It really depends on what type of "friends" you want to have (I've put it between quotation marks because a Steam friend most of the times is a person with whom one shares/plays some prefered games and that's about it - and goes without saying I'm not talking about people that also are friends in daily life; even when one imparts some private info, it remains under the sway of partial/total anonymity). At the moment you seem to want to make yourself "marketable" for a large variety of people. In that general direction it appears that a cute profile with a drawn anime character as avatar and the like transmit the idea of sensitivity, meekness etc - if that is the type of persons you want to appeal to.

My honest take on said matter: be yourself, sincere (thus presenting yourself in a way first and foremost to your liking - the "being yourself" thingy) and see if and with whom you connect/go thru. Be friendly, helpful in general, initiate dialogue, socializes on topics of interest (after paying attention to his/hers list of games, own personal description) for the person you want to befriend/get closer (common topics for both of you - as mentioned, we acquaintance people based on shared preferences).. well, rather rhetorical stuff if one knows a bit of socio-psychology.

Nice looking pic, esp cute/meek. Be yourself and sincere. Got it! Still open to more people commenting. :)

Really depends what kind of friends you look for indeed. I mean, i ignore about 95% of people here because, no offence, just my personal opinion, they look cancer.

What is appealing for me is generally a neutral impression or a humourus one. I don't want to read a bible about you and you who you are, your social medias, your 500-long anime list, and all that crap.

Edit: ^ Let me learn this by talking to you instead

But internet friends, i assume you mean deeper than just some dudes to chit chat with every now and then. You know, the kinda' internet friend you just chat with every single day no matter what, or skype at least an hour a day or something, and it's just the friendship you develop with that person and it stays that way because that's the way it is and has been for years, that kinda' friendship.

To reach that friendship, then put your profile on private. That's what you want, isn't it? Then put it up. Whoever doubts to add you because ''private profile'', then they weren't really meant to be your friend in the first place, were they? Better attract those who can become true friends, than just constant one-night chats with people.

True friends, and potentially true friends, will not care whether your profile is private or not. What kind of dumb standard is that anyways? Just wow.

In conclusion: Really, just be yourself. You will find people, or people will find you. Just use groups like this or something, but the best way is probably just online games or clans.

Originally posted by Wushanko:

[...] True friends, and potentially true friends, will not care whether your profile is private or not. [...]

What appeal does have for me a private profile? I see a picture and that's it - what incentive is there in the first place that makes me want to add such "Kinder Surprises" person? And, most of all, it hovers the question: why would that specific individual configure their profile on private status (when bulk of "cupcakes" use said profile to "brag" about stuff) - what does he/she hide?

I for one want to see, in the case of Steam, what games has the person I visit, see if we have common preferences, if we're like-minded. And even if, for the sake of argument, I add that private profile and then find I have a whopping nothing in common with it (him/her) - isn't then weird, pointless and sad to unfriend right after add?!

Originally posted by xxVERSUSxy:

Originally posted by Wushanko:

[...] True friends, and potentially true friends, will not care whether your profile is private or not. [...]

What appeal does have for me a private profile? I see a picture and that's it - what incentive is there in the first place that makes me want to add such "Kinder Surprises" person? And, most of all, it hovers the question: why would that specific individual configure their profile on private status (when bulk of "cupcakes" use said profile to "brag" about stuff) - what does he/she hide?

I for one want to see, in the case of Steam, what games has the person I visit, see if we have common preferences, if we're like-minded. And even if, for the sake of argument, I add that private profile and then find I have a whopping nothing in common with it (him/her) - isn't then weird, pointless and sad to unfriend right after add?!

-What appeal does it have? The element of surprise.

-Why would someone private their profile? Jesus, there's literally endless possibilities. Ask.

-Like-minded, nothing in common? Why is this bad? Opposites attract each other. Maybe if you werent so narrow-minded you would be more tolerant towards other views in which case there is a lot to learn from people that are the opposite of yourself.

-Didn't enjoy said person, awkward to remove straight after adding. You're kidding me. A first impression isn't gonna tell you about the person. There's so many reasons for why a first impression could be anything but what the person is NOT like.

In a nutshell, you're a narrow-minded judgmental person with standards for a friendship. I guess your friends better be above steam lvl 10 and have no VAC bans too, that somehow matters right?

What if this one person who has his profile private, could be a lifelong friend you end up meeting, but you deny that because of the risk of the person being i dont know, not up to your standards.

Dude.

And you forgot about the time invested in all that "soul searching" and how much "fruit will bear" said endeavor in the case of incognito people (private profiles). Statistical data points to an already really small number of like-minded (similar preferences) acquaintances becoming friends; then you have the road from friends to close/best friends to cross. I for one prefer to maximize my chances minimizing the time and effort invested. But by all means, add private profiles if that's your cup of tea, try to socialize with the person behind it (even if the private status implies that person doesn't want to), try forging a lasting friendship etc - as you point it, you never know. I'm just expressing a personal feeling/choice - be it narrow-minded as you write.

Regarding "opposites attract each other" - for people and their preferences there isn't so much a matter of "opposites" as it is one of "differences", not necessarily in opposition. But yes, opposites, at least in the case of romantic couples, do really attract each other; still probably not for the reason you're thinking of, aka complement each other - it's the tension of disagreements:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/stronger-the-broken-places/201401/the-real-reason-opposites-attract

Plus one can learn something from literally everything in life, still one must prioritize - because life isn't endless and we constantly change.

