Tinder Lessons #2 - Clocking & Culling Crazies

Some choose to use tinder for a laugh, some are deadly serious about finding a partner, some feel they  have no other choice and some are just plain crazy.

Usually the crazy ones make it obvious that they are that way inclined, take Kylie for example;

A quick swipe left (having screen shot for evidence!) and the crazy has been adverted! This is where online dating is handy for crazy culling. 

The ones only interested in one thing (S.E.X) usually make their intentions known pretty quick, they're on their own culling mission, see my blog post Tinder Tactics to see how I dealt with that tinder crazy. 

However some of the crazy ones creep up on you, lets look at an example of this -"Mike."

Mike's profile makes you pause from your tinder perfected "quick flick" (this is when someone quickly flicks through multiple profiles, keep it clean!) Mike has carefully, painstakingly put his profile together in a bid to hide his crazy tendencies.

• Mike may have a photo of him posing with a puppy - he does this to show his sweet, sensitive side. 
• Mike's second photo may be him posing in a smart suit - he does this to demonstrate he is clean, successful and you can take him to meet family/friends knowing he'll look the part.
• Mike will include a picture of him posing with the lads - this is to show he has friends and enjoys a good time despite being single and certainly doesn't sit at home on tinder.....
•  Mike will have a picture of him doing a charity run/tough mudder/ outdoor pursuit - he does this to let you know that he's not all about nights out but takes great care in himself and charities
• Mike's final photo, and the first clue to his craziness, is of him staring directly down the camera without a hint of a smile/funnyface/silly pout - he wants you to see his naturally chiselled good looks but if you take your time and look closer... you see it. You can see the crazy in the eyes. 

Sadly this wont be detected the first or even fifth time you glance at this photo but as the saying goes, "the eyes are the window to someones soul". 

So how does the crazy manifest itself - well crazy Mike will come across as perfectly normal to begin with. You'll have the same back and forth mundane messages as you do with anyone else on Tinder. You'll discover where he's from, what he does for a living, he'll tell you how his weekend was or what he has planned. 

Mike may suggest swapping numbers or moving to whatsapp, no harm in that, right? Wrong. You've just opened up another line of communication. After a few more messages he suggests a coffee or drink when you're next free - to double check he's not crazy you find each other on Facebook. Although Facebook is another line opened it is helpful for culling the catfish/fakes. 

Whilst on facebook you notice a few more photos with the uncomfortable stare into the camera look. Mean while the messages are getting a tad more frequent....you have dinner and don't message back for half hour (or more) and see three (or more) messages have arrived, each one desperately trying to sound more casual than the last. 

Eventually you decide you're not feeling the vibe and pull out, 

"I'm not sure if I'm ready to move on" 

This is when the crazy steps up..."okay, well when will you be ready?"

Okay so he's not getting it "well i'll be sure to let you know when i do (crazy) mike" 

"Cool, look forward to hearing from you" 

A week later you receive "So, whats going on charlie?" 

Retreat. Retreat. Retreat.  Crazy is on red alert - unmatch, delete and block from all lines of communication. 

Always trust your instincts and cull those crazies. Poor crazy mike probably wasn't that bad....