Romantic Comedy in 60 seconds

Yup - Love this.

Don't you have ANYONE to set me up with??

You know how once you hit a certain age, you start asking anyone and everyone, "don't you have someone to set me up with?" Then you you start asking around and it seems that NO ONE has anyone to set you up with. I have yet to understand how this is possible... My favorite friend line is, "Yes, I know some single guys, but I am NOT introducing them to you. They are single for a reason."

Wait... does that mean I'm single for a reason??

No fear singletons... there is ANOTHER online app that leverages the power of your friends on Facebook to hook up their single friends. Introducing, Heartbroker.

If you haven't clued in yet, a "heartbroker" is the friend you pick to profile you to help you find the one true love. The idea behind the new company is that friends won't lie and will do their best to find you a match (or get your laid - depending on the friend).

Here’s how the company describes the process: “Heartbroker works by having singles ask their trusted friends to write a testimonial and rate them on five simple attributes. The testimonials are listed on singles’ profiles so that their matches can evaluate them. The attribute ratings, on the other hand, remain confidential to encourage honest feedback, and are used to determine compatibility with others. Friends can also try their hand at playing Cupid with Heartbroker by suggesting matches to their single friends.”

My favorite part is that the singleton must first approve a Heartbroker for the feedback to count, so you don't need to worry about a crazy college roommate (dude, how insane does that movie look, btw?) posting something out you and trying to get you killed by an axe murderer.

Once you approve the testimonial from you Heartbroker, it is displayed on your public profile (don't forget single boys, NO pics in the bathroom mirror with our without your shirt on), which can then be viewed by other Heartbroker users.

Now, a little bit about the testimonial. It's really not that much work. Your friend will rate you on attractiveness (if they say you're ugly, then they are not your friend!), intellect, humor, kindness and “outgoingness.” Now, the company claims the attribute ratings are used only in the company’s matching algorithm and not shown to anyone (ala eHarmony anyone?). That data will always remain hidden, but your friend will see the testimonial you wrote about them, as long as you approve. Make sense?

For now, the site is exclusive to Facebook. To participate, you must have a Facebook account and cannot profile a friend who is not on Facebook. Who doesn't have a Facebook account?? And Zoosk - you might be screwed.

The idea behind the site is to make the online dating process more social, moving it away from the “solitary self-promotion” ofthe current online dating market.

So, I'm gonna get my little sister to write something amazing about me and I'll report back when I'm married in a few months. Till then - Happy Valentine's Day!

The Geography of Online Dating

As we know, different sites attract different people. But, what I didn't know is that this foray in online dating love is just a big geography game!

For example... while I have found that eharmony in Los Angeles is full of IT guys and techies, it apparently attracts a totally different kind of guy on the East Coast. Another observation? OK Cupid is crawling with "aspiring actors" and "filmmakers" in Los Angeles, but is a engineer's dream in North Carolina.

So, what gives? Are there just different guys out there who are willing to try online dating or are they looking for something more specific? Are "aspiring actors" just looking for their next meal in LA and are the Techies looking for someone to bring home to the family for the holidays?

I feel like I have a good grasp on the online dating game, but am stumped with this one. Is the key to finding love opening up my mind to a cross country romance? Remember, I think driving to Orange County from LA is a long distance relationship.

I need to know... what does each site offer you in your town? When we get more specifics, I'll add them to the map. As of now we have Peter Pans, Aspiring Actors/Filmmakers, Cowboys/All-American Men, Techies/Engineers and Ex-Frat Guys/Sports Fans. Am I missing anything?

Boys, don't worry, I'm happy to make a map for you. What's out there? Is Plenty of fish full of potential one-night-stands? Do the girls on OK Cupid not leave enough to the imagination? Spill.

Dating with Technology - The ONLINE Relationship

This week I got an email from a girlfriend asking me what her ex-boyfriend was up to on Facebook. Seriously. They had done the Facebook "In a Relationship with XX" and now are experiencing the awkward aftermath of their exes being friends with their friends. Quite the Facebook pickle.

Technology is great. Thank God for small cells (although I did rock the Zach Morris cell back in the day and thought I was BAD ASS), pocket-size computers (yay, iPhone!) and texting, but sometimes it would be nice to get a sincere hand-written letter. Yes, I know I'm dreaming - shut up.

Without technology there would be no match.com, eharmony, Ok Cupid, Plenty of Fish, etc. but then I would also have to dress up and go out every night to meet someone! But, this is where things get tricky. You start with the wink, wink. You move onto the email. Exchange of phone numbers. BBMing and texting and THEN meet for a date.

Once you're finally dating you have the option to become Facebook friends. Girls... this is where I say... back away! Just don't do it. Do you need to be Facebook friends? I think this just opens up an opportunity for crazy online stalking. I.e. When his status reads "Out with friends" doesn't your heart skip a little beat wondering why you weren't invited and are there girls in this group of so-called "friends?"

Then... you have the infamous status change from "single" to "in a relationship." Unless you are sure this is the one, I reco leaving that status blank. Who wants to have to change it back and announce that you have broken up with your boyfriend OVER THE INTERNET? Really isn't a broken heart enough?

My non-boyfriend/online 30-something-year-old-man-friend (Aaron Karo!) wrote this in his latest book I'm Having More Fun Than You...

"The great irony is that these days we're so connected it's easier to end an offline relationship than it is to end an online one. We can break up, but we can't log off."

WORD. I'm glad to see we're on the same page.

Now, don't get me wrong, once I have his real email address I online and Facebook stalk until I know I won't end up dead on the side of the road somewhere after our first date, but after my first online break-up I decided I wasn't going to torture myself anymore and am just not Facebook friends with people I date.

The whole him being friends with your friends thing, is entirely another problem. Sometimes a little background knowledge is good, but your friends should know you well enough to tell you what you need to know like "I just saw on XX's wall that he moved to Guam so you can't run into him anymore, yay!" vs. "I just saw on XX's wall that he is engaged and his fiance is pregnant" (boo. bad friend... not cool).

Technology is only going to keep changing and we need to adapt our dating lives and style to stay sane. My sanity right now remains in check by being statusless.