Personal Dating Agent

Mika Doyle on PDA

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 12:10:30 -0400

There was a time in the not-so-distant past when online dating was considered taboo. Dangerous, even. One of the most common reasons people warned against it was because you never knew who was actually on the other end of those private messages you were getting.

Nowadays that way of thinking seems antiquated; after all, we’ve all become web-savvy enough to navigate our way through what’s fake and what’s real when it comes to our online interactions, right?

Well, not if the creators of Personal Dating Agent do their job.

Personal Dating Agent is a new online dating service based in the UK that essentially does the online dating for you. Their dating agents get to know their clients, create online profiles for them, and pose as their clients on said online dating sites. All the client has to do is show up for the date.

According to co-founder Maxime Leufroy-Murat, the site “is targeted to both men and women who don’t have time to go online, scramble through thousands of profiles, send messages … with no guarantee of success. Or for people who just don’t know how [online dating] works.”

The site encourages people to use its services for three reasons: 1) To save time by letting someone else do the work for you; 2) To take advantage of their online dating expertise; and 3) To have a safer online dating experience. Clients can choose whether or not to disclose right up front that they are using a dating agent.

“Our concept is about doing it all for them, not with algorithms, but with people,” Leufroy-Murat said in an email interview. ”We have a team of dating agents who will get to know the member, create their dating profile, sign them up to two sites, find their matches, message them, and organize a date. We become the client online, in other words. The big difference is that we guarantee dates to the member. If we don’t deliver, he gets his money back.”

According to Leufroy-Murat, the site is not a means of deception. The dating agents limit their online interactions with potential dates to 3-4 messages and focus on setting up real-life dates. “We avoid creating relationships online; we are here to facilitate a meeting,” he said.

The site launched in November of 2011. As of this month, they have had more than 80 clients and nine success stories (that they are aware of). The service is available worldwide.

Share Your Thoughts
How would you feel if you found out your date, who you thought you “met” online, was facilitated through a Personal Dating Agent? Would it make a difference if everything worked out in the end, or would you feel deceived? Do you think this is a good service for people who are too busy to use online dating sites, or do you think if they’re too busy to online date, they are too busy to date at all? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Article by Mika Doyle at http://mikadoyle.com/2012/03/12/date-online-without-ever-going-online/

Online Dating No No

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 05:46:47 -0500

Below is an article written by Huffington Post blogger Pamela Gross detailing 10 things that no-one wants to see on an online dating profile.

I want to add a few things to this list:

a) Negative statements - I really hate seeing people rant and moan about all the bad experiences they have had on their dating profiles and writing lists of things they don’t want. One guy wrote a whole paragraph on what a potential partner shouldn’t look like. It’s just crass and says nothing at all about who you are apart from the fact that you’re shallow and judgmental.

b) Unclear photos - First of all, if someone only has one photo I become very suspicious. If you only have one photo and it’s taken from the side with important parts of you (like your teeth) covered then that does nothing to sway me to your side.

3) Extreme light - I hate photos of people with bright lights making their faces look very angelic and masking what they really look like, bad skin and all.

4) Sunglasses - Trust me, you look way better WITHOUT the shades.

And now for the article:

It’s rough out there. Believe me. I know … But when you are looking for love online, there are certain things you can do to make it easier on yourself. I am here to offer the men of the world some very simple, no-brainer DONT’S for their online profile pictures. Men: Take a moment to make sure you are not guilty of any these offenses:

1. Pictures of yourself with a dolphin: I don’t really get it. Is it to show a “sense of adventure?” A love of fish?

2. Listing your job as “professional”: Professional WHAT?

3. Post only one picture — of a group: I get it! You want us to know ‘I’m a cool guy,’ I have friends! And that’s okay, it gives us an indication of what you like to do, but come on — you need to indicate which one you are. Guess which one is trying to land a date? I DON’T KNOW!

4. One very distant picture: “Hellllooooooo out there there the th….” I can’t SEE you. Not helpful when I am superficially sussing out people that I could potentially be attracted to!

