A settlement has been reached in the case of Eric McKinley, a gay man from New Jersey, who filed a discrimination suit against eHarmony Inc. when the site refused to accept his same-sex personal ad and the online dating site has agreed to accept gay couples. Beginning in 2009, gays and lesbians can join all the desperate straight folk hoping that the site's patented "love of your life" algorithms will find them the man or woman of their homosexual dreams.
Neil Clark Warren, founder and owner of the site had previously come up with all sorts of fun excuses to exclude gay singles, the most popular being that the site was focused on finding a partner for life, but since most states didn't allow gay marriage, there was no point.
Bad news, eggs. There are only a few more years left, and we decided to spend that time “having a good time” with the straights and developing close friendships with the gays. So yeah, looks like fertilization isn’t in our immediate future. But on the plus side, we couldn’t really make a profit off of it anyway.
Maternal grandmothers aren’t happy with this plan, and neither are PR people: CONTINUED »
Maybe we were too hard on our Douches in the Mist. For all their lameness, at least they were creative enough to describe their creepy values in their own words.
This isn’t the case with many online daters and social networkers. "About Me" identity theft is a rampant problem on sites like Match.com, Jdate and MySpace.
A recent survey found that 9 percent of online daters copy information from other members’ profiles and 15 percent suspect their cyber personas have been lifted by uncreative users.
Our initial reaction to this news was, “How lame.” And no doubt it is lame, if not slightly pathetic, that the physically unappealing aren’t clever enough to make themselves appear emotionally appealing online.
Not to brag, but we’ve had strangers on Facebook compliment us on our profile writing skills. Of course, these people were mostly looking for a casual encounter and didn’t like Craigslist's interface as much as Facebook’s, but we digress.
The point is, if you’re reading this, you’re probably a little bit creative. And in this Web 2.0 era, creativity is the ultimate cultural capital. But just like we have no idea how to split a check, there are some people who couldn’t think of a fun pun to save their lives. And a world without pun is a very sad world indeed.
Outside of Trisha and Ryan, no one takes Valentine's Day seriously. It's a Hallmark holiday, and everyone knows it. The thing is, it's a lot easier to enjoy V-Day ironically when someone sees you naked regularly. But to remind you that being single isn't so bad, we bring you "Douches In The Mist," real quotes from online dating profiles.
Also* from Jdate:
I certainly come with a lot of baggage.. but don't worry ladies.. its Louis Vuitton type baggage. I am looking for a dare to be great situation. I only respond to emails from girls who have at least 2 languages other than English listed in their profile and you must be in the top 10 most popular in your Region——- I am not going to the Hall of Fame but I had a decent run ..Here are the *highlights*.. 4 different girls;3 of them were at one time ranked in the top 5 for most popular in NYC .. all but one led to a second date and I seriously dated 2 of them for a period of time.I'm hanging around for a bit longer because there is this one girl who won't write me back and the Montoyas have never taken defeat easily (what an awesome princess bride reference )… Please have a halloween picture available to show me.. (NO GIRLS IN YANKEE SHIRTS) .. Oh and don't be that girl who has some sort of disclaimer in her profile that goes something like : my friend is making me try this out.. or my mom suggested I give it a shot .. or I heard blah blah
My perfect first date:
I happen to know very nice places for wine flights and tapas I can order in French or Spanish if it will impress you. but we can just do fun stuff .Drinks, Ice Cream and Ice Skating or Coloring Books and Cocoa Something fun and social is all thats really important. have tried sushi b/c its a social first date ya know you are using your hands.. but I don't care for sushi.. so thats out….. Do you know about saved by the bell hit me with your best triva question.
*Damn demographics!
Outside of Trisha and Ryan, no one takes Valentine's Day seriously. It's a Hallmark holiday, and everyone knows it. The thing is, it's a lot easier to enjoy V-Day ironically when someone sees you naked regularly. But to remind you that being single isn't so bad, we bring you "Douches In The Mist," real quotes from online dating profiles.
Also* from Jdate:
I love JDATE, because as a Jew, I have an innate appreciation for wholesale shopping. If I were into complaining and critiquing (aka. the Jewish National Pastime) I'd say that this entire method of meeting potential mates is inherently flawed. My suggestion would be to institute a rating/feedback scoring system like eBay has. A buyer protection program would be nice as well seeing as how we pay by credit card that should be a given.
Spotted any douches lately? Let us know.
*Every submission we've gotten has been from Jdate, which must say something about our demographic.
Did you read the Times magazine last week? Yeah, the Times magazine is really boring. Even on interesting topics. But the back page is all right. Last week it was a sweet, Modern Love-esque column about an older woman finding love online.
And if this piece, coinciding with the possibility of spending tomorrow night alone watching porn and eating chocolate, made you consider online dating, but you still had reservations that you would end up getting coffee with a former serial killer, fear not!
Background check provider USSearch.com has unveiled a new service, DateMate. For a mere $25 and the first and last name of your potential casual counter, USSearch can get you all the information his—no reason to front, this service is for straight women—“About Me” doesn’t provide.
