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A handful of online dating services -- once the go-to places for finding that significant other -- are realizing that the best way to meet is by actually -- meeting.
At last count there were 26 million people searching the Web for love, like or lust. But nowadays more social networking websites are determined to get their subscribers to log out and get out. Of the house, that is.
''We use the Internet to get people off the Internet,'' says Myles Weissleder, vice president of public affairs for Meetup.com, an online social networking service that boasts a membership of more than two million.
The creators of Meetup know that people are relying on the Internet more and communicating face-to-face less -- so much so that they've developed an entire online community to help people find others with like interests.
A quick perusal of the Meetup site reveals that there are people in South Florida looking to join others to belly dance, taste wine or traverse the city looking for the next best ethnic restaurant or live music venue. ''We believe that the world will be a better place when everyone has access to a people-powered local Meetup group. That's our goal,'' the website tells us.
And it seems to be working. Tracy Cancro, a 32-year-old marketing director, recently moved to South Florida and joined Meetup's Miami Minglers Group. ``When I was newly single my friends got me involved with Internet dating and I hated it. Guys are looking at a picture but they're not looking at you.
''I actually really like Miami more because of Meetup. It was my savior,'' she said. ``It was all about friends. Our group is not considered a singles group but 95 percent of us are single. It gets you out there meeting people.''
Over the last few years, online dating websites such as JDate, for Jewish singles, and Lavalife have organized both casual and elaborate events. ''For us, it's more about community building than anything,'' said JDate spokesperson Gail Laguna. ``It's a way for members to put a face with a user name.''
Kristin Kelly, Match.com's spokesperson, agrees. ''At the end of the day, you need to meet. Online dating is only efficient if you know when to meet. Hanging online is not what we want you to do,'' Kelly said. But Match.com does not organize offline events. ''We used to have a separate events business but it just wasn't profitable for us,'' Kelly said.
BlackPlanet.com, which bills itself as the largest online community for African Americans, doesn't offer offline events.
Neither does PlanetOut, a popular social networking website for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community, pointing out that it would be difficult for the service to profit from organizing live events. ''If 10 people show up to a Starbucks in Florida, where's the return on our investment?'' said spokesperson David James.
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