| Personals Darwinism
By Jay Beezee and Bob
Bentz
While dating has never really
been easy for homosapiens,
times and technology are beginning
to make it easier to find that
right person.
Cavemen probably had the easiest
time attracting the ladies,
but they had to exert the most
effort. Captain Cro-Magnon
had to build a better fire
than the other cave guys and
kill a bigger buffalo. He
could then beat his chest with
pride knowing he was going
to get the girl. (Even
females of the Jurassic period
were material)
Written language and the printing
press provided the first break
for man in the dating world. Gutenberg
(who must have lacked social
skills with the ladies) gave
men the chance to level the
playing field in the dating
world because they could suddenly
advertise their intentions
for a mate outside of how far
they could chuck a rock.
While boulder toss remained
a popular approach to getting
girls, those who weren’t
muscle bound meatheads could
use a more intimate communication
approach. Print advertisements
looking for that special someone
began showing up in news bulletins
from China to Ireland, and
the first personal ads were
created.
The Americas were a launching
pad for personals as many people
from all parts of the globe
came to one place. Men
and also women began placing
ads to find friendship and
love in a strange, new place. When
newspapers began raking in
money from those looking for
love, the personals industry
took off.
As technology improved, the
choices people had for making
their intentions known increased. Telephone
personals became wildly popular,
and still are today. Most
services that offer print personals
now integrate them with a voice
mailbox system and 900 numbers.
“The personals business
is still a strong producer
for us,” said Bret Dunlap,
President of Advanced Telecom
Services which produces personals for The
New York Times and over
400 newspapers and radio stations
in the USA, Canada, and UK.
The internet made finding
love matches even easier and
provided a vital pre-screening
process that could not be used
in newspapers or on phones – the
photograph. However,
for today’s fast paced,
mobile society, using only
the computer is not fast enough. Cell
phones are easily portable
and the new, must-have technology. Singles
are now finding the best way
to meet new people is not in
the paper or online, but through
their phone.
“Singles who use our
service really enjoy the personal
touch of using their cell phone,” said
Bob Bentz, Director of Marketing
and Sales for Match Link Mobile. “It’s
more comfortable for users
to do everything via phone
because it’s less public. Although
it is more of a hassle than
registering online, eighty-eight
percent of our users have registered
through their phones.”
Text messaging on cell phones
has become the newest evolution
in the personals industry. While
voice mail boxes, print ads,
and the internet provide singles
with effective ways to meet
a lot of people, mobile text
messaging companies like Match
Link have made finding someone
special discreet, intimate,
and instant.
With premium text personals,
singles don’t have to
wait around for their mailboxes
to fill with interested people. Once
registered, interaction is
immediate. Users can
send a shoutout to other singles
visiting the site or wait for
other singles in their area
to find them. Women receive
a flurry of text messages shortly
after registering, while men
get instant access to interesting
girls who are willing to talk.
Love
and relationships are still
important to people as a
society. However, with
text message personals, singles
can now find that special someone
on the go, something history
has never allowed them to do
before.
Bob
Bentz is the co-owner of Ringingphone.com.
He has been involved in the
mobile data content market for
five years. Bob has 57 ringtones
on his cell phone.
Jay Beezee is a communications assistant for the Cool Ringtones blog (http://coolringtones.blogspot.com) and regularly downloads MP3 ringtones and other cell phone accessories on his Sony Ericsson phone.
Ringingphone.com
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