10 Ways To Meet People

No longer seen as a haven for desperate and dateless, online dating is one of the quickest and easiest ways to meet people:

You can quickly meet people whose characteristics (age, religion, height, weight) match what you are seeking.

The annonymity of the internet makes it very easy to communicate with strangers.

You can spread your cast and search wider areas to meet people than you would normally be able to do.

You can meet people from the quiet and comfort of your home.

Meeting the right people and finding the right partner is a matter of numbers, meeting as many people as possible over a short period of time. Internet dating allows you to virtually meet many people over a short time allowing you to meet people you would not normally meet.

Today you can find a variety of websites to meet every type of individual and need. As an Example

Like everywhere on the internet, there are frauds. Married people say they are single, people post misleading photos of themselves or give incorrect information about themselves (age, height, weight, etc).

Someone's personality may seem very different on the internet than they actually are in real life.

You can spend months falling in love with a false image of someone only to have that image evaporate in the first seconds after meeting them in real life.

You may fall in love with someone too far away to have a normal relationship with them.

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There are many good people online, but many scammers as well. If someone you have never met asks for money for any reason (illness, visa, travel to meet you, etc) be suspicious. They could be a scammer.

The secret to internet dating is not to take the 'relationship' too seriously until after the first face-to-face meeting has taken place. Use the internet dating process to select a few interesting people and then meet them quickly, within 1 to 2 months. If the person is not who you imagine them to be, forget it and move on. Until the first face-to-face meeting, keep personal details (last name, address, workplace, home phone number, etc ) confidential. And keep your emotions in check. Remember, many people will not be what you imagine them to be.

Speed dating capitalizes on the idea that couples know within the first few minutes if there is chemistry. By meeting many people for a few minutes, we increase the likelihood of finding a potential match in a short period of time.

A Speed date is an organized event where people meet each other over a series of short dates, lasting anywhere from 3 to 10 minutes. At the end the "date", the organizer gives a signal and the participants to move on. In this way, each participant can meet anywhere from 10-30 people. At the end of the event each dater gives the names of people that they would like to see again. If there is a match the organizers provide both people with contact information.

Dont like the idea of Internet dating? Why not use the power of the internet to facilitate meeting people face-to-face. This is the idea of Meet Up.

From Wikipedia: Meetup.com is an online social networking portal that facilitates offline group meetings in various localities around the world. Meetup allows members to find and join groups unified by a common interest, such as politics, books, games, movies, health, pets, careers or hobbies. Users enter their ZIP code (or their city outside the United States) and the topic they want to meet about, and the website helps them arrange a place and time to meet.

For example, if you are in Zurich, Switzerland and are interested in Books, you will find The Zürich Book Club Meetup Group. Or if you are in NYC and like Ballroom Dancing, you will find your group there.

You just signup and you will receive an email informing you of the next time and location that the group will meet.

Meetup allows you to personally meet people with similar interests right in your local area.

If you are Civic Minded, you may find a soulmate simply by volunteering to help others. Here are some suggestions to find the volunteer opportunity of your dreams:

Habitat for Humanity

United Way

Volunteer Match

Volunteer Solutions

Red Cross

Dance lessons are a great way to meet people, because you will be paired up with many partners and have a chance to meet new people almost every day. Of all types of dance lessons to take, Salsa is the BEST for meeting people.

If you are going to take dance lessons, by all means take SALSA dance lessons. Salsa is a relatively new fashion and there are Salsa dance clubs everywhere. So, after you have taken a few salsa lessons you can start going to salsa clubs and meetine people there. Since Salsa is a couples dance, you are expected to ask people to dance with you and this is a great opportunity to meet someone who looks interesting. If you take any other kind of dance lessons (ballroom, tango, jazz, etc) after you have developed your skills you will find very few places to use them.

It is a bad idea to date a co-worker and this should be avoided if possible. However, there is nothing wrong with dating a customer! Get a job that puts you in contact with the public. This will have two results:

1. Because you have to constantly interact with people, getting a customer relations job will improve your people skills

2. You will have daily interaction with interesting people and one of them may be someone you like.

So, if you are a woman, apply to work as a salesperson in a men's clothing store. If you are a guy, try to get a job in a woman's shoe store. Or get a job as a bartender or waiter/waitress. These are perfect part-time jobs for students and will put you in contact with many, many people.

