Online dating services
• Amorous Web, Cyber Sex
Jessica Rae Patton, Fairfield County Weekly takes a look at the latest trends in online dating.
If you're ready to venture into the wild world of dating but would like a tour guide and map, singles events with built-in means of mingling have become ubiquitous. There's speed dating, for starters. The basic gist: Companies like Hurry Date ( hurrydate.com "Dating should be fun, and in mass quantities!"), 8 Minute Dating ( 8minutedating.com "8 great dates, one fun night!"), and Date Bait ( datebait.com "Fun, structured, and results-oriented!") host nights, usually in bars, where pre-registered singles are compelled to pair up and talk for brief intervals then change pairings. People keep track of who they'd like to see more of, and if there's a match they are provided one another's contact information. (For more information on speed dating opportunities, go to usaspeeddating.com , speeddatingsites.com or the dating section of directory.net .)
The newest player in the gimmick-driven singles-event game is the Lock and Key party. At an "Original Lock and Key Encounter" (locknkey.net ), every woman receives a lock; each man gets a key. The object is, obviously, to find the lock that fits the key and vise-versa. When people find their match, they turn in their hardware (and enter a prize drawing), receiving a new set.