A fake profile might win you a conversation. It’ll never win you a real person.

Presenting a polished invention gets attention for the invention, and none of it reaches you. Every good moment that follows belongs to someone who does not exist, which is a lonely thing to sit inside even while it is going well. The longer it runs, the more there is to manage and the less there is to enjoy.

Try offering one ordinary true thing early in a new conversation, something small and unflattering. It filters quickly and kindly. Whoever is still there afterwards is worth more than the attention you were trading away.