Posts Tagged ‘Text messaging’

Do Wrong Numbers Ring Wedding Bells?

Wednesday, October 7th, 2009

I heard a story the other day about a couple who met in just about the oddest way. The woman was minding her own business one night at home, doing some work, watching Grey’s, or whatever her night might have involved, and then her phone rang. She answered and the guy on the other end started going on about stuff she didn’t understand. She quickly interjected and the guy realized, oops, he’d called the wrong number.

Case closed, right? Sorry. It’s okay. Hang-up. Move on with your lives. But no, in this case they kept talking. They talked “…for hours.” Romantic so far? Right. So the next night they got on the phone and talked some more, about movies, about work, about social lives, and perhaps even about Grey’s. Needless to say, they eventually decided to meet in person and have been happily dating ever since.

Right. That’s odd. That’s out there. But it can happen.

The thing is it seems to happen one heck of a lot. A brief Google search—yes, I know I have too much time on my hands—revealed about half a dozen stories, each ending in marriage. Those half dozen were all on one page, so who knows what would happen if I kept clicking and counting.

The wrong number stories were all pretty much the same, except that one of the ones from the last few years involved text messaging. Now, I get people calling me by mistake all the time—my number spells my name (I knew a guy, okay?) and someone has the same number, and same name, with a different area code. I can’t help but wonder now how I can’t seem to turn any of those coincidence-filled wrong numbers into a conversation while all these other people are turning it into love.

Needless to say I’m a little suspicious. Who are these people that entertain strangers on the phone? More confusing to me than that is wondering how entertaining the people at these wrong numbers must be in the first few seconds to sway the poor dialer to forget about the person he/she originally wanted to contact.

So is this all a sham? Is it an attempt made by a few people here and there to get some prenuptial media attention? Maybe it’s that the guys making the calls weren’t actually dialing someone else in the first place. Perhaps they were bored and purposefully called a “wrong number” to challenge themselves to start up a conversation. And yes, maybe it’s all real.

Does anyone out there happen to know any couple who have met like this? What’s their story? What go the conversation started? If you have anything to share about that, by all means add a comment. It would also be nice to hear what you think about how real these stories sound. One or two stories are easy enough to swallow, but is this something that could really be such a regular occurrence?

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How New Tools Change the Face of Dating

Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009

Think about it for a minute. Technology keeps changing the way we date. Single women and men on the dating scene have more tools to work with now than ever before. These tools help out with dates and they help out with finding a date. Recent years have brought about a whole bunch of new things that singles can use.

This isn’t a recent phenomenon either. Just think of the things that happened over the last century. The popularization of the car is a big one. It let guys take their dates to all sorts of places, and often to places their parents weren’t aware of. Then there are movies. You could easily argue that movies, a relatively cheap form of entertainment, helped create the face of modern dating to begin with.

Take a look at some things that have been making their mark in the last decade or so:

The internet – This is without a doubt the biggest one. Its impact on singles’ dating lives has been huge and lasting. Countless long term relationships began from two people meeting through dating profiles. Just imagine how many millions of first dates never would have happened had the net not been around? Then again, that might not have been such a bad thing in some cases.

Voip – Voice over internet protocol. This is sort of the last word in long distance price drops. How has this changed dating? Well, anyone in a long distance relationship can tell you, so long as they’ve figured this trick out. For a relatively small sum of money each month two people can chat over a phone line as if it were a local call. That means long distance dating without ever having to think about the phone bill.

Random location finders – Ever try Urbanspoon’s iPhone app? There are other similar programs that work on the iPhone and other devices as well. Amongst other things, you can just push a button (or give the phone a shake) and it will pick a random restaurant in your area. Surely you’ve been indecisive or been out with someone who is. This is the cure. It hasn’t caught on as a dating tool yet, but it will. It makes being decisive and original easy.

Texting – I miss you! Phone calls take time and both people have to be free for them or it just won’t work. Quick text messages throughout the day though are simple and don’t get in anyone’s way. Does anyone date anymore without sending the occasional midday message?

Escape calls – Did the escape call exist before the cell phone? How could they have? These days though you’ll find that about twenty minutes in to a lot of first dates a phone will ring. Why? Well, someone’s friend is prepared to say “Help! I need you!” just in case the date is going poorly.

Good old technology. These are just a few of the things and a few of the ways that changing technology has brought about different tools for the dating scene. If you want to comment on any of them or suggest some others, feel free to do so through our comments section. You can also comment on any other posting on this blog.

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Tips to Get Out of the Single-Forever Rut

Sunday, May 24th, 2009

There are a lot of people who’ll tell you that they’ve been single for far too long. Of those nice folks, there are many who can’t help but think they are stuck and will be single forever. That’s a pretty tragic state of mind and an awful one to try to get out of. If you think you fit that mold though, the following tips are for you. Saying that, don’t go thinking one little singles dating advice article will save you; you need to pick yourself up and get out there.

Stop thinking like that – Maybe you’re sick of hearing the just-think-positive line of advice, but maybe it’s time you face the facts: that advice has become cliché for a reason, and the reason is it makes good sense. If you think you’re stuck, you will have a much harder time being anything but stuck. You need to wake up every day and tell yourself things are better. If you can’t do that, you’re practically dooming yourself.

Break your routine – Get out into the world and do things you don’t normally do. This is easy for singles in Toronto, singles in Montreal or singles in any other big city. Those places offer tons of things to do, and you don’t need a date to go and get started. But by trying out new things, whether it’s cycling, photography, or hanging out in museums, you’ll expose yourself to new people. You’ll also rid yourself of the static feeling that’s bringing you down.

Look for someone, but stop looking for someone – Try on that contradiction for a second and see how it fits. A little tight around the collar? Here’s the deal: you should get out and meet people, but if you do it thinking only about the dating possibilities then you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. You’re also setting yourself up to be a big bag of nerves, if that’s your typical dating-scene reaction.

Make yourself available – You’re tired when you get home from work, or you’re terrified that you might miss the new episode of Grey’s. There are lots of reasons why you turn down plans. Often it’s just because you’ve been there and done that, and are sick of the social routine or… or, whatever. Well, if you want to get out of your single life rut you need to be open to going out whenever the opportunity arises. Everyone talks about how they met someone when they least expected it, but it’s incredibly rare that this happens in their own living room.

Don’t be shy of the internet – Internet dating is still scary for a lot of people. Some simply feel they are above it. Well, if you haven’t tried it yet and you aren’t getting dates any other way, then what have you got to lose? Just take a look at some of the internet dating advice that’s posted elsewhere in this blog and then give it a try. You may find that the nerves that keep you from meeting people out “in the real world” won’t exist when you’re simply sending text messages.

There. There’s some advice. Are your blues cured? Didn’t think so. If you try to follow some of the advice though, you’ll hopefully wind up a few steps closer to that better place you’re aiming for. So long as you don’t keep standing still things should go okay.

Are you someone who used to feel they were in this kind of rut but are better now? Feel free to share some of your experiences and tips through our comments section.

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