ONLINE DATING MADE EASY
Site lets you socialise then decide
“I HAD just turned 40 and I was still single,” says Luisa Milo, who early last year decided to join a social website called Meet Joburg.
Unlike dating websites where one shares a profile and waits in anticipation for potential admirers, the site allows one the opportunity to meet potential partners in person.
“When you get to this age it becomes that much harder to meet people. With this website you get to meet people and you have the opportunity to decide at first-hand whether or not you’d like to see them again.”
Meet Joburg was established three years ago as a way for busy professionals to “outsource” their social lives and the owners see themselves as much more than just a dating site.
Bianca Geere, who organises events for their members to take part in, says what has worked for them is that they group members who register through their website, in terms of age and interests but there are no guarantees that one will meet the love of their life.
“We don’t like to see ourselves as a dating service,” she says. “There ’ s no pressure on members to meet someone.
“All we do is create a comfortable environment for people to socialise and if they do meet someone they think they might like, great!”
By organising a social event that could be anything from a dinner to a party or outdoor activity, the hosts give their members – who are all single – the opportunity to interact with like-minded people in a relaxed environment, something Milo says is better than logging on to a dating site.
“I’ve tried dating sites before but there is such a lack of honesty there,” she says.
“People can’t be honest about something as simple as height, for instance. You go out and meet someone only to find that they are not what they said they are.”
Her reservations are backed by a recent study by which found that age, height and income are the three things that most men who date online lie about.
Women, on the other hand, are said to be deceitful about their weight, age and physical build.
Almost a year later, Milo still attends some Meet Joburg events. “I’ve been on several dates with people I met through Meet Joburg.”
Others, says Geere, join Meet Joburg and once they find their match they ask for their membership to be deactivated.
One such couple, she adds, met at one of their events two years ago. “They met here, became friends, got engaged and are now married.”
Meet Joburg offers subscribers four packages. At R 1 200 per annum, the most expensive package gives members two monthly invitations to premium events offered under this package as well as invitations to four other events that include members from the cheaper options, which cost R400 and R800.
The last option, for 18 to 25-yearolds, costs R400 for a 12-month membership. The website has over 2 000 members.