Blue eyes, blonde hair, big...

[AquaticAmbi]

problem with how society treats finding love like shopping for a new car. Dating services: Are the people who sign up for these in order to meet the man/woman of their dreams hopelessly desperate and pathetic or do they have the right idea?

I find it sickening that men and women create profiles in such ways that make them sound like a salesperson selling themselves, but I understand why some average people sign up for these like single parents who have no time to go out and find someone. Nevertheless, advice such as this is terrible and treats the human being as nothing more than an object:

“Think like a successful salesman.

What does Sales have to do with Dating? Everything, your selling the one product you know inside and out - yourself. Whether it's dating for romance or dating for sex you have to sell yourself! But if it's any consolation, everyone else has to do the same thing.

Every salesman knows that they will have to talk to many potential customers before making a sale. Every Salesman also knows that their odds go up considerably when they're talking to people who are interested in their product.

That's where dating services come in, they boil down to lists of prospective customers. That's not to say that if you package your product attractively enough you won't get customers to come to you. But, for the most part it's up to you to work that list of prospective customers.”

[Kimon]

Where exactly did you get that quote from? I'm assuming it was something on one of the dating sites?

Hmmmm... weird issue.

Personally, I think the whole online dating thing is rather pathetic, and quite inneffective. My mom (being a single mother) did this for a while, and got in only one serious relationship that couldn't have been more mismatched. It was like watching a hippie with low self-esteem in a relationship with an equally unconfident, sexually confused hick. Not a good combo.

As for the whole "salesman" thing... I think as far as Internet dating is concerned, that way of approaching such a thing is entirely appropriate. You are not supposed to meet partners on a screen; simple as that. And "selling" yourself seems to be the only reasonable way to get a guy/girl on one of those things.

Overall, this is a very hard issue to comment upon, seeing as how I'm opposeds to the idea entirely. It's most definetly sick the way people have to advertise themselves to get love, but then again, it works out for some people. So I dunno, I guess I'm... with you? Again, this is a really difficult issue to talk about.

P.S. I realized about halfway through that that you were referring to more than online dating services. However, my general rule of thumb stays the same. If you don't meet someone through your social life, you shouldn't meet them at all.

[Dino]

Online dating isn't a solution, it's a symptom.

[AquaticAmbi]

Where exactly did you get that quote from? I'm assuming it was something on one of the dating sites?

Random site I found while googling. Let me see if I can find it... (a few minutes later) Here we go, http://www.bitoffun.com/dating.htm.

I don't really know what to say about couples that stay together/get married/whatever after meeting via online dating services. Good for them, but my opinion stays the same about the overall absurdity of these sites and such.

Not that I've been to any, but the advertisements alone are annoying and seem nothing better than car ads. Heh, I've seen quite a few that completely zoomed in on a woman's chest and such. I guess the advertisement people have finally cut to the chase, (or whatever the saying is), sex sells, so let's forget about these women(/men to I guess) being humans and with that in mind, just zoom in on the parts that we all really care about to attract idiots willing to cough up large amounts of money, thinking they'll meet women/men with bodies like this on our site.

Ramble, ramble.

[Dino]

To play Jacob's advocate, these sites are really just facilitating the the reproduction of people whom under normal circumstances would remove themselves from the gene pool. Those who don't need help to get laid, are the ones who deserve to get laid.

[LoboDiabloLoneWolf]

LOL Dino! That was quite amusin'.

Anyway back on topic, my mum did the dating service for a while because she's at home with us two kids, so she don't have the time to really go out and she says she don't want to either (I'm always trying to get her out regardless, more parties for me! ).

But I personally think it's a waste of time. The only guy that she got onto the phone-call stage was a complete jerk. Plus she was paying for just having her profile up there, which is practically nothing. So yeh, I'm with yer Ambi, dating services are a waste of time, but if people can make them work, well then, kudos to them.

[Nate]

Errr.... I'm not seeing anything in Ambi's first post. Have we had an attack of the mods?

[Kimon]

Errr.... I'm not seeing anything in Ambi's first post. Have we had an attack of the mods?

....Hmm. I can see it. Maybe you're just insane.

But here's the post:

problem with how society treats finding love like shopping for a new car. Dating services: Are the people who sign up for these in order to meet the man/woman of their dreams hopelessly desperate and pathetic or do they have the right idea?

I find it sickening that men and women create profiles in such ways that make them sound like a salesperson selling themselves, but I understand why some average people sign up for these like single parents who have no time to go out and find someone. Nevertheless, advice such as this is terrible and treats the human being as nothing more than an object:

“Think like a successful salesman.

What does Sales have to do with Dating? Everything, your selling the one product you know inside and out - yourself. Whether it's dating for romance or dating for sex you have to sell yourself! But if it's any consolation, everyone else has to do the same thing.

Every salesman knows that they will have to talk to many potential customers before making a sale. Every Salesman also knows that their odds go up considerably when they're talking to people who are interested in their product.

That's where dating services come in, they boil down to lists of prospective customers. That's not to say that if you package your product attractively enough you won't get customers to come to you. But, for the most part it's up to you to work that list of prospective customers.”

[Statikk HDM]

You know, why are these things treated as pathetic? A lot of these people I'm sure are looking for a real relationship and are sick of the bar/club scene. Also, it has made many people happy without harming that many people so I don't see why it should be hated this much.

[Godlesswanderer]

But is sure is a boring 'How we met' story.

"And how did you two meet?"
"On an online dating site."
"Oh right..."

*Awkward silence*

[Nate]

Yeah, but how many 'How we met' stories are actually interesting?

"A friend introduced us"
"We met at a nightclub"
"We were working in the same office"

Mostly quite dull indeed.

[Dino]

My 'how we met' stories are always "a friend introduced us accidentally" "we went to the same college" and "saw him/her at a party", because that's how it goes with me. But I don't think these things HAVE to be interestings. I don't believe it to be a life objective to meet your next love in an interesting way.

But that still doesn't change my position on the whole internet dating thing. Even if some couples do get together and live happily ever after using that method, I still have some basic moral and ethical disagreements with the whole thing.

[Nate]

But I don't think these things HAVE to be interestings. I don't believe it to be a life objective to meet your next love in an interesting way.

...Which was, of course, my point.