Online Dating Sucks (Or I Love it when I’m Right!)
My second ever Valley Girl column was about how dead online dating is as an industry. I patted myself on the back over my lead for weeks, Burt Helm got mad at me for quoting him, and Owen Thomas said I was cruel for mocking the tools of the loveless while I enjoy a “hunky” photographer husband. My father-in-law (armed with Google alerts) was thrilled to see his son was considered “hunky” by gay bloggers everywhere.
But a lot of people said I was wrong about online dating. Well, I wasn’t. The top five dating sites have lost 7% market share in the last year as niches are about the only thing working. And guess what? Niches don’t make big publicly traded companies. The very savvy Mark Brooks breaks it down for you as a guest contributor on TechCrunch.
Boo ya, Valley Girl haters!
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I met my wife through online dating. However, I went through months of horrible dates with a lot of scary women before I finally gave up. My wife was going to be my absolute last shot, and only because I liked the cute photo of her in a Santa hat. Interestingly, she only bothered replying back to me because, in my fit of annoyance, I'd written a horribly honest portrayal of myself in my profile (something along the lines of "sometimes I'm a grouch and you'll just have to deal with it."). So, generally, I believe online dating sucks and doesn't work. Unless you're disgustingly honest about yourself... and who does THAT??
Posted by: BrandonW | April 25, 2008 at 01:42 PM
Tried online dating a few times. When you boil it down, online dating is just awkward. Combo of reasons, some large others small ---- but the biggest thing? As a man, when you meet up with these women...you don't really feel like a man. Women need to be approached by men ---- I would say in an indirect way. Casual conversation. But these things need to happen in public. Organically. Be relaxed, make her smile. Let her know you're funny and not a moron. And then you decide if she's somebody you want to see personally. Be selective, but not an ass. Meeting women online is not real. And you feel like you're cheating the process by doing it.
Posted by: irolio | February 26, 2009 at 02:29 AM