5. Blurry: Come on. You can do better, can’t you?

6. Pictures of yourself with several bimbos: So that’s what you like? Pass.

7. Shirt off, no face: While it’s good to let a girl imagine, we’d rather not have to imagine your face — put your shirt back on and stop hiding behind your (real or imagined) abdominals.

8. Only posting self-portraits of the bathroom mirror variety: Get someone to take your freaking picture! Come on, man! If I wanted to date a serial killer, I would get a prison pen pal.

9. Posting arty imagery: I get it. You’re cool. I don’t want to look at what you like to look at. I want to see you. Spare me your awesome sense of aesthetics.

10. No photo: This is of course the worst photo offense one can commit in their online dating profile. Even the least shallow among us, when looking for “the one” online and sifting through thousands of profiles, have at best a four-second window in which we decide whether or not we want to learn more about this person. And the picture is largely what we base it on. No pic/no dice. *see number 4.

Love and a Mercedez

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:44:59 -0500

It didn’t seem fair that I was having all this fun dating while my lonely, single friend suffered through a non-existent love life. So I decided that ,as a friendly gesture, I would help her find love in 2012.

Although she had previously sworn that she would rather stay single than date, she jumped at the chance to be set up on dates. So, I conducted a ‘call’ with her to find out a bit more about her (although I already know it all!) and to find out what kind of man she was after.

Now, the great thing about my friend is that she has a wicked, dark sense of humour. She is fascinating to listen to and love her or hate her she is incredibly entertaining!

So, I began the conversation with her and asked, ‘so Mercedez, tell me about your background.” (Mercedez is not her real name but as she’s fan of the finer things in life, she insisted I use that name for her.) She explained that she grew up in Zimbabwe, and that it’s great when you’re a child as there’s a lot of space to play outside and have fun but that the community is so small that it can get rather boring when you’re adult.

She moved to Manchester then London several years ago. I asked her how she is finding living in London. “Crap. I hate it. The weather’s gloomy. I don’t want to live here anymore. I want to move to somewhere hot and sunny, and live on a beach, sipping pina coladas all day, have a hot guy fanning me with palm leaves while I sunbathe and maybe occasionally help the locals build mudhouses.”

I laughed and told her to keep dreaming. She promised she would.

I asked what she studied and to what level: “I did Art and studied it up to Master level.” I told her to tell the truth. “Fine, fine, okay! I did Art in college, I loved it, it shouldn’t have ended but I loved money more. And when I got my first pay cheque my art career ended. Does that make me sound shallow?”

I reminded her that she was shallow, but that if she wanted I’d word it in a better way.

She told me that she worked in a dead-end retail job and that she’s depressed in her job and wants a change in career. So what would you like to do, Mercedez? What would be your dream career?

“Do you want me to be honest?” Yes, I do. “I want to be the only President of the world and I would be a dictator.” Okaaaay… “Just joking. Seriously, I just want to do anything that will make me a billionaire.”

We’re both big dreamers.
She told me her hobbies: she likes to paint, draw, smoke (but she’s down to 3 ciggies a day, now), she’s watched every TV show on the TV and the Internet (was a big fan of Megaupload), she likes to blog, and she likes to shop online and takes pride in her role in helping kill off the high street. “The parking fees are extortionate!”

I asked her how she thinks her close friends and family would describe her. She didn’t even hesitate: “indecisive, obnoxious, funny, witty, talkative, well-spoken, no longer likes children…” she was pretty spot on.

I couldn’t stop laughing when she told me what people first noticed about her when they meet her: “My big brown Beyonce eyes!” You see, Mercedez has always figured that she is a spitting image of Beyonce but I beg to differ!

So, when I had recovered from my giggling fit, I decided to move on to what she was looking for in a partner.

“I want someone tall, dark and handsome, as loyal as a dog, loving, sweet, patient and I want somebody who doesn’t take himself too seriously.”

Okay, that’s fine, but what type of men do you typically find yourself dating? “I don’t think I have a type, I’ve tried all shapes and sizes!” Erm, I might leave that bit out.

She said she wants an old-fashioned gentleman, who pulls out chairs, has good manners and worships the ground she walks on. She split up with her ex-boyfriend when he forgot her birthday.

