Am I desperate, bored or something else?
First let me state that I have never really had a problem with online dating; so I am not all of a sudden transformed into thinking they are the best things on the planet. (They're not by the way. Go outside, watch a sunset.) So, sure, I am a little biased from the get go but they haven't all been good experiences -- especially when I come across those creeps who think of them as sexual buffets. (I am ashamed to admit the pun was intended.)
I had a Match.com profile. I even went out on a few dates that didn't really work out. I was getting an abundance of nasty emails of the "let me rock your world" variety and decided to update my profile. Unfortunately, Match.com rejected the new profile update but wouldn't tell me why. I reviewed the page thoroughly to make sure I didn't have offensive language, my email address or other contact information, sexually explicit language; but found nothing untoward. Unless you count this sentence: "Yes, I am bisexual; but if you are a married couple or woman looking to please your man don't bother contacting me." Sadly, even when I took that out, I was rejected and they wouldn't tell me why. All I got was automated emails restating lame messages or directing me to the FAQ. I think it was probably because I wouldn't pay for a subscription even though they claim it's okay to have a free profile on their site. Whatever the reason they pissed me off; so, I boycotted them. They are dead to me.
Still being single and still desiring not to be single, I looked at other sites. For a variety of reasons ranging from "hetero-only" to "Hey, they are owned by Match.com!", I decided to abstain from joining them. (And by doing so, reluctantly yield to the fact that I would continue abstaining from something else as well.) Then I found OKCupid.com (which sounds an awful lot like "OK Stupid" which is exactly how I am feeling about this whole dating thing).
What I like best about OKCupid is how they match people. Questions, questions and more questions. Yes, I know it sounds boring, but it's not. You answer them one at a time, skipping the ones you don't want to answer and entering what your ideal match would answer and then rating how important the question is to you. And the questions are great! In addition to ones provided by the OKCupid staff, users who have answered more than 500 questions can ASK THEIR OWN QUESTIONS. Yes, that's right. If you want to know whether potential matches will be cool with your clown costume fetish: pose the question. There are A LOT of sex-related questions, but they aren't the majority. A few users posted logic questions (if a implies b does not b imply not a?) One user posed a math question and made it unskippable (I think there's a box you can check to make the question skippable or non-skippable). I am so addicted to this site I've already answered 562 since yesterday afternoon. (Which means I am eligible to pose my own question! I'm still trying to formulate the perfect one.) As you answer more questions the website learns more about you and who your perfect match would be. There are personality awards that automatically get posted to your profile as you answer questions. Awards such as more trusting, less dorky, more literary, more kinky and a myriad of other categories. There are also tons of tests to take that link to your profile. You can match your answers with other people and, well, most of you know how that works (esp. you folks at MySpace). My favorites so far have been "Which Smurf are you?" and "Beaver, Monkey or Robot?" (On that last one I scored a perfect balance of monkey and beaver: the hobbit.
So, why am I telling you fine internet voyeurs about this? I'd like to say it was because I found my perfect match and we plan on marrying later this year; but sadly, that is not the case. (Give me a break, I only joined yesterday!) I am sharing this because I realized that both (I mean many) of my readers are also in the same boat I am in -- namely, a kayak. So if you haven't yet found the perfect match and want to express your opinion in the following scenario hop on over to OKCupid.com and set up your totally free profile.
A blind man starts a fire in an art gallery. In the ensuing chaos you see both the man and his guide dog wandering around lost and confused. What do you do?
a) save the arsonist
b) save the dog
c) save the art
d) the heck with that, I save myself
Feel free to comment about your choice in the above scenario and I'll share my answer with you.
Enjoy!
I had a Match.com profile. I even went out on a few dates that didn't really work out. I was getting an abundance of nasty emails of the "let me rock your world" variety and decided to update my profile. Unfortunately, Match.com rejected the new profile update but wouldn't tell me why. I reviewed the page thoroughly to make sure I didn't have offensive language, my email address or other contact information, sexually explicit language; but found nothing untoward. Unless you count this sentence: "Yes, I am bisexual; but if you are a married couple or woman looking to please your man don't bother contacting me." Sadly, even when I took that out, I was rejected and they wouldn't tell me why. All I got was automated emails restating lame messages or directing me to the FAQ. I think it was probably because I wouldn't pay for a subscription even though they claim it's okay to have a free profile on their site. Whatever the reason they pissed me off; so, I boycotted them. They are dead to me.
Still being single and still desiring not to be single, I looked at other sites. For a variety of reasons ranging from "hetero-only" to "Hey, they are owned by Match.com!", I decided to abstain from joining them. (And by doing so, reluctantly yield to the fact that I would continue abstaining from something else as well.) Then I found OKCupid.com (which sounds an awful lot like "OK Stupid" which is exactly how I am feeling about this whole dating thing).
What I like best about OKCupid is how they match people. Questions, questions and more questions. Yes, I know it sounds boring, but it's not. You answer them one at a time, skipping the ones you don't want to answer and entering what your ideal match would answer and then rating how important the question is to you. And the questions are great! In addition to ones provided by the OKCupid staff, users who have answered more than 500 questions can ASK THEIR OWN QUESTIONS. Yes, that's right. If you want to know whether potential matches will be cool with your clown costume fetish: pose the question. There are A LOT of sex-related questions, but they aren't the majority. A few users posted logic questions (if a implies b does not b imply not a?) One user posed a math question and made it unskippable (I think there's a box you can check to make the question skippable or non-skippable). I am so addicted to this site I've already answered 562 since yesterday afternoon. (Which means I am eligible to pose my own question! I'm still trying to formulate the perfect one.) As you answer more questions the website learns more about you and who your perfect match would be. There are personality awards that automatically get posted to your profile as you answer questions. Awards such as more trusting, less dorky, more literary, more kinky and a myriad of other categories. There are also tons of tests to take that link to your profile. You can match your answers with other people and, well, most of you know how that works (esp. you folks at MySpace). My favorites so far have been "Which Smurf are you?" and "Beaver, Monkey or Robot?" (On that last one I scored a perfect balance of monkey and beaver: the hobbit.
So, why am I telling you fine internet voyeurs about this? I'd like to say it was because I found my perfect match and we plan on marrying later this year; but sadly, that is not the case. (Give me a break, I only joined yesterday!) I am sharing this because I realized that both (I mean many) of my readers are also in the same boat I am in -- namely, a kayak. So if you haven't yet found the perfect match and want to express your opinion in the following scenario hop on over to OKCupid.com and set up your totally free profile.
A blind man starts a fire in an art gallery. In the ensuing chaos you see both the man and his guide dog wandering around lost and confused. What do you do?
a) save the arsonist
b) save the dog
c) save the art
d) the heck with that, I save myself
Feel free to comment about your choice in the above scenario and I'll share my answer with you.
Enjoy!
posted by LTV at
10/29/2007 06:36:00 PM
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