Nibble on some juicy gossip
Toronto Life magazine recently ran an article featuring the September wedding of our own Professor Anthony Niblett and radiologist Dorota Linda. If you’ve read it, you may have picked up several fun facts about Nibs: he likes his tuxes simple and not too shiny, his favourite cocktail is a Manhattan, and it’s not uncommon for him to dance to Neil Young. You’d have also learned the couple met on Tinder, and Dr. Linda swiped right because of Niblett’s bio (6’5” British-Australian law professor. Life’s too short but I’m not).
And don’t you want to know more?
During our interview, Prof. Niblett stressed numerous times that he doesn’t have any concrete advice for those now playing Tinder, but nevertheless agreed to answer some deeply invasive personal questions. It is my hope (not his) that learning more about this Tinder-fuelled happily ever after will impart some wisdom on baby law nerds swiping for love.
Craft a compelling profile
“As far as I recall, there were three things I would always see on profiles,” Prof. Niblett says. “One was basically ‘Life’s too short, let’s do something.’ Another one was, ‘I have certain height requirements—I will not date people under 5’8”,’ or something like that. And the other was Marilyn Monroe quotes, which seemed to be everywhere. My very short profile bio was basically just taking into account those first two pieces of information.”
As for the five photos on his profile, Prof. Niblett declined to share details, but noted that “it is possible” his faculty photo was among them.
Be patient
Dr. Linda met Prof. Niblett on her first ever Tinder date, Toronto Life reported, but he had been on Tinder for about a year beforehand. During that time, he’d been on “more than five dates but fewer than a thousand.” And since this was 2014, Bumble, Hinge, and Coffee Meets Bagel weren’t yet on the scene, so Nibs was strictly a Tinder-er.
Stop with the terrible puns
When first messaging a Tinder match, “always ask questions,” Prof. Niblett says. “No one liners. Always put a question in there. That would be the one piece of advice I would give.”
Dr. Linda followed this advice when she messaged first, asking “How did a British-Australian law professor find himself in Toronto?”
Niblett’s response? “I’m not sure I have found myself just yet.”
Screen judiciously
No educator wants to find themselves inadvertently swiping on a student. Niblett’s minimum age requirements were high enough to prevent students from appearing as an option in the first place.
“To be honest, I probably wouldn’t have been in many students’ profiles given my age,” he says.
Be flexible
Nibs is, of course, a professor. His wife is a physician. I was curious as to whether he had always aspired to be part of a power couple.
“Good Lord, no,” he says. “I was not looking for anything in particular at all.”
Make offerings to Lady Luck
Tinder is an algorithm game and players have no idea how it’s going to shake out. “I have to reiterate how incredibly lucky I am,” Prof. Niblett says. “You’re basically asking somebody who has won the lottery what their advice is on picking numbers.”
