

I'm sure I had stuff written on my profile when I first joined but did clear it all in the past few months. I was going to delete the whole thing but decided against it as I actually quite like just reading the great blogs some folks have.

zipties​(switch female) • Mar 20, 2024

As one of the almost all naked profiles... I am curious why an empty profile brings about negative assumptions about someone you have not interacted with? Is it not the actual interaction that we should base are assumptions on?

Some of most eloquent written profiles here do hide red flag drama and you don't see that unless you interact with them.

I only assume people are online assholes when they prove it to me. Otherwise I give people the benefit of the doubt.

Take a chance. Have a conversation. Then decide if that naked profile is a bad apple or a hidden gem or something in-between.

Back to my dock and a nice cool drink...enjoy your night/day.

Literate Lycan​(dom male) • Mar 20, 2024

Good morning. I hope the cool drink on the dock ended the day well. I’d say your profile, although succinct, says a great deal about you zipties. I also (and perhaps it’s just me) feel the lack of a profile only brings “negative” assumptions when that someone is actively reaching out and trying to interact with others. Sort of “Hi. You don’t know me and I’ve given you no reason to know me, but let’s chat anyhow.” Not that someone needs to write a novel on the who, what, when, where and why of their life . . . But if you’re interested in others being interested in you, throw a few words out perhaps to indicate your interests or what makes you tick - like fishing. Being candid, most individuals who are reaching out aren’t just doing it to say “Hi, I like your sweater.” - but are doing so to try to kindle something.

I enjoy reading profiles just because. When I see a blank one, I don’t think positive or negative. I just imagine they’re here much like me to read and watch. Or they don’t know what to say yet. Or they are here visiting a friend they know.

I do agree. The actual interaction is what we should base our assessment on. Some individuals write really good things about themselves. Others cut and paste from borrowed profiles.

Back to my cup of coffee. Have a great morning!

TopekaDom​(dom male) • Mar 20, 2024

I see it as a sign of sloth. I tend to think of profiles as a chance to open a conversation. Profiles can be your opening salvo into your world, belief, or what you want to say to the world. A blank one leads me to believe you don't want anything and I tend to treat it as such.

tallslenderguy​(other male) • Mar 20, 2024

As i see it, interaction is a choice we make as a result of something we 'see.' If there is nothing there to 'see,' the imptetus to interact is all on the responder.

i see a difference between a "almost all naked profile" and a "blank profile." To me, if one has an "almost all naked" profile, they're gonna spark interest on a BDSM site.

To me, "naked" means there is someone there, not covered, really opposite of "blank". "Almost all naked" (again, to me) means there is something left to see. "Blank" means there is nothing there to respond to, nothing that would elicit taking "a chance" to have a "conversation."

Prior to the online world, why would people interact, have a conversation? Isn't the start of a conversation a response to someone being there? And seeing or hearing something about that person stimulates a response. Taking it to the extreme, imagine a site where there was nothing but "blank" profiles? i can't imagine many people would go there? Sort of a "move along, nothing to see here" scenario.

i'm notorious for often going the opposite direction, writing (probably) too much. i have a profile on one gay dating site (there is only one lol) that ebbs and flows more than the Pacific Ocean. One day it's a paragraph, the next it's an epic production. Ones a snap shot, the other a full length feature film... or more likely looks like a docudrama that probably only a handful of the nerdiest people on earth would ever read.

To me, the profile challenge is one of balance. Where is Goldilocks when we need her?

tallslenderguy​(other male) • Mar 20, 2024

A "thin" profile is still a profile. Your profile has content that gives the reader worthwhile information about you. A "blank profile" does none of that.

i think you make a good point. When i compare The Cage to other sites, i see it as primarily a discussion forum and place to blog, not a dating or hook up site. Of course, there are always going to be people who will buck that. Pretty much the only time i check a profile on The Cage is when someone i have not encountered in the discussion forum messages me privately. Of course, in any community where people interact, some are going to end up attracted and taking things to another level, but to me the primary intent of this site is not to accommodate those looking for a quickie (or even a slowie).

QuietIsNotShy​(dom male) • Mar 21, 2024

As Lycan said above, a lot of people come here to find something, usually someone. While I don't feel positively or negatively about blank profiles myself, I can understand how many people who are serious about finding someone would find blank profiles to be a waste of time. It's a big risk reaching out to anyone, but if you reach out and get no response, the emotional kick can be a little harsh. We tend to blame ourselves in those situations, it's human nature. A blank profile probably signifies that the chances of a response are even lower than usual, so best just to move on. At least, that's my impression based on a few conversations I've had.

Personally, I try not to let unanswered DMs get to me, and I don't judge based on empty profiles, or thin profiles. I've had some really interesting and pleasant conversations with a few people now whose profiles are quite barebones. Sometimes thin profiles are that way for good reasons. I form an opinion based on talking, or lack thereof, but not a blank profile in and of itself. However, I can see the other side of the coin and I sympathize with those who find empty profiles annoying or uninteresting.