She was embarrassed to say that she has never had someone do anything wildly romantic for her but that she does feel that she is a romantic person.

I couldn’t make this up if I tried. Although clearly a bit wacky, Mercedez is very dear to me. I am determined to find her a romance that you can only find in the movies. I mean, crazy people need love, too.

Dating Tip: A profile should be a true reflection of who you are but there are some aspects of you that are best left hidden. At least until the tenth date. Or better yet, maybe you should never reveal that side at all!

Can a Personalised Dating Service Find You Love?

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 08:50:00 -0500

Written by Helen Croydon for the Metro newspaper.

I’m a big advocate of convenience. Shops gift-wrapped all my Christmas presents; professional packers helped me move and my supermarket shopping gets delivered.

So imagine my excitement when I heard about a scheme that could manage my dates.

Personaldatingagent.com is part-online dating, part-traditional agency. You get access to as large a menu of single hopefuls as you would on a commercial site but you receive a professional’s input on matchmaking.

Don’t think it can cut out tedious form-filling, though. To start the process there’s a short questionnaire – and yes, you still have to give your eye colour.

Next comes a 45-minute phone interview by my very friendly ‘personal agent’, Natasha. The questions are – as with all self-promotion forms – totally irrelevant personal preferences that you’ll never talk about anyway: my favourite travel destination; my favourite part of London; my favourite film.

And the inevitable: What are your hobbies? ‘I drink wine and put the world to rights, often until three in the morning,’ I tell her proudly. ‘And I go to the gym.’

There are more open-ended questions, too, with room for expansion. She asks me whether I’m a romantic (of course) and how an ex would describe me. Uh-oh. ‘A commitment phobe,’ I reply. There’s a pause. ‘Is there anything more positive that you can say?’ she suggests.

I’m enjoying the interview, though – a whole 45 minutes of indulgent introspection. Natasha’s getting me to expand on all sorts of life goals. I tell her very firmly that I’m not looking for long-term commitment – more like a reliable and low- maintenance lover. She tells me that she’s never had a request like that but she’ll do her best.

Natasha emails her verdict 24 hours later. She thinks the perfect site for me is Match.com. I shudder. I’ve always thought that Match.com was somewhere people go to look for husbands.

It certainly wouldn’t have been the site I’d have picked but I go along with it. Hours later she emails a draft of my personal profile. It’s lively and well-written but I cringed so much it took two glasses of wine before I could read it. Natasha had structured it based on a collection of answers from our telephone interview. Although correctly quoted, she’d included a montage of life snippets that I would never have considered worth writing up: where I went backpacking at 18 and who my favourite film star is. I rewrite the entire thing and apologetically send it back.

She amends and sends a link to my full profile to approve. This is when I realise that somewhere along the line I’ve shrunk to 5ft 4in, my ‘athletic’ physique has become ‘average’ and my interests and activities have become ‘seeing my family’. So I sneak into my profile and change all that.

Now it’s live – and I’m totally paranoid someone will recognise me. Natasha emails a menu of potential matches. I pick three and she contacts them. There are a few replies – but I don’t read them. I leave it all in Natasha’s hands. She’s very good at flirtatious banter and that’s fine by me. Three days later she emails to say she has set up a rendezvous with a nice-looking 45-year-old advertising executive. All I have to do is confirm via text.

En route, I realise since I haven’t read any of the message exchanges, that I don’t know his name. It didn’t matter. I stayed for two hours, drank wine and put the world to rights – not until 3am this time. It’s certainly time saving but some things – such as choosing lovers – you have to do yourself.

Too Many Bellinis!

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 08:24:26 -0500

I was invited out by another match.com user to a restaurant in South Kensington.

It didn’t start off well as I got lost trying to find the place. The hotel is tucked away discreetly in a quiet residential area. Not to mention it was in the evening, quite dark outside and I’m not great with directions.

I wandered around the area and distracted myself by messaging a friend.

“Don’t know where the hell I’m going!”
“Where are you?!”
“In South Kensington somewhere! I think I’m lost! I can just see houses!”
“Oh my god… maybe he’s luring you to his torture chamber!”
“This is not the time for jokes!”