It is something of a cliche to meet people at a gym. But this is an excellent opportunity that should not be missed. Going to the gym has several advantages:

You get to see people in very revealing outfits, and you will quickly know who is attractive.

You will not only be meeting healthy people, but at the same time, you are working on making yourself more attractive.

Try to find a gym that has a co-ed recreation facility, such as a Whirlpool / Jacuzzi / Sauna / Steambath, etc. It is very easy to strike up a conversation with someone when you are sitting around relaxing.

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Many people developed their social network very easily in a school environment, but find that after graduation it is more difficult to meet people. For those people, the obvious answer is to attend evening courses or workshops.

Many universities, recreation centers and businesses offer workshops on a variety of subjects from wine tasting to massage to yoga to oriental cooking. Opportunities vary from city to city. But they are relatively easy to find by doing a Google search. Try to find workshops that are are short-term, fun, interesting. Below are a few examples:

Pax offers a series of workshops, some for women, some for men, some for couples, which are dedicated to understanding and appreciating the opposite sex. Experts travel the globe offering workshops in a variety of topics. For example:

- Making Sense of Men

- Understanding Women: Unlock the Mystery - Live Workshop

- Celebrating Men, Satisfying Women

- Click to see an overview of Workshop Dates and Locations

The Learning Annex offers workshops in subjects from Wine Tasting to Ballroom Dance in Los Angeles, San Francisco, NYC, Minneapolis, San Diego and Toronto.

Many Universities such as UC Berkeley Extension offer low cost workshops and courses on everything from programming to psychology, as well as free and low costs lectures on subjects from Art to Global Warming.

In the UK, NIACE organizes conferences, seminars and training courses.

Find short-term workshops in subjects that interest you. Or better still, if you have the skills to do it, teach a workshop or a evening class to adults.

You are in a crowded cafe, coffee cup in hand, scanning the premises for for a seat. In the distance, someone looks at you, smiles and removes their jacket from the adjacent chair. Your reaction? In all probability you will accept the chair being offered. You have accepted this person's non-verbal invitation. Can you imagine that this person may have placed that jacket on the chair intentionally in order to reserve it for someone just like you? There is a good chance that they did.

We all do it. We get on a bus or go to a theater and place our jackets or briefcase on the chair next to us. We may do it in order to put our jackets somewhere, or to reserve the seat for a friend who we are waiting for. Then when it gets crowded, we remove our items and offer the chair to someone who seems to want to sit.

Why not learn to use this socially accepted behavior to intentionally reserve a chair in a cafe for someone you would LIKE to sit next to you? The non-verbal invitation is a polite way of offering a space near you to someone you find interesting or attractive.

Find a "social activity club" in your area. Some social activity clubs are oriented to sports, others to dining and still others to cultural activities. Find an activity to meet people and the atmosphere will be less about dating and more about enjoying. There are many such activities to meet people and there are many clubs which organize such activities. Find one that is comfortable for you. Some examples are below:

In New York City Social Circles introduces people not just for dating, but for friendship, socializing, & activity or travel partnering.

In Dallas, Dinner For Six organizes dinners for groups of three single men and three single women.

Florida Side Trackers organizes outdoor activities club for single people in Jacksonville and Northeast Florida.

In Southern California Athletic Singles Association organizes at least 15 events each week covering every sport and social activity imaginable.

Also in Southern California 20s and 30s Singles provides an opportunity for active adults to meet and participate in fun outdoor and social activities throughout Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura Counties.

In the UK SPICE SPICE is a Nation-Wide adventure/social group.

One of the most international social activity clubs is the Hash House Harriers. The 3H has about 1700 chapters located in virtually every major city of the world. This club combines running with drinking and other social activities.

This is by no means a complete list, but simply representative of social activity clubs in the US and Europe. To find a social activity club near you, Google Social Activity Club and the name of your city.

This site offers suggestions on techniques to Meet People including, how to make small talk, reading body language, etc.