Maybe if you need a $25 background check on a suitor, he’s not the one. Just saying.
Outside of Trisha and Ryan, no one takes Valentine's Day seriously. It's a Hallmark holiday, and everyone knows it. The thing is, it's a lot easier to enjoy V-Day ironically when someone sees you naked regularly. But to remind you that being single isn't so bad, we bring you "Douches In The Mist," real quotes from online dating profiles.
A douchette from Jdate:
For starters I am looking for a relationship…I am not looking to play games and mess around (literally and figuratively) bc if I was, I wouldnt use internet dating. I dont ask for alot I simply want honesty and respect and will in turn do the same for you. I put up high walls and have a hard time trusting but then again who doesnt?? and eventually I will bring the walls down for the right person. I transitioned out of my party girl phase and prefer bars with good freinds as opposed to clubs and lounges and while I will go out and have my fun I am a home body. I would love to find a guy who I can spend the night cuddled up on the couch watching tv with, and feel like I am safe and there is no place I would rather be…
This girl has serious baggage from casual encounters
Spotted any douches lately? Let us know.
Outside of Trisha and Ryan, no one takes Valentine's Day seriously. It's a Hallmark holiday, and everyone knows it. The thing is, it's a lot easier to enjoy V-Day ironically when someone sees you naked regularly. But to remind you that being single isn't so bad, we bring you "Douches In The Mist," real quotes from online dating profiles.
From Jdate:
1st off!!!!!!!…Please don't bother using the "flirt" feature. Send me an original message. If your account doesn't have that capability…Get a real account!!!!!!! haha. I'm an outgoing, energetic, fun-loving guy. Comedy is HUGE with me, so come with a good sense of humor! I love sitting at a great restaurant, saturday afternoons washington square park, enjoying the nightlife NYC has to offer after a long week of work. People ask me how I have so much energy, my reply… how do you have so little??? I love to entertain but could very well just sit and watch a good movie. I love a good road trip to the beach, or up north for skiing…wow…thats totally not true…haha..i mean like the beach, and i like skiing, but i def don't do either of them often!!! lol. I'm ambitious and driven. I'm not afraid to speak in front of 200 strangers. I love to make people open up and get out of their shells. I can be predictable, yet extremely spontaneous. Bottom line…you've signed up for JDate, you've paid your dues, you've stepped up to the plate…now swing the bat, stop being so timid, and have fun! I consider myself pretty open minded. "You can't build a reputation on what you're going to do". (Henry Ford)
Clearly, the way into a Jewish girl's heart is to quote a noted anti-Semite.
Spotted any douches lately? Let us know.
Ignore the Vows section in the New York Times. Forget about Time's weird eagerness to play matchmaker. Soon, eHarmony.com and match.com will be like the print paper, a service for the sentimental.
That’s what Business Week predicts anyway. For pedophiles and romantics alike, Facebook and MySpace are becoming the preferred way to meet people online. The reason is simple. On jdate.com, the intentions, pleasing your mother, are too explicit. On Facebook, “you can play it cool.”
Yeah, nothing says “cool” like a poking the entire Ole Miss cheerleading squad.
Ok, you hopeless romantics. You may have heard that forlorn Web programmer Patrick Moberg was reunited with his subway crush. But what about the rest of us, who don't have the Web 2.0 skills to reach out to our objects of affection?
Well, internet dating just got easy for the ugly and lazy.
Crazy Blind Date has just launched. You pick a time and neighborhood, and Crazy Blind Date sets you up with someone nearby. Daters can read a brief description about the other person, but the picture is blurred out. Good news acne victims and fatties. CONTINUED »
• How Condoleezza Rice went from the most popular girl in the White House to total social pariah.
• 24 to elect its first female president, much to the dismay of former tv "prez," Geena Davis and Democratic frontrunner, Hillary Clinton.
• Andrew Lloyd Webber to make the leap from writing/producing trashy theatrical productions to writing/producing trashy reality television.
• Second Life makes it easy for unhappy computer nerds to find salvation in…their computers.
• Chicago Sun-Times too become too liberal for Conrad Black's liking.
• Campbell Brown leaves NBC to have babies, work for CNN and "do something besides fill in whenever Brian Williams is on vacay."
• Ever wondered what color Pucci caftan Elle fashion director Nina Garcia wears to the beach? Yeah, neither have we.
• Jeffrey Katzenberg on Joel Siegel: "He understood that behind every movie was a person, a human being, somebody who had poured their heart and soul out for a year or two or three and he cared."
• How do television networks and advertisers count the number of viewers on the Web? On one hand…at least for reruns of The Facts of Life and Mr. Belvedere. ZING!
• Meanwhile, a Murdoch-owned WSJ "would be a horror show," says an apparently still-interested Tina Brown.
• Turns out dangling prepositions, misplaced modifiers and syntax errors could (mis)spell disaster for would-be online daters.
• Women's Health is so green it's actually blue.
• Just because Kate Spade is now owned by Liz Claiborne Inc. doesn't mean their ads won't still be elitist, and really, really expensive.
