How IKEA Can Improve Your Social Life

Admit it. Most of us have at least once created a profile on a social networking site like Myspace, Friendster, or the likes. We all dig through all of our photos to choose the five to ten photos that best represent who we are. Inevitably, we probably find one or two that we really like and then throw up some photos of ourselves as toddlers because that was the last time we were really cute. Well, you can stop all of that now. All you need in order to make yourself seem cool, smart, intriguing and fabulous is a camera, a friend, and a vehicle to get you to and from IKEA.

HOW TO USE IKEA DISPLAY SETS TO IMPROVE YOUR SOCIAL LIFE

If you have never been to IKEA (gasp), let me explain something here. The first floor is full of complete displays of every type of room you can think of: living rooms, bedrooms, kitchens, offices, etc. Each display is full of IKEA products that have tags with information that tells you where you can find the same product in its warehouse. These displays are amazing. They think of everything. There are real books on the bookshelves and complete dinner sets on the table tops. There are even glasses and plates tucked inside of ktichen cabinets. All you have to do is take photos of yourself acting natural (or completely ridiculous, however you like to present yourself) in these displays. Make sure you hide the price tags though! Then, when you return home, just upload your favorite photos from your IKEA outing to your profile and there you go. Just wait until people start responding to that photo of you sitting in your huge black leather office chair behind your massive oak desk surrounded by your posh bookshelves and lighted liquor cabinet. "Wow! What does that person do for a living? I need to meet them."

Some of you may be embarrassed to take photos of yourself acting like you own the place at IKEA. Here are two suggestions: One, get there early. IKEA's are huge and if you get there when it first opens in the morning, there won't be many other shoppers. They will be few and far enough between that it will be easy to snap your shots when no one is looking. Also, it helps to bring at least two friends with you. You'll need one to take the photos and then the other can join in the picture frame. At least you won't be the only one acting ridiculous. If that doesn't help, then remind yourself of this: You probably won't ever see any of these people ever again, so who cares what they think? Also, they may actually think what you're doing is funny and who knows, maybe you'll make a new friend.

There is also one more thing to consider. If you really do meet someone because of your profile, it probably won't take them long to figure out that you don't actually have a super posh office or that your living room doesn't really have that nice modernist feel to it. Here's how you get around that: Never lie about it. Upload your photos without adding captions. Never claim that this is you in your office. That way, if it comes up, you can just say, "Oh yeah, that is just a joke. My friend and I took those when we went to IKEA." This way, you are not a liar and you can show that you have a sense of humor. You can't lose.