You can meet other Edmontonians live, 24 hours a day in chat.
I am not a fan of dating services or personal ads. I have always thought it high-pressure and contrived to
try and meet someone this way. It's almost like going grocery shopping: "I'm looking for someone with a little of this, and a little of that.
He should be this height, financially and emotionally stable, blah, blah, blah . . . " Of course someone is going to put their best foot forward and claim to be all of those things (ok, except for maybe the height -- that one is harder to lie about).
There is just something perceived as desperate when it comes to this method.
Then again, one of my friends commented to me once: if you need a carton of milk, you go to the grocery store (there we go again with the shopping metaphor!).
You don't just go along hoping you'll bump into one.
As far as online services go, Webpersonals is the online service I like best -- you can limit your search to local people. You can place an ad for free, but it does cost a small fee to contact anyone.
At least you know that if people are paying, they are probably sincere. Posting in alt.personal kinds of newsgroups only leads to a lot of spam
and offensive replies from perverts.
Chat rooms and interactive forums are other online ways of meeting people -- I have met some very interesting people this way, including
someone that led to a two year relationship. But be careful: people can often seem different online than in person. You never know
who you are dealing with until you meet them face to face. And when you do, try to make it someplace public, during the day, and let someone
who cares about you know where you are going, and when you will be back. This is not to imply that everyone online is dangerous, bu we have all heard
horror stories on talk shows and in the newspaper about the dangers of meeting Internet friends -- if something bad only happens once, it is too often, especially if you are the victim.
On a more positive note, there are some local dating services with proven track records. Perfect Matches
deals only with serious clients, using compatibility and video matching. It will cost some coin,
but for the busy professionals who don't have time to search for love any other way, and who definitely do not want to
get caught up in the hassle that happens when an office romance goes bad.
Finally, sometimes we all just need some Divine intervention. Going to church, synagogue or the house of worship of whatever your religion
is, can be an ideal way to meet someone who also shares your spiritual beliefs and values. Pastors and clergy can be helpful
in setting you up with someone, if they know you well and are convinced you are of good character.
Have a fun and safe time dating. And if there are any single guys out there between the ages of 25 and 40 or so who would enjoy the company of an attractive, artsy and intelligent
female, you can contact me at my email address. Hey -- no
harm in trying?
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