Crazy Blind Date by OKCupid

Have you guys toyed with Crazy Blind Date, the new OKCupid service? No pics, just pick a time and place and agree to meet up. Forbes covered this launch, and OKCupid wiped the photos from all regular online dating profiles on Tuesday to promote the new service. From the Forbes piece:

For both men and women, the main pain point is the amount of investment required to turn digital flirtation into real-world dates. But the two sexes see that problem somewhat differently.

Women, who are in the minority on the site, get hit on relatively a lot, which means they spend a lot of time vetting suitors to separate the weirdos from the worthies. Men, meanwhile, complain about how long it takes to convince women that they’re the latter and not the former. The result: The typical user, male or female, can spend hours a week on the site and still end up with no plans Saturday night.

This is absolutely true in my experience, though I don’t fit that mold and I know lots of women who don’t. I often have to push my male clients to stay upbeat and aggressive-yet-not to overcome the obstacle of pursuing women who take FOREVER to move things from conversation to action. (Thankfully, my awesome female clients tend to be the sort of women who don’t want to toy around indefinitely with the back and forth, which I suspect is part of why they seek me out in the first place.) I love that OKCupid’s founder is pushing people to overcome their many excuses and hurdles, and just get out and DATE!

There are some security issues, of course, but none that good common online dating safety can’t overcome. This is like a less Grindr-y version of geolocation dating apps; I think nudging people to use their online dating profiles to actually get out there and connect is awesome, especially if you’re lonely or antsy and haven’t made plans on a free night. I have to wonder if anyone will be taking advantage of this on Valentine’s Day… if so, I sure would love to hear how it goes! 🙂

Just remember, kids—hormones are fun and all, but setting up dates all super-speedy like this can lead to both parties taking things further physically  than either one intended. So just because you decide to go on a Crazy Blind Date, don’t necessarily hop in the sack if you wouldn’t otherwise feel ready. A date can be just a date (and an invitation to hop in the sack down the road if you click. Don’t worry, I DO want you to get some, just on your own terms).

And with that, have a lovely weekend!