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We need a startup to fix online dating

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Re: We need a startup to fix online dating

#11

An unmarried woman with a child isn't necessarily carrying "massive baggage." What a rude and borderline misogynistic sentiment.

at least quote him right he said extra baggage. We all carry around these traits that define our lives, our jobs, family, hobbies, the list goes on and on.

In this case when you date someone (man or woman) who has a child it creates boundaries on a potential relationship. An imperfect example would be the adult w/o a child likes to take last minute trips (it is something they do enough, and they are not willing to give it up at this time) maybe reluctant to date another adult who has a child because they would presumably not be able to partake in this cherished activity.

Re: We need a startup to fix online dating

#13

An unmarried woman with a child isn't necessarily carrying "massive baggage." What a rude and borderline misogynistic sentiment.

In the dating world, yes she is.

It is not fair, of course, but it is the truth. Just as short guys like me are at a disadvantage, so a women with children, people with disabilities, ugly people, people who live at home with their parents, people who are unemployed, old people (but this bias is mostly against women), people who are addicted to drugs, people who have STDs, etc.

Again not fair, but the dating world is a market -- we all try to sell ourself for the best possible offer.

Re: We need a startup to fix online dating

#15
Hard to judge baggage or anything of someone's character based on an online profile... especially when you're creating an image that you want to be seen as. When I was single I went on PoF to test the waters (pun intended) and it was easy to meet women and I had a few fun experiences.

I haven't tried any of them in years, but I don't know how you evolve the model from where it is. There are few social situations where you find a favorable girl to guy ratio except for a college campus.

Re: We need a startup to fix online dating

#16

An unmarried woman with a child isn't necessarily carrying "massive baggage." What a rude and borderline misogynistic sentiment.

Raising a child is a rather huge responsibility. How is it not "massive baggage"? Oh, and how is it misogynistic? A single male with a child has the same responsibilities as a woman.

Re: We need a startup to fix online dating

#17

I'm pretty familiar with the online dating industry both through business and my own personal involvement. While I agree with the issues that you raise (POF, for instance, has 6.6 guys per girls the last time I checked 6 years ago), I don't see how a new business model will really address this. Attractive women are being wooed all the time and that's not going to change. I think an online speed dating service for bus…

>Attractive women are being wooed all the time and that's not going to change.

Right. High-status men and very attractive women get a lot of attention, and everyone else is often vying for the attention of those two groups.

The other "problem" with online dating mirrors regular dating: different people have different priorities. Some want relationships, some want hookups, some don't know, and many if not most conceal their "true" intentions. Having dating online before, I've seen the whole gamut.

Re: We need a startup to fix online dating

#20
post #18

If you weren't able to get a date from any of those sites then maybe the problem is you?

This. A thousand times, this. Every time I read a post about someone who can't get a date on OKCupid I roll my eyes. Then again, I live in New York so the high population density makes it a usable site. Sure, men outnumber women and women get more messages than men — but that's how the real world works as well. I've approached far more women in bars than have approached me. I imagine this is true for everybody except for rock stars, celebrities, gorgeous people, (and introverts whose only experience would be the few times they are approached).

The only thing that online dating gets you is an opportunity to introduce yourself and, if it's a good service, to introduce yourself to someone who is likelier to be what you are looking for. It's not a magic get-a-date thing, just joining up doesn't guarantee a date, just like going out to a bar doesn't guarantee that you're going to walk out of it with a girl or a phone number.

Attractive people get more messages? Yes, of course.

The only girls on dating sites have baggage? No more than any other single girls (or guys) of their age. At least that's been my experience for the last year or so that I've been single again and dating.

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