Speed Dating

Things are moving fast today. So fast that many single people no longer have the ability to spend time trying to find that person to start a relationship with. With speed dating, it's not that we don't want to find that person, it is just that in today's world there are so many top priorities that we have to find alternative ways to meet people and date.

There are places to meet people, the coffee shop, church, singles groups, the store, anywhere, really. But the effort required in singling someone out, getting to know them, figuring out if they are attracted or interested in you takes up valuable time. Speed dating takes out the peripherals and leaves you with the bare bones of what dating is about - finding that person you'd like to go out with again.

Speed dating is a great concept. It involves an equal number of men and women getting together at one site. Usually it involves renting out a restaurant or a cafe in which the tables are all set up for two people. In speed dating, each person meets with another person for up to 10 minutes. It is usually an organized process of one group moving from one table to the next so that each person meets all the members of the opposite sex.

After each round of speed dating, then each individual ranks and rates the person they just met. Rankings range from basic "hit" or "miss" to "date," "friend," and "miss." After all the people in the room have met each other, then the rating cards are turned in. The organizers of the speed dating event usually inform the participants within 48 hours who their matches are. In speed dating, matches are two people who ranked their date as a "hit," "yes," "date," etc.

There are a number of great things about speed dating. If you are someone who likes to get out and meet people, speed dating allows you to meet a lot of people in a short time. You "get out there" with more people than you would have without the speed dating event, and you also get to know more of what you are looking for and even what you aren't.

Another great aspect of speed dating is the rule that you are not allowed to share personal information with the other person. What makes it so great? Well, think back to that date you had where you just wished they had never learned your name. The girl who kept calling you even though you told her you weren't interested. The guy who sent you flowers every day for a month - when you were allergic. In fact, the impersonal side of speed dating also keeps you from having to have that humiliating conversation with someone after the first date when you just know you are not destined to be together. Remember, with the speed dating process, you are only matched with someone you are interested in and who is interested in you.

The disadvantages to speed dating are few, but they can define how much fun someone will have. If you aren't good at small talk, you should practice before going to a speed dating event. You only have 3 to 10 minutes to make an impression, so small talk is really all you have time to get to. So time is also to your disadvantage, because you will inevitably meet people you want to talk to more, and others that you can't wait to leave the table. Then there is the fact that the speed dating companies don't usually screen the speed daters. So you still need to use your common sense when meeting people.

Speed dating, though, is something any busy professional should try once. It can be a lot of fun, and at the least you'll meet some very interesting people. However, since the speed dating companies claim that at least half of the participants in a speed dating event meet someone they are interested in pursuing further, speed dating could be your answer to a lackluster dating life.

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