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According to the popular web-based
dating service, onlinebootycall.com, somewhere near 100 million people
worldwide are hooking up on line. Of course, who's counting?
Onlinebootycall.com, which began in 2002 with one customer, now has more
than 1 million customers. That's a lot of notions about who's dating whom
and why -- a generation of linked people that have spurned, or added a
resource, to the more traditional modes of meeting. People are still
gathering at bars and clubs, and connecting on public transportation or
blind dates. But the internet is becoming a powerful option, and with it
comes a host of truths and misconceptions on the popular culture of dating.
1. Misconception: Online dating is all about finding love -- the love of
your life.
Truth: Online dating is about finding some love for tonight. One online
dating site claims to be the number one site for love. In reality, it's
most likely the number one site for lovemaking. "At OBC, we tell our
members not to promise marriage to get a date," says Moses Brown, founder
of onlinebootycall.com.
2. Misconception: People who date online are desperate and can't get a
date in real life.
Truth: Most OBC daters have no problem meeting people. Online dating is
good for those nights like Tuesday when not much is going on with the club
scene. It's the same reason you order pizza instead of going out to eat.
"Booty at your house with the click of a mouse," says Brown. The other
truth: If you have a hard time meeting and connecting with people in live,
face-to-face situations, you probably won't succeed with online dating.
3. Misconception: Online dating is more dangerous than meeting people in
clubs or other social settings.
Truth: Online dating is LESS dangerous than direct meetings, says Brown.
Online daters meet ON LINE. The real booty traps are in live settings.
"Would you rather be cyber stalked," asks Brown, "or stalked in real
life?" Brown also notes that people in live social settings typically
don't hand out profiles and are no more compelled to reveal truths about
themselves than people online.
4. Misconception: You can tell everything you need to know about a person
from his or her online profile.
Truth: Watch your booty, says Brown. "At OBC, we take care with our
members' profiles. Industry wide, though, we recognize that people say
first what they think others want to hear." The more profiles you read,
he says, the more they sound alike.
5. Misconception: The numbers tell the story. A large number of members
means a greater chance of hooking up.
Truth: Online dating services may claim millions of members, which makes
connecting sound easy. But only about one in 10 members complete the
profile. At OBC, says Brown, our goal is to have a much higher percentage
of active and complete profiles with photos for daters.
6. Misconception: Men and women approach date sites the same.
Truth: Sure. Men and women think exactly alike in everything. "Here's
the truth," says Brown. "Whatever a lady says, a man hears what he wants."
And men beware. You comprise about 75 percent of people enrolled on
internet dating service. That's why OBC has ongoing assertive incentive
programs to increase the number of active woman members.
7. Misconception: Dating site services have the members' best interests
at heart.
Truth: "We have a Duty to Booty", says Brown, who is not just the
president of OBC, but an active client on the site. "Many dating sites
are operated by people who are not in the scene and offer limited insight.
8. Misconception: There's a high rate of satisfaction with online dating
services.
Truth: Generally, it won't get you into the big leagues for hits, says
Brown. About 20 percent of customers -- one out of 5 -- report
satisfaction. At OBC, we have a much higher percentage of happy booties.
We don't need a focus group to tell us if we're doing things right. We
are the focus group. We understand the process and keep our members
informed so they can get the best results.
Onlinebootycall.com is committed to helping online daters successfully
connect in real life. The sites' owners, who participate in the online
dating community, keep tuned in to the needs of its customers through an
active listen and respond approach. Onlinebootycall.com has more than 1
million users worldwide.
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