I find the optimal interest check to be the one that doesn't say [i]everything[/i] - if only for effective readability if nothing else - but has more than just random pairings or a very vague idea of what someone wants. I'd consider an interest check something of a summary. You don't pour everything into it; you put in enough to give people a clear idea of the basic questions. What is it, what do you want, what do we need to know about you, and do you know what you're doing. These can be answered with a paragraph or so. The interest check worthy of my attention gives the reader a basic understanding of who the partner is and what they're dealing with; it answers simple questions like "what kind of rps do you do/don't do" and "how often are you expecting a post from your partner". It also gives an indication of what the partner's ideas are. A list of pairings with a theme, a few simple plot ideas, a detailed plot idea, whatever. Just a few pairings or "I want romance" doesn't give an idea of what someone wants. All about the balance. That, to me, includes the formatting - I couldn't care less about your fancy black-on-guild-background text with fancy fonts and then a dark purple preface or whatever, but if it's just a blob of white (huge bloody paragraph without spacing or with poor spacing and grammar) then it's not really worthy of attention. Likewise, a single paragraph that doesn't attempt to satisfy the above curiosities and comes out to "i wanna rp" indicates laziness on the part of the poster to me. Indicate what you want, and give a concise presentation to a prospective player. It doesn't have to be too long, but it ought to have some sort of substance to it. But it is ultimately a matter of perspective and style. I've just found that people who meet the minimums set above are more likely to actually stay and invest something than the people who post a paragraph looking for a fling and soon drop because they figure they had enough of that 3 week whim.