Oh, and too many IFs in a sea of bad interactions between people.


PS: as per my "friendship requirements", here's the posting in question (spoiler - I just want one or two relaxed players to casually co-op Don't Starve Together with):
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/groups/r_u_kind/discussions/0/352792037314892427/
(yes, there is a "no-VAC bans" requisite, other stuff being debatable)

Originally posted by xxVERSUSxy:

And you forgot about the time invested in all that "soul searching" and how much "fruit will bear" said endeavor in the case of incognito people (private profiles). Statistical data points to an already really small number of like-minded (similar preferences) acquaintances becoming friends; then you have the road from friends to close/best friends to cross. I for one prefer to maximize my chances minimizing the time and effort invested. But by all means, add private profiles if that's your cup of tea, try to socialize with the person behind it (even if the private status implies that person doesn't want to), try forging a lasting friendship etc - as you point it, you never know. I'm just expressing a personal feeling/choice - be it narrow-minded as you write.

Regarding "opposites attract each other" - for people and their preferences there isn't so much a matter of "opposites" as it is one of "differences", not necessarily in opposition. But yes, opposites, at least in the case of romantic couples, do really attract each other; still probably not for the reason you're thinking of, aka complement each other - it's the tension of disagreements:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/stronger-the-broken-places/201401/the-real-reason-opposites-attract

Plus one can learn something from literally everything in life, still one must prioritize - because life isn't endless and we constantly change.

Oh, and too many IFs in a sea of bad interactions between people.


PS: as per my "friendship requirements", here's the posting in question (spoiler - I just want one or two relaxed players to casually co-op Don't Starve Together with):
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/groups/r_u_kind/discussions/0/352792037314892427/
(yes, there is a "no-VAC bans" requisite, other stuff being debatable)

Well that's all there is then. I was talking more broadly, while you're talking about your own stance on the matter.

Also, because you can learn from literally everything in life, that's why you should. You can prioritize, but by prioritising you will eventually come across things you find unworthy of your time, and you will end up feeling in the end as if a lot of your time on the small things was a waste of time, when if being more open, you could instead use it to your advantage than seeing it as a waste of time.

Edit: ^ Ofcourse, trying to make your time not wasted is inevitable in some cases, but you can always make the best out of the situation.

A private profile does not suggest ''don't add me'' or ''i don't want to talk to you/people'', if the person like OP clearly states otherwise.

As for the thing about opposites, i see what you're talking about. However, again, there is always a way for you take advantage of people. Whether that is you learning something from them, having a conversation, and so forth. They might learn something themselves from you. You're the one who decides what is a waste of time and what isn't.

I've noted, OP, you're an artist (briefly mentioned in description) and from your thumbnail avatar you say is painted by you, seem quite skilled - maybe should focus more on this aspect in your profile?! Everyone strives to be unique and be perceived likewise, so that specific characteristic of yours is a big plus, it delimits yourself in a particular way from the rest of the "competition" - you can setup a billboard for your artwork display or, after reaching Steam level 20, you can have both previews for owned games and art gallery/illustrations (you can also say a word or two about this drawing/painting passion of yours in profile description).

I care deeply about my art, but I don't want to brag about it or present it as my defining quality. I've had major problems with getting traction online with a following for my art (on multiple websites not just one), so that has hurt my view of its worth.

It was just a suggestion - more so for the future, maybe when you'll be satisfied with the quality of your work. From your avatar (its proportions look ok) seems your style is on the pastels side of painting and that can be "underperforming" in the light of photorealism and 3D works via Maya, ZBrush etc with powerful rendering as vRay or KeyShot. Anyway you know better.

I'm super late, but in my opinion you should start by changing your steam profile to be public. Just like you wouldn't add a private profile user (at least you shouldn't [usually scamming/personality problems, normal users with private profiles don't comment on groups or add strangers]) , no one will bother to add you if you won't expose at least your basic information to them. You can guess a lot from someone, by judging their profile, and just a text won't cativate people enough. If you have a public profile you like, you will attract other people like you :) Same goes for all the other social media.

The best way to make friends (in my opinion) is from experiences.
I've met most of my best friends from playing in-game or trading in the past.
Lame standards like "you must be this level and not be banned" are really bad.
Just be open-minded because your worst enemy can become your best friend.
A public profile would help but if you don't want to do it then don't.
You just do you, and you will attract people who like you for who you are.

My advice:
Get public profile (it would be nice if it was saying something about you)
Be yourself
Be kind ^_^
Visit some forums or just talk with people in-game

Originally posted by Vault Huntbot 101 | cases2x.com:

My advice:
Get public profile (it would be nice if it was saying something about you)
Be yourself
Be kind ^_^
Visit some forums or just talk with people in-game

+1
If someone sees on your profile that you have a common interest, they might just leave you a comment!!

Honestly the best way I've come to learn [from Steam at least] is just make yourself accessible: a public profile, a profile that details a little about yourself and your common interests [assuming you have access to the info box showcase] and keeping it free of offensive material.

That and just being active in the communities you enjoy, whether it is the Steam forums, or hubs for specific games, or user made groups. Eventually people will reach out to you and you'll be making friends in no time at all.