"Team" Dating sites popping up...USATODAY article... - GoFuckYourself.com

The Adult Broker · 03-09-2006, 12:36 PM

Date in numbers and with friends. subtle way to say 'foursome' maybe?

Take social networking communities such as Friendster and MySpace. Merge them with traditional online love connectors like Match and eHarmony. The result? TeamDating and eTwine in the USA and Compa in the UK. Users can sign up in groups of two or more and correspond with other duos, trios or quartets. The goal is to take the two cyber-squads offline, to the promise of mingling ? and mating ? opportunities.

Group online dating, its creators and practitioners say, is safer than traditional Internet dating: With friends in tow, there's little fear that a date will spike your drink during a trip to the bathroom. It's more natural, akin to happy-hour mixing. Going out in groups improves your odds, at least in theory. And if the opposing social circle doesn't live up to its virtual profile, well, it's a night out with your gang.

"You do everything else with your friends," says Ray Doustdar, president of Los Angeles-based TeamDating. "Why not online date with your friends?"

Since launching last August, the site (free for now) has grown to just over 5,000 members on about 2,000 teams mostly in New York and Los Angeles but also in Cleveland, Cincinnati and Lubbock, Texas. About 65% of members are ages 25-35, and almost 70% are women.

Though it went live in May 2004, eTwine, a 5,000-member platform for social networking and dating, just began allowing users to post profiles for group dating. So far, 30-40 groups from Washington, D.C., to Seattle have registered for the currently free service.

The group method is emerging as traditional online dating shows signs of plateauing. Sales in the personals/dating business rose by 7.6% during the first half of 2005 as compared with the same period the year before, according to the Online Publishers Association. By contrast, spending spiked 76% during the first two quarters of 2003 vs. the same period in 2002.

But Kelly Bare, deputy editor of Tango magazine, doubts it's more than a gimmick. "Trying to find a time that six people can meet seems way harder than just setting up a date," she says. And "what if two of you like the same guy?"

TeamDating's L.A. duo known as The Wise Men has met up with three teams of women in the last six weeks. The first yielded fun but no chemistry, the second begat two new players for their softball team and the third has led to date No. 4 for one couple. "It's kind of like real life, except that we're guaranteed to at least talk to two women," says Alex Sabeti, 35, an aspiring screenwriter.

His compatriot, Lee Mercer, 34, who works in finance, isn't worried that they'll have to arm-wrestle over a woman. Just like in the unassisted bar scene, "I'd get her," Mercer says, laughing.

03-09-2006, 12:36 PM	#1
The Adult Broker Confirmed User Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The World Posts: 5,265	"Team" Dating sites popping up...USATODAY article... Date in numbers and with friends. subtle way to say 'foursome' maybe? Take social networking communities such as Friendster and MySpace. Merge them with traditional online love connectors like Match and eHarmony. The result? TeamDating and eTwine in the USA and Compa in the UK. Users can sign up in groups of two or more and correspond with other duos, trios or quartets. The goal is to take the two cyber-squads offline, to the promise of mingling ? and mating ? opportunities. Group online dating, its creators and practitioners say, is safer than traditional Internet dating: With friends in tow, there's little fear that a date will spike your drink during a trip to the bathroom. It's more natural, akin to happy-hour mixing. Going out in groups improves your odds, at least in theory. And if the opposing social circle doesn't live up to its virtual profile, well, it's a night out with your gang. "You do everything else with your friends," says Ray Doustdar, president of Los Angeles-based TeamDating. "Why not online date with your friends?" Since launching last August, the site (free for now) has grown to just over 5,000 members on about 2,000 teams mostly in New York and Los Angeles but also in Cleveland, Cincinnati and Lubbock, Texas. About 65% of members are ages 25-35, and almost 70% are women. Though it went live in May 2004, eTwine, a 5,000-member platform for social networking and dating, just began allowing users to post profiles for group dating. So far, 30-40 groups from Washington, D.C., to Seattle have registered for the currently free service. The group method is emerging as traditional online dating shows signs of plateauing. Sales in the personals/dating business rose by 7.6% during the first half of 2005 as compared with the same period the year before, according to the Online Publishers Association. By contrast, spending spiked 76% during the first two quarters of 2003 vs. the same period in 2002. But Kelly Bare, deputy editor of Tango magazine, doubts it's more than a gimmick. "Trying to find a time that six people can meet seems way harder than just setting up a date," she says. And "what if two of you like the same guy?" TeamDating's L.A. duo known as The Wise Men has met up with three teams of women in the last six weeks. The first yielded fun but no chemistry, the second begat two new players for their softball team and the third has led to date No. 4 for one couple. "It's kind of like real life, except that we're guaranteed to at least talk to two women," says Alex Sabeti, 35, an aspiring screenwriter. His compatriot, Lee Mercer, 34, who works in finance, isn't worried that they'll have to arm-wrestle over a woman. Just like in the unassisted bar scene, "I'd get her," Mercer says, laughing. __________________ Gamma Entertainment \| \| Camz \| Fleshbot\| TheMobileBroker AdultShowsOnly Lori Z., The Adult Broker \| theadultbroker.com \| [email protected] \| The Mobile Broker \| themobilebroker.com \| [email protected] \|-Adult's ONE stop MOBILE shop ICQ: 289567792