I decided to call my date and tell him that I was a bit confused: “All I can see are houses.”

He told me he was close so I distracted myself by fiddling on my phone again until he arrived. He was taller than me but not by that much as we were the same height in my heels.

We greeted each other and he led me into the building I had walked past several times!

“So, this place is a restaurant?”
“Actually, it’s a hotel called Blakes…” A hotel? “…but they have a restaurant downstairs.” Phew!

He seemed to know the staff there and although we hadn’t made reservations they quickly got us seated.

It was a nice, cosy, dimly lit restaurant and it had a romantic feel to it. A great setting for a first date.

A waitress came around and asked us what we’d like to drink. I was going to choose a safe option but then I was recommended a Bellini. I didn’t know what it was but he promised I’d like it.

Whilst the waitress went to get our drinks, we started to talk a bit about ourselves, what we do, what we were looking for. He told me he was into real estate but I hesitated before I admitted what I did.

“I’m a… erm… I’m a dating agent.”
“Ahhhh, interesting!”

I gave a very brief description about my job before trying to change the subject but he pressed on.

“So, you could find me dates then?” The cheek of him! “Haha, I’m just joking. I’m perfectly happy with the date I’ve got!” Good response.

The waitress arrived with our Bellinis which was sparkling wine mixed with peach puree. I sipped it and fell in love.

I looked at the menu and, yet again, I didn’t know what to order. He recommended Miso soup with silken tofu and the black cod with spinach. I had never heard of or tasted any of them but I thought ‘why not?’

So after two glasses of Bellini and some more general conversations about ourselves, they arrived with the soup. I looked at it and it didn’t look inviting but I pretended to be impressed.

“Thank you, it looks good.” I stirred it with my spoon. “Is this cheese?”
“No, that’s tofu.”
“These yellow blocks? Tofu? Are you sure?”

I took a spoonful of my soup and didn’t like it but I pretended I did. But when I couldn’t finish it, it was obvious I didn’t find it as tasty as I claimed.

“If you don’t like it, don’t eat it.”
“I do like it.”
“You don’t have to lie!”

So I set aside the Miso soup and ordered another Bellini. The Bellini came fast and I drank it just as fast. Yes, it was that good.

“So tell me more about these ambitions you wrote about on your profile,” he asked.
“I just feel that I’m not going to be broke forever. I know one day I’ll be a billionaire.”

He chuckled.

“You’re aiming very high!”
“I even know the answers to the Forbes Richest interview they’ll be having with me. I can feel it, I’m supposed to be rich!”

The black cod came and I inspected it carefully. The cod looked fine but there was a black sheet on top of it that looked like a strip of cardboard. I remember wondering, ‘Do I eat this bit?’

I sliced into the cod and tried it. After their rave reviews I was left rather underwhelmed. And the spinach wasn’t tasty either. I didn’t enjoy the meal but I did enjoy the conversation as I began to feel the effects of alcohol kicking in.

I kept giggling at his mediocre jokes and couldn’t stop smiling.

“Why do you keep smiling?”
“I don’t know, I guess I’m just a happy person.”

He asked me what I was looking for on Match and I admitted I wasn’t really sure. Definitely not marriage, though. I’m too young for that and when I do become a billionaire I’m not sure I’d want to give up half my earnings should it end in divorce.

I rambled on about everything and nothing. I’m sure at some point I stopped making sense and I kept mispronouncing words. And my fork kept missing my mouth.

He asked me where I worked. I told him in South Kensington close to the station.

“Have you heard of the KX gym? I work out there and it’s near the station, maybe you can meet me for lunch some time?”

I almost choked on my food. I pass the gym every day to work and didn’t have a clue what it was until my boss told me that it was a super expensive gym that can cost fifteen grand a year to join…. jackpot!! (Just kidding!)

“Yeah, well I do need to go to the gym as this year I want to get down to a size 6.” :)

We talked a bit more about general stuff, where we grew up, where we’ve travelled to and some other things but I can’t quite remember what they were.

