The 15 Minute Dating Blog

Just how much do people lie online? Do you stretch the truth a little bit when you are filling out your profile? This article is an excellent piece from Scientific American on the truthfulness of online dating.

According to the research conducted by MIT and Boston University, a whooping 90% of the people actually exaggerate their dating profiles while only 20% admit to doing so. The research results also indicate that men tend to lie about their education, marital status, heights, and income. Women tend to lie about their weight, age, and looks. Another interesting fact is that the amount of exaggeration tends to increase with age. Is online dating really making an already serious commitment problem even worse?

Apparently through websites such as DontDateHimGirl.com and Womansavers.com people can actually post “anti-profiles”, or profiles of persons to watch out for (sort of like America’s Most Wanted for Internet Dating). Have you checked to see if you’re on the most wanted list today?

The Internet can also be useful, like how online colleges allow you to get yourself degrees through an online school program. Many people find that by getting an online education they can save a lot of money, since you don’t have to move or commute to get online degrees from your couch at home.

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by Denise Kincy

Greg wasn’t fat. He just didn’t look anything like the guys I was normally attracted to; those thin, dark, dangerous James Dean wannabes. However, I had had my belly full of that sort of character, so when the rosy-cheeked, cuddly teddy-bear of a man started talking to me at the party, I paid attention. And I was glad. He was funny, his laughter sweet and inviting.

We became lost in conversation as the rest of the party milled around us, dancing and drinking. He asked if I wanted to go grab a bite to eat. I didn’t think twice before saying yes. I blame Jose Cuervo for jumping out of those margaritas and gleefully declaring what a great idea it was.

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by Jacob Miller

I’ve been doing the online dating thing for the better part of two years. As a 32-year-old single guy with somewhat unique interests, it’s nice not to have to wade through meaningless small talk before you reach the inevitable rejection, as computer dating can narrow the field quite a bit. And while I’ve had decent experiences with other 20 and 30-somethings that don’t quite know what they want, there was one major exception.

I noticed this one woman’s profile, liked the fact that she was into beer, and after exchanging a couple of emails, figured out she was someone I had attended high school with. I said this stroke of fate was enough reason to get together, and she enthusiastically agreed, and we met at a local brewpub.

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This is a humorous video clip of 7 tips on how to be the perfect girlfriend I found on VideoJug.com. While I don’t agree with some of the points entirely, I still think the British guy was just hilarious. “… Symptoms of hunger to be looked out for include grumpiness, slightly flared nostrils, or he may appear to be hunting …”. Apparentlly there is also a boyfriend version “How To Be The Perfect Boyfriend“, but in IMO the 1st one is still funnier.

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by Jana Schreiber

Online dating is a great invention for those who don’t want to get all dolled up for an evening of getting-to-know-you small talk, or pay for an uncomfortable encounter where the only sparks are the ones coming from the restaurant stovetops. Online dating lets you set up shop in front of the computer screen in the comfort of your home where you can look through potential candidates for your next relationship. There are no awkward silences or panic attacks because you have run out of things to say. You just float along picking and choosing people who you click with- the ones who leave you interesting messages and ask you thoughtful questions. The catch with this seemingly perfect dating alternative is that no matter how long you talk online, or how much you seem to know about this person, you really can never be sure that who you see on the computer screen is who you get in the flesh.

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by Anne Harper

A friend recently decided to enter the world of online dating. Because I’ve been in the trenches for a few years, she asked me for advice.

“Read people’s profiles like you’re reading the real estate ads,” I told her. “Think about it. A ‘charming guest house’ is really a garage with indoor/outdoor carpeting, a toilet and a hot plate. A ‘handyman’s dream’ is a dump. And ‘Beverly Hills adjacent’ is NOT in Beverly Hills.”

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Below is a map from the February 2007 issue of National Geographics that shows the distribution of single men and women population among the US regions. Size of red dots represent single women population and blue dots represent single men population. According to the map, if you are female and still single, the happiest place for you on earth right now is somewhere near Disneyland in Orange County

(Image from creativeclass.typepad.com and National Geographic’s Feb. ‘07 issue)

Well single gals, start packing your bags and head west! Just make sure you don’t miss those cute ones that are migrating east while on your way there!

