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from the Be-Charming. Like-a-Prince. From-Venus. dept.
Tricia Romano reports at the Seattle Times that Susie Lee and Katrina Hess have developed Siren, a new online dating app designed to protect against men who inundate women with messages that are by turns gross, hilarious, objectifying and just plain sad. As online dating options have grown, Lee noticed that her friends' frustration did, too: With every good introduction often came a slew of lewd ones. "I just started looking (at online dating options) and very quickly realized how many things are out there and how immediately my 'creepy meter' went up," Lee says. Lee hopes to change the nature of the messages and put women in the driver’s seat.
The free iPhone app, currently launched to a select market in Seattle in August, allows women to peruse men’s pictures and their answers to the “Question of the Day” (“You found a magic lamp and get three wishes. What are they?”) and view their Video Challenges (“Show us a hidden gem in Seattle”). If a woman is suitably impressed by a man’s answers, she can make herself visible to him. Only then can he see what she looks like. "It’s a far more thoughtful — and cautious — approach than the one taken by the dating app of the moment, Tinder, which is effectively a “hot or not” game, with little information beyond a few photos, age and volunteered biographical tidbits," writes Romano. "And the implicit notion that it’s a “hookup” app can be uncomfortable for some women." Lee and Hess are betting that men are less shallow and want more repartee. And they know that women want a little more flirtation than crude references. After all, Siren’s motto is “Charm Someone’s Pants Off.” “Before the ‘pants off,’ it’s more about charming someone,” says Hess. “Be charming.”
(Score: 5, Interesting) by Ethanol-fueled on Sunday October 05 2014, @05:54PM
I agree with your post. However...
I suspect that a lot of those so-called "creeps" aren't really all that creepy, they're just using a strategy which offers the best bang for the effort they put in.
Women demand that a guy be "charming" and really be into the flirtation process. Okay, fine, but are you as a woman worth flirting with? Do you know what's going on in the world, do you have any neat skills or hobbies besides pop-culture? Are you gonna help me maintain the flow of conversation or do you expect me to do all the work? Do you have enough common-sense to know that life is not like a romantic comedy and soap opera and that I have other things to do besides sit on my trust fund and roll around the spring fields with you all day?
Women, including the female friends I know and fuck in real life, are always complaining about how many guys are just nasty creepers. I complain about how most women are dumb and vapid bitches not worth putting all of the effort into, especially when you know they're also talking to other guys in the online dating world.
In case you're wondering, I do online dating the right way -- I am courteous, funny, read their profile and find common ground, keep the message ratio to 1:1 so as not to come off as a clinger, take them out, offer to buy dinner on the second date, and go out with them on a regular basis so they feel special. Man, if only they knew the kind of shit I post here. Tee-Hee!
But the not of the problem is that, for various historical and cultural reasons, people perceive women to be the "gatekeepers," that women can be more choosy because more men are after them. Both men and women believe it, too, even though it's utter bullshit. The population distribution in your average first-world country is roughly half male, half female, so there's no need for people to continue perpetuating the myth that women are somehow more valuable than men.
For example, I know some decent single women who hear their biological clock ticking and want to have a kid, but they have little options. They aren't perfect enough to get stuck to as more and more men are deciding that having kids is just a pain in the ass and they don't want to do it. Who are the "gatekeepers" now? Or do you just not want to put any effort into dating online like we do? You've met at least a few great guys already, right? So why didn't your relationships last? Do you think, maybe, that you're not nearly as valuable as you originally thought? That clock is still ticking, dear. Don't let all those bad, nasty messages you're getting inflate your ego. You're attracting crap, and a lot of it. Perhaps you should take the initiative and reach out to men you like rather than vise-versa? Hint: You get a LOT of points for making the first move as a woman.