Sunday, July 23, 2006

On-line Love

I know at least two couples who pop into my head who found each other through the web and are now married. Both are well-suited, actually, but have had marital troubles. Who doesn't? Anyway, are you single and wishing to jump into the dating game? Maybe an on-line service is for you.

The pros: screening for personality, intelligence, interests, looks, etc. In essence, the riff-raff gets winnowed and what remains are the people who are serious possibilities. The cons: security, safety (for women), and there is something about that face-to-face, gut-feeling that can't be factored through an on-line service. But for some people I know, the last con might actually be a "pro". These repeat date disaster (which lead to relationship disaster) offenders have the worst gut-instinct, ever. Taking that out of the equation, making the relationship pursuit more clinical and scientific could actually be a good thing.

Being married and out of this arena, I must defer to other sources of information. Aren't you curious, married people, what a questionnaire mixed with some metrics would mate you with? I am. (I'm picturing me with Orlando Bloom. I wonder if Match. com would too?) I'm not curious enough to sign up and break someone's heart leaving them shattered and tattered in the sizzling hot Dr. Melissa wake when they find out I'm goofing around. That would be totally lame. And, actually, has been done and done horribly--to the consternation of all involved.

Here is guy at Techcrunch, though, who knows the biz and gives his views and advice. So have at it folks and let me know. For the scoffers out there: where do you plan to meet "the one true love of my life"? Why not expand the possibilities?

2 comments:

Christine said...

I'm going to be in a wedding in two weeks and the bride and groom met on Match.com--but they knew within a week of meeting that it was "it."

My husband and I are matched on so many levels; I imagine if we used a personality test we'd get matched up anyway. Religion, money, ethics, family structure, attitude about family, career importance...we're the same. It's great.

Christine said...

Oh, and the only other person I can think of that I'd be matched with would be someone like my boss, who is just as perfectionist and uptight as I am. But really, what a horrible marriage that would be! Balance is essential. My husband's laid-back but competant approach balances me out.