Today's Daily News contains a shocking revelation about honesty and integrity in today's society. Turns out that not everyone peruses Craigslist simply for the cheap housing, used furniture and unpaid internships! Apparently some misguided Minnesotan gent went on the site looking for "love." Unfortunately, the woman of his dreams turned out to be a female con artist—and an ugly one at that.
So this guy from Minnesota comes to New York looking for a good time. He goes on craigslist and sees an ad from Tiffany and a few very suggestive photos. But when boy met girl at the Intercontinental Hotel Sunday, it quickly became clear that a match made in heaven was not in store.
The tourist and [con artist Candace] Neely - the alleged "true stunning blonde bombshell" named Tiffany - began arguing over the meaning of "full service massage" and the fact that Neely did not resemble the woman in the ad, which advertised her as "5 feet 5 with a toned petite body," police said.
So, to recap, not only did Neely and her accomplice beat, batter and bruise the innocent Midwesterner, but neither woman was remotely as attractive as "Tiffany's" picture would have suggested. Meanwhile, it wasn't until the two homely females stole the tourist's cash, credit cards and left him bleeding and semi-conscious in a seedy Times Square hotel room that our eternal optimist finally realized this fairy tale would not have a "happy ending."
Sick of wading through the uglies in the typical online dating pools? Well, thanks to Jason Pellegrino, those days are over. Pellegrino, 33, was tired of those "butterfaces" and cankle queens dominating traditional matchmaking sites, so he created his own restrictive online dating community, HotEnough.org, dedicated strictly to the genetically advanced—and there's nary an Ugly Betty in sight. Here's how Pellegrino keeps out the pear-shaped plebs and ensures that his clientèle are of the vapid, superficial and "dumb blond" variety:
Those who yearn to mingle with the beautiful people on HotEnough must submit three pictures. One must be a full-length shot to rule out undercover fatties. "There are some girls out there who have a real pretty face but may be on the heavy side. Unfortunately, that's not what we're going for," Pellegrino said.
If you make the cut, current members then get to rate you. You don't have to be a perfect 10, but you must have a total score of eight or hotter to qualify.
You see, the way the site works is, any prospective member of the online community must be deemed "an 8, or hotter" by the majority of pre-existing members.
And yet, Pelegrino's progressive elitism raises a simple, yet obvious question: were he not the founder of HotEnough.org, would he, Pellegrino, have made the cut? Jossip investigates after the jump!
CONTINUED »
Last week was, as always, another dizzying frenzy of gossip and media-related news. We gave you our up-to-the-minute take, but we're far more interested in your reactions. Please continue to send us your comments, and every Monday we'll recap the burning issues and a sampling of your "colorful" responses in "Hot Topics."
Issue: The unbiased Christian Science Monitor taught us that 9/11 is to blame for our obsession with celebrity culture.
You said: "Here I was, just thinking my obsession with celebs/reality tv was due to horrible taste when, in fact, it was really the all the terrorists' fault. I feel so validated!"
Issue: U.S. Fashion Designers outlined their argument in favor of malnourished human clothes-hangers and their prominent rib-cages.
You said: "After looking at the fat cows that pass for American women these days, these normal-sized models are a breath of freash air!"
Issue: There are plenty of reasons to hate Condoleezza Rice besides the fact that she has yet to squeeze a baby out of her uterus.
You said: "I, personally, would much rather hate on Condi for the gap in between her two front teeth than for the fact that she has yet to reproduce."
Issue: Lindsay Lohan offered relationship advice to newly single Charlie's Angels Cameron Diaz and Drew Barrymore.
You said: "Not sure a long string of one-night stands really constitutes 'relationship expertise.'"
CONTINUED »
First online "matchmaking" service Great Expectations fools two members into paying four-figure membership fees — and now Barry Diller's Match.com is accused of something even more (humorously) grotesque: hanging on to paying members by sending staff out on faux dates.
Match.com, a unit of IAC/Interactive Corp., is accused in a federal lawsuit of goading members into renewing their subscriptions through bogus romantic e-mails sent out by company employees. In some instances, the suit contends, people on the Match payroll even went on sham dates with subscribers as a marketing ploy.
To be fair, Match.com denies the practice — though if the two did hit it off and ended up sleeping together, does that make Diller a pimp?
Yahoo, meanwhile, is keeping mum on its own set of accustations that include posting sham profiles to entice paying members. Because you've never posted a fake photo on Hot Or Not to get people to like you, either.
We, uh, swear it (up and down, crossing the heart and the whole deal) that we only came across this because we accidentally clicked on an advertisement for the online dating service True. And lucky us, we had just found that 1-800-DIVORCE ad in the subway car so this this warning no longer applies.
This probably isn't "new," but we only regularly troll dating sites with lower time intervals between first email and first hookup. That means you won't find us on sleazeHarmony, either.
There's a "thank god gay marriage is still illegal" joke in here somewheres. (And we should note, True is one of our advertisers, but they in no way asked us to tell our married readers to cancel subscriptions to their service.)
Editorial Director