For a larger version of the map click here, and here is the link to the blog article.

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by Ron Bishow

I realized after seeing a commercial for Match.com during the Super Bowl that online dating had definitely hit the mainstream.

There is certainly no shortage of places to try your luck on the information superhighway either. Udate, PerfectMatch, AmericanSingles, Yahoo even J-Date for those who want to narrow the field a little. The only preventative issue with these sites is cost. Match.com for instance costs $39.99 a month for the privilege of finding the love of your life, which may not sound like a whole lot but as a guy remember you are also paying for the dates.

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In the spirit of Friday the 13th, I would like to share some unpleasant items for the guys….

For all you math geeks out there, this is a research paper written suggesting that if you are still a single man in your 30s, there is a high probability that you will die alone. Here’s the link to “Why I Will Never Have a Girlfriend” (aka “A mathematical proof on the impossibility of finding female companionship”)

Also, for those who has played this violent video game and have an ex (not axe) can probably get a kick out of this. “How dating my ex was like playing DOOM II on nightmare mode“. My favorite was the gossiping cacodemons LOL

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by Amber Hathaway

For better or worse, I’m quite familiar with online dating, especially the flaws in that system. Having always preferred men to be a few years older than me, I never dated within my high school or even within my college. I have met nearly all of my dates online. Maybe it’s because I rate mediocre on the attractiveness scale but tend to wow people with my wit, or because I place such a high value on intelligence and cleverness, but I’ve always just found myself able to tell if someone is worth my time by chatting online over the course of a few days or weeks or even months.

That is, I’m almost always able to tell. One evening last year I discovered the importance of the in-person meeting. A young man in my area, let’s call him James, had messaged me on a popular dating site and we had been chatting almost everyday for over a week. Not wanting to waste time, we decided to make plans for dinner that coming weekend to see if we had any chemistry. It turns out that he did, but I certainly did not.

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by Rick Fowler

My sister, a Health nurse for our part of the county had spoken to a teacher through a visit to the school where this young lady was teaching. After this visit my sister called me and told me I should give her a call; she seemed to be single and not involved with anyone.

It took a few days to get my nerve up but one evening I dialed her number and began my conversation with: “Hi, you don’t know me from Adam but….” One hour later, and with a date to a high school play at the school where I taught arranged, we ended our conversation.

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by Rebecca Kling

OK, so a 25 year old virgin might not seem as bad as a “40 Year Old Virgin.” But let me tell you, going on a date with any fully-grown man who has never, umm… had sex, can be a pretty strange experience.

A couple years ago, I met Tom online and was immediately attracted to his charm, good looks and intelligence. By the end of our first date, I was won over by his sexy gaze and smile. The date had gone smoothly, and I could tell Tom was really into me. When we parted without so much as a hug or peck on the cheek, I immediately wondered if I did something wrong—Did I seem uninterested, did I talk too much about my ex, or worst of all—did I have food stuck in between my teeth after dinner??

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by Rachel Tornheim

At first, he was faceless. That’s how new to this he was. Where his face should have been, there was only a blue rectangle, void except for a message informing me that his profile was being approved by Customer Care. I silently wished him luck - I was still bitter about this Customer Care character nixing my bikini pic, which was clearly no more inappropriate than the many shirtless pictures of guys they let through. Not to mention the fact that they had taken liberties with my essay, deleting the line in which I mentioned that one of my nicknames is “The Grammar Nazi” - can’t they tell the difference between ethnic insensitivity and grammatical fanaticism?

Back to our faceless friend. His existence had been brought to my attention on a Friday evening in April, while I was sitting in my apartment, diligently scrolling through the faces (or lack thereof) of the men who had viewed my profile since my last perusal. In addition to his pictures, Customer Service still had his essays in their clutches, so all I could see were his answers to the multiple choice questions. Based on a quick skim of those, he seemed fine, but who could tell? I moved on to the next profile, not expecting to give this fellow another thought.

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