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More People Using Speed Dating To Find Soul Mates

Dawg — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 20:36:26 +0000

The Evolving, Growing World Of Speed Dating

It all started with a concept, interestingly from a Rabbi. Yaacov Deyo came up with idea of speed dating to help Jewish people meet and marry (Wikipedia) in areas where they were minority. What he probably did not realize then was that he had revolutionized modern-day dating (Maybe he should have sought a patent?). Speed dating has not only caught on, it has been growing by leaps and bounds.

As would be expected, online speed dating would soon follow, which took the good Rabbi’s idea into cyberspace. Now, with the growth of niche dating speed dating too has been going niche. Today you will find specialized speed dating sites for tall men, animal lovers, pet lovers, vegans, karaoke, safari, and many more. Technically though, it was a niche dating method in that it began as a Jewish dating method. Maybe we should say it has gone full circle, from niche to mainstream and back to niche. Today, all manner of speed dating events exist both online and offline. Here’s an interesting story about this dating phenomenon:

IT’S NOT UNUSUAL for motorists to criss-cross lanes of early morning commuter traffic in Melbourne, Australia to fix their gaze on a bus where people are acting strangely, standing up and swapping seats every five to 10 minutes. The bus, it transpires, is on its way to a Victoria winery and, even at 8.30am, speed dating is already underway.
The Australians have become accomplished speed daters, with a growing range of options including tall-men speed dating, university-educated speed dating, toyboy speed dating and globetrotters speed dating. In the UK, everything from table football and karaoke to silent speed dating is available. In California, they have moved on to vegan speed dating.
Here in Ireland, singles’ supper clubs, speedy quiz nights, regular table-to-table speed dating, salsa for singles and singles’ countryside walks are appearing on social calendars in towns and cities. But the events remain a taboo subject among many, carrying a curious stigma that is difficult to articulate. Most participants are fearful of a public “badge of desperation” because of past perceptions of lonely-hearts columns and online chatrooms.
This, though, is not the case in one central Dublin bar on a recent Wednesday night. Thirty men and 30 women are first divided into six groups of 10, and then move from restaurant to restaurant for different courses of fine cuisine in the company of single people.
Having signed-up for the Singles Supper Safari Club weeks earlier, the paying customers wait patiently for instructions on each of the restaurants and their next team of talkers.
The logic behind the Supper Safari, organised by Singlelista.ie founder Avril Mulcahy (29), is simple: “Einstein said it’s insane to do the same thing over and over again and expect different results . . . so people are doing different things.” And she should know, having spent several years organising singles events in Australia, before winning $22,000 (€15,900) on a game show and deciding to invest it in an events company in Ireland.
Solicitors, sommeliers, band members, radio-show presenters, artists, boutique owners and business people are among the Supper Safari crowd. Some want to find a partner for life, some want to make new friends, and others simply want to boost their confidence.
At another event, in a Dublin city centre hotel earlier this year, 250 people were divided into two groups of men and women, with the women treated to fortune tellers, make-up artists, a masseuse and cocktails, while the men were entertained by a magician. Before converging in one open room, the women were given a lock chain and the men a key chain.
It’s a “bit naff”, concedes Mulcahy, but it’s designed as an ice-breaker conversation starter. If regular chit-chat fails, the option remains of salsa dancing on the main floor and regular old speed dating in another corner.
THE SOCIAL ENTERPRISE
Conal Gallagher, a high-end landscaper in his 40s, is more accustomed to the exclusive surroundings of The Residence on St Stephen’s Green, than the basement of La Cave, shouting over Brazilian music late on a Wednesday night.
But after being coaxed into going on a Supper Safari, he embraced everything that followed. “It was great fun. I’d go every second week if it was organised,” he says. “I don’t need a date. I wasn’t looking for anything . . . this was a social enterprise, not a dating enterprise. There was no agenda and it was a brilliant night.”
Some of the participants were controlled, restricted, fearful, some divided off into city versus rural categories, some were of a “critical age” and seeking to meet someone. “It was fascinating to watch. You had some people who were clearly damaged by past experiences, lost and wanted something out of the night. And you could see them doing the process of elimination . . . while people like myself were just enjoying the night,” says Gallagher. See the full story