Four Bellinis later, I decided I couldn’t force myself to eat any more so he paid the bill, I thanked him three times and we left the restaurant. He offered to drop me home but I felt safer in a taxi. We agreed to meet again and he promised he would change my life. I smiled and thought ‘yeah, we’ll see…’

As soon as I got home, I felt the effects of the alcohol a lot more! I went to bed with a smile on my face. It was a good date. And no doubt the Bellini put me straight to sleep.

Dating tip:
Don’t over-indulge on the alcohol! It’s not safe to be tipsy or drunk with a stranger and you are also in serious danger of embarrassing yourself.

Date with an Amateur Hypnotherapist

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 05:51:01 -0500

Yesterday I went on a date from Match.com. It was a last minute decision and I admit, as I wasn’t entirely sure about him, I was quite nervous beforehand and almost cancelled! Often a face-to-face meeting with someone you’ve only engaged with online takes getting used to, and even when you’ve been dating for a while, you can still feel nervous with every new person you meet. I called two of my closest friends for a confidence boost. I’m sure they’re sick of these conversations.

“What if he doesn’t like me? What if he’s rude? Do you think he’ll think my legs are fat?!”
“No, silly, your legs are not fat! Stop being such a coward and go! You’ve got forty minutes!”

He had invited me for drinks at the Royal Garden Hotel restaurant at 6pm. I arrived five minutes early, which was great considering I thought I would be late. I often take way too long to get ready while I stress over what to wear.

He arrived 5 minutes later and I remember thinking ‘wow, I am very short!’. He must have been 6’3 and his slim frame made him appear even taller.

We greeted each other before we entered the restaurant. He took my jacket and pulled out my chair. I was quite surprised as in all of the dates I have ever been on, no-one has ever done that!

The waitress came over to give us the menu and ask us what we’d like. We both ordered a glass of champagne and it definitely helped calm my nerves.

I didn’t quite know what to say to initiate a conversation but luckily for me he was quite a talker and we soon began to engage in quite a thoughtful discussion about fears, religion and insecurities. Quite heavy for a first date conversation! However, I didn’t mind as I enjoy hearing other people’s opinions on such subjects and I would much rather have an interesting conversation about deep issues than be forced into pointless idle chatter teamed with awkward silences.

He had mentioned surfing in Sri Lanka so I admitted to my fear of deep water. After almost drowning three times when I was a little girl I had a huge fear of swimming in deep waters. If my feet couldn’t touch the floor I wasn’t interested. I told him that drowning is one of the scariest feelings. You’re sinking, flapping your arms, staring at the light above knowing where you need to get to but you never seem to reach it no matter how hard you try. Not to mention in your panic you breathe in water, which is exactly what you’re not meant to do!

He offered to hypnotise me. Hypnotise me? Apparently, he has been trained in the art of hypnosis. His eyes lit up when he spoke about it. I remember thinking of Derren Brown and the mind games he plays. I was quite fascinated but unsure. Being hypnotised by somebody you don’t really know and who isn’t a professional seemed a little weird.

He had planned a dinner with friends for 8pm but somehow we had lost track of time. I apologised for rambling and making him late. He didn’t mind because apparently I was good company.

We parted ways with kisses on cheeks and vowed to meet again. I was relieved to be on my way home and eager to gossip about the date with my friends, as usual!

“It went well Katherine!”
“I told you, you had nothing to worry about!”

Dating tip:
I stopped worrying about my legs when he said I was ‘beautiful’. That made me smile. Always compliment your online date when you meet them, whether it’s on their looks, their attire or an aspect of their personality that you admire. But never hand out sleazy compliments.

Life after the City: The duo that started a dating agency

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 09:19:03 -0500

Life after the City: The duo that started a dating agency

‎"London based entrepreneurs and the founders of Personal Dating Agent Ltd (PDA) Alexandre Errera and Maxime Leufroy-Murat told IBTimes in an interview..."

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 04:04:55 -0500

‎"London based entrepreneurs and the founders of Personal Dating Agent Ltd (PDA) Alexandre Errera and Maxime Leufroy-Murat told IBTimes in an interview..."

