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Finding love in the 21st century - a pursuit these days that involves meeting up via online dating sites and furtive text messages - has come full circle. Thanks to a new service from Internet dating purveyor eHarmony, modern would-be lovers soon could find themselves waiting by the phone once again.
Pasedena-based eHarmony is expected today to announce a new service that lets its members connect via phone - without actually giving out their home, work or cellular phone digits.
"Online services have brought a new way for people to meet, but the structure of how two people come together hasn't changed since the beginning of time," says Greg Waldorf, CEO of eHarmony. "People want to take gradual steps toward an ultimate relationship. The connection starts online, and it leads to a phone call."
Using voice-over-Internet Protocol, or VOIP, technology, eHarmony's service enables potential partners to speak on the phone without disclosing personal contact information. If one of the interested parties wants to initiate a call, he or she clicks on a special link on the eHarmony site, and eHarmony then sends an e-mail indicating the caller's interest to the intended call recipient. The eHarmony service, designed by VOIP provider Jajah, then initiates a call to the recipient's preferred phone number, only that data (as well as the phone number of the caller) is completely masked by the site.
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