Indeed, one of the downsides of the way “traditional” speed dating works is that it does not work well for introverts, people who don’t open up quickly to strangers, and people of few words. I happen to be one of these people (I can write tons of words but I’m not much of a talker). Therefore, the new creative ways in which the dating events are being planned are welcome in that they do help remove much of the pressure of trying to make an impression within a few minutes. You can now attend a speed dating event just for fun, and possibly meet your soul mate too.

If you're wondering how to get started with speed dating, online speed dating is simplest way as you can "practice" online and then later attend a real-life event.

Senior Speed Dating Event: Men Wanted

Dawg — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 22:36:56 +0000

There is a new dating "service" for senior singles. Most of you might have heard of speed dating. This is a dating method where participants have a one-on-one for a brief period with each person (of the opposite sex in a heterosexual event) before moving on to another person. Now there is speed dating for older singles. Senior speed dating is here, but there is one problem: men appear to be a scarce commodity.

There are hundreds of single women of a certain age waiting to meet eligible elderly gentlemen, if only they would show up for Senior Speed Dating, a weekly event at the Weisman Delray Community Center, west of Delray Beach.
The waiting list for women extends into next year. But there's no waiting list for men, who often are recruited from the center's hallways at the last minute.
"They dragged me in here with a chain," joked Len Rosendahl, 74, of Delray Beach.
The center, which caters to seniors, offers several singles groups, but Senior Speed Dating, which began in March, has become one of its most popular activities.
For $1 admission, which covers coffee and cookies, participants meet 10 members of the opposite sex. Pairs chat for seven minutes before coordinator Sherry Bernstein, a volunteer, rings a bell and asks the men to move on to the next conversation.
Speed dating, invented by a Los Angeles rabbi who sought to match Jews for marriage, has been targeted to niche groups since shortly after it became popular in the late 1990s. There are meet-ups for gay men and women, religious denominations and single parents.
But Bernstein has found that the elderly men of South Florida have been reluctant to participate, for an assortment of reasons, including the pressures of forced conversation and having to ask for phone numbers. See original story

At $1 this must be about the cheapest dating event in the northern hemisphere. As to why there are so few men is not hard to guess. There are more women in that demographic than there are men, plus senior men are probably at Match.com or FriendFinder trying to nail a younger gal.

Speed Dating In Chicago: Upcoming Charity Event Includes Coaching

Dawg — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 21:08:36 +0000

This Speed Dating In Chicago Will Help You Find Love And Do Some Good

Would you like to meet lots of fabulous potential date, possibly meet your soul mate, and do some good all at the same time? If your answer is yes, an up-coming speed dating in Chicago event will help you all do that. To add icing to the cake, you get a chance to attend a speed dating workshop where you will get tips from people who have “been there, done that”.

For those who may not know, speed dating is "a method of meeting potential partners in which each participant has only a few minutes to talk to each of his or her dates before being moved on to the next one. At the end of the event, paticipants decide which dates they would like to see again” (Dictionary.com).

The post about this appears on the JDate blog, and offers some very good tips from one of the persons that will be running the speed dating workshop. While I have written articles and posts about online speed dating, there is always something new to learn. Here are some tips:

I’ll start with my take on speed-dating: I think it’s for a lot of people, but not for everyone. Provided that you are attending an event that is well-suited to your age range and religious preference (if any), you are likely to meet several people who could be potential dates. On the other hand, if you’re much older or much younger than the group, you might find yourself without any dates after the event, so that might not be worth your time. In terms of knowing whether or not speed dating is right for you, ask yourself this question: am I comfortable in a semi-fast paced, repetitive social environment? If so, then go for it! But, if it takes you a bit to open up and show your true (and wonderful) self, you might not be leaving a great first impression.
If you’ve decided to go ahead and attend an event, here are a few things to keep in mind:
1. When getting ready, look like a first-date version of yourself, but don’t go over the top.
2. You typically only get 3-6 minutes with each person.
3. You can’t find out everything you want to know in that short amount of time (so don’t try!)
4. You can find out enough without sounding like an interviewer (and we’ll talk about how).
5. Most importantly, be courteous. Don’t “stand someone up” by leaving your table for the mini-date or refusing to make conversation. Even if they’re not for you, they’ll probably have something interesting to talk about for at least 5 minutes! (Remember: do unto others…)
So if I’ve already told you that you can’t find out everything about your mini-date, what should you be focusing on? Well, let’s be honest, the first thing that you (and your date) will be trying to figure out is if you’re attracted to the person. Remember, attraction is a subjective but necessary component to every romantic relationship. If you look at him (or her) and the attraction is there, then great, step 1, check — proceed to step 2. See original story

I totally agree that speed dating is not for everyone. If you are an introvert or don’t open up quickly to strangers, it might not be the thing for you. I don’t quite agree that if you’re much younger or older than the group you might find yourself without dates. The last I checked in the real world if you are much younger than the group you might get too many dates. But it can be a lot of fun. I like it that coaching is part of the package. I even like it better that this speed dating in Chicago event benefits charity.

Speed Dating Tips – Getting the Most Out of a Speed Dating Event

Dawg — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 23:21:44 +0000

Speed dating is not without its challenges, one of the biggest being the limited time available to make an impression. This article offers speed dating tips that will hopefully help you get over this and other hurdles that come with this method of finding a mate.

In most speed dating events, you have about 8 minutes to make an impression. This is the reason it is sometimes also known as the 8 minute date. Depending on the organizer and number of participants, the allotted time could be slightly more or less. Your objective is to squeeze the most out of this very limited time, without feeling pressurized.

The first thing to do even before arriving at the event is take care of yourself. You want to look your best without being ostentatious or pretentious. Do dress to kill: we humans are still very visual (more so the male of the species but that's subject of another article).

Remember you are competing for the same single(s) with everybody else of your gender in that event, assuming it is a heterosexual event (the same goes for gay and lesbian events). You want to put your best foot forward, if you will excuse the cliché.

Ever heard the phrase "if you have, it flaunt it"? This applies to speed dating events as to other real life scenarios. Attempt to bring out the best of yourself in a tasteful way. For women, showing some cleavage may be okay but don't show too much. For men (women too), it is okay to show the results of all those hours spent in the gym, but please don't show up in a tank top or muscle T-shirt. I would never show up in a T-shirt. Some speed dating events will have a dress code anyway.

Also, try to get adequate sleep in order to be at your best, mentally and physically. Eat enough but not too much.

You should prepare your speed dating questions ahead of time. Also, have your answers ready especially for the more common, routine questions. Preparing a brief profile of yourself helps in this aspect. This will help save time, which is of great essence.

If the speed dating event is being held a long distance from your home and you have to drive, do not change right away. Why? Well, you do not want to arrive in your clothes but all crumpled up. Also, most events are held during warmer seasons and you don't to arrive with your clothes all sweaty. Find somewhere you can change as you get closer to your destination (such as gas station rest room).

During the event, the first thing to remember is to relax. Take a deep breath, or a few of them if it helps. Picture yourself as being at ease. And have fun.

You should also maintain a positive attitude, posture and outlook. Smiling is a big part of the equation. But please do look natural; no forced or cheesy smiles and grins.

Give attention to each person you meet. In case you didn't know you will have a chance meet each and every potential partner in the room. Naturally, there are some you will be attracted to and others not so much (or not at all).Try to give each one undivided attention for the eight or so minutes. Who knows, you might click with someone in another way, beyond the physical.

Want to try speed dating? Internet speed dating services do organize meetings online and real life events. Find the best online speed dating sites now.