Great article from Good! Eight red flags she learned from Online Dating!

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 04:02:25 -0500

Great article from Good! Eight red flags she learned from Online Dating!

London - Dating Scene - The Painted Heron

Sun, 04 Dec 2011 11:30:00 -0500

I recently went again to the Painted Heron in Chelsea. Indian food hardly seems like an obvious choice when it comes to setting up a date, but this restaurant is quite incredible in that respect. A chic staff, soft lights, well appointed tables make this restaurant ideal for a first date or an evening with your loved one.

Even though the Painted Heron is elegant and original, it’s quite inexpensive compared to other Chelsea restaurants. Portions are big so best is to share. The mixed starter meat or seafood are excellent and each one is enough to feed at least 2 people.

Critics, locals and clued-up visitors have been raving about The Painted Heron ever since it opened. Now it’s your turn to visit one of London’s best secrets.

112 Cheyne Walk, London SW10. www.thepaintedheron.com

An Agent on a Mission

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 11:33:55 -0500

So I’m on a mission to find the love of my life. I’m not too sure what or who my dream man is but of course like every woman, I do have criteria that I’m not willing to be flexible on but I also have rules that can be bent every now and again.

For instance, he has to be taller than me. Very superficial, I know, but I’m thinking genetics here and I’m just a humble 5’4. But, if he doesn’t quite reach 5’4 I may make a compromise if he ticks MANY of my other boxes.

He definitely must have ambition. I just can’t tolerate a man whose life goal is to sit around all day and not do anything but play computer games. At least have a dream, an ambition and be working towards it.

Now, I’ll be honest, I would love to be with a McSteamy (Grey’s Anatomy), a Jake Gyllenhal or a Will Smith but truth is, looks play second fiddle to a great personality.

So, I’ll be joining match.com, one of the more mature dating sites out there. I’m going to create a profile to share with you, and I’m going to get hunting for my match and start making sparks!

"Some ten per cent of internet users have tried online dating, research has shown."

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 11:19:53 -0500

“Some ten per cent of internet users have tried online dating, research has shown.”

- According to the Pew Research Center, the medium is increasingly being used.

"Before I barely had enough money to pay for food, after using Match.com I found I wasn’t going into..."

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 10:45:33 -0500

““Before I barely had enough money to pay for food, after using Match.com I found I wasn’t going into debt anymore. I mean, a guy buys me three drinks at $15 a pop and that right there made up for my Match fee.””

- -A Business Insider trend piece explores the dark world of “food hooking,” revealing one NYC girl’s story of how she used online dating to score herself free meals. Um, just ask Holly Golightly, this “dating for meals” concept is nothing new.

Online Dating: a successful way to find love

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 09:20:44 -0500

Online Dating: The solution to debt relief?

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 09:17:47 -0500

Online Dating: The solution to debt relief?

Classic example of what NOT to include in your profile. I wonder...

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 11:47:19 -0500

Classic example of what NOT to include in your profile. I wonder how many women grimaced at reading this and how many women actually replied.

okcupidcreepy:

Since everyone loved my last diaper post, I’ve done research and found another diaper lover. I blacked out his eyes party because I feel bad for him.

Chronicles of CsAr~: How to Write the Best Online Dating Profile Ever ...

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 11:41:52 -0500

Chronicles of CsAr~: How to Write the Best Online Dating Profile Ever ... :

Had to reblog this.

psytian:

Pick Your Pics

Pictures are the most important aspect of your profile. Men don’t read and if they did they definitely don’t remember what they read. So, take some good shots of yourself. A primary photo that says something about your uniqueness will grab a man’s attention. It definitely…

Online Dating Safety

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 09:45:00 -0500

Most people you’ll meet online are normal,ordinary people. However, normal, ordinary people can include the sweet, the polite, the kind, the good, the honest AND the rude, the offensive, the aggressive, the liar and the creep.

The Internet makes it easy for people to put on a façade and pretend to be something they’re not. When reading people’s online profiles you’re more likely to see: “I’m a lovely person with a kind soul who never forgets his manners” rather than “My ex called me a lunatic and took a restraining order against me because I camped outside her house for a week after and wouldn’t stop calling her.” Yeah, people like him are kind… kind of crazy!

And unfortunately, just as in the real world, they’re out there, lurking between profiles of genuinely great people, just waiting for their next victim.

So, it’s common sense to take necessary precautions when online dating no matter how great your love interest sounds.

Firstly, use your intuition – it’s usually right. If you spot something strange on someone’s profile or when they message you or if someone tries to rush or pressure you into a meeting - be wary. Some people may be eager just to meet you in real life but others may have a more sinister agenda.

Make use of your online dating sites internal messaging system. This allows you to safeguard your email and personal contact information until you feel that you know the person enough to give out your contact details.

When meeting someone for the first time, meet in a public place and make sure you tell someone you trust where you’re going and who you’re meeting.

It may also help for you to get an extra SIM card or phone number to use when online dating. The last thing you need is a stalker bombarding you with calls and desperate messages.

Be wary of anyone who tells you a sob story or requests money – especially if you haven’t met them yet. It seems obvious to be aware of this but many lonely hearts are manipulated and scammed by fraudsters who play on their emotions. If you fall in love easily and believe everything you’re told, you’re easy prey.

Practise common sense and stay safe when dating.

Personal Dating Agents at Your Service

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 08:18:36 -0500

Personal Dating Agents at Your Service

The Dark Side of Dating

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 08:17:00 -0500

Dating - the often necessary route into companionship, love, or even a quickie.

We’d all love dating to be stress-free, simple, easy etc but for most of us mere mortals, it’s not.

It can be fun at the very best of times but it can also be annoying, tedious, nerve-wracking or a complete failure.

Whether its getting food stuck in your teeth, enduring sweat-inducing long periods of silence, or even just having your ‘excellent’ charm earn you a nice pink bruise on your cheek, there’s a dark side of dating with hidden horrors lurking, waiting to get you.

I guess if dating was predicable it’d be too boring. We like adventure, we like feeling nerves of excitement and, I think all of us want to find someone to love or someone to cuddle us at night (I know there’s soft hearts behind those tough shells).

Today, there are so many ways you can date. In fact, we’re spoilt for choice. The internet has definitely changed the game.

Instead of us crawling through pubs and bars, drinking ourselves into madness, making eye contact that may never be returned before trying out disastrous chat-up lines, hoping for a smile, we now have the golden opportunity to go online, search through a library of hot men and women who are all pretty much begging to come home with us!

Okay, now, clearly that’s an illusion. Online dating might be easier, more convenient and may grant you access to a whole lot more people but it is still not perfect. In fact, if you don’t know what you’re doing, it can actually be just as bad as offline dating. Or possibly even worse depending on how wild your imagination is.

Different avenue, different problems.

For instance, not only do you have to worry about writing a first class profile that will help you stand out amongst the THOUSANDS or MILLIONS of people online (at a bar it’ll probably only be around 100 people), you also have to - shock horror - sell yourself!

Ever been to an interview and been asked, “So, tell me about yourself?” I’m sure as much as you may think you know who you are, most people would answer, “Erm, well, I’m twenty-nine, erm, I studied Geology, erm…erm… <nervous chuckle> well what would you like to know…?” Err…

And if that wasn’t enough, you may even write what you think is a pretty decent profile: “I like sports, I’m looking for love, I’m kind, sweet, generous, strong, humble, loving, romantic, rich…” and guess what? For all your effort, you’ll still get pretty much no interest! (Unless scammers count as interest.)

Then, especially if you’re a male without Brad Pitt looks, you’ll probably have to hunt for your date and try and start a conversation with them. And you’ll probably be ignored most of the time.

And even if you are successful, you’ll probably send 100 emails and engage in a long-lasting promising conversation with your internet darling, only to have her disappear once you suggest a meeting.

Doh!

Of course, not everyone’s online dating history is so disastrous and unlucky. There are some of you who have had great success, know how to write an excellent profile, can chat the ladies up online and offline and have absolutely loved online dating!

For the rest of you, maybe it’s time you tried a Personal Dating Agent!