Singles Unions'Methods for Dating

by Sylvain Poirier

Here is an outline of the organizational means that I would see as possible to implement after a little thought about this. This reflexion follows one about a more general vision of a very different civilization from the one currently in place, that would be characterized by the principle of dominance of free time already since teenage. Such a new civilization would finally give everyone the chance to live authentically from an early age without discrimination on professional vocation (except possibly for cases of professions that are not a necessary consequences of the natural aspirations of an individual as the one of scientific research could be, but would only be considered as an option for the case he considers the rest of his personal life to be secure, and would have more financial ambitions). Under these conditions, the dating of people can be assisted by the two following sorts of procedures:

1) Contacting via Internet, before simply planning the trip for the meeting of a single match. For finding contact by Internet, see the draft of specifications of this part of the software I try to accomplish. Currently, one of the obstacles to the use of internet for finding new dating contacts, is the issue of the reliability of information. For this, there is a possible solution here. Reminder: the aim of online dating is not to replace real dating, but on the contrary to multiply the opportunities of real dating, for the people who otherwise (without use of internet tools) would not find any significant real dating opportunities by just trying to browse the material world. Indeed, the optimization of operations which are included in the technical details will particularly lead to minimize the time spent in front of the computer, while multiplying the quantity and quality of possibly good contacts made. Hence, most of the time spent this way will consist in travelling to meet the possible contacts, for which it has already been established that each of both members of the match considers the other to be possibly compatible in the light of the online available data: all standard parameters, the sight of one or more pictures and of the Web site of the other.

So, of course, this will not stand for any kind of certification that these people will really love each other and that they would be happy in couple, what a crazy pointless fancy such an expectation would be. The point is that for the case some of the considered potential matches would be wrong, enough other possibly good matches would be immediately available too. And to eliminate as quickly and easily as possible all potential pairs whose impossibility would be obvious to one of both, in order to only dedicate the available time to meet actually those with plausible compatibility.
Some people have an absurd argument against online dating : "I prefer to meet people in real life". It's like saying: "I don't want to speak with my lover on the phone because I prefer speaking to him face to face". Of course but in order meet him face to face you must first discuss the appointment. The same can be said with online dating: in order to meet people in real, it may be necessary, at least for some of them (and some very good people, to not condemn them to loneliness) to give them, through the web, a chance to find you.

2) For the cases where the above method could not preselect matches in a sufficiently tight way (i.e. letting a too big proportion of false positives, which require real meetings to be eliminated), and/or if some people just don't want to make too many travels for meeting several matches, the following completely different method can be developed.

In each town there would be sometimes organized meetings for singles, in a dedicated unique place. Such a meeting could last for about the day (depending on the size of the town: This can range from a half-day for a small town, to a couple of days for a big city), and it could take place at an irregular rythm, a few times per year. To do this, there would be no competition between different companies with respect to customers, but it would be organized by some non-profit community or organization, at the price of the cost, as low as possible (mainly the rent of the building if there is one, and when it will exist, the futuristic equipment described below). The list of these meetings for each town would be available on the web. This meeting day would be different from a town to the other, arranged in such a way that travellers could participate in all these meetings one after the other, minimizing the use of transport. More explicitly, it could be called "The singles'caravan" travelling with special buses from town to town, organizing the meeting every afternoon in each new town with the local singles. While travellers are there for the day, local people can generally be more numerous in total, but present only a part of the day in average, so to leave a margin of freedom in operations (less wanted people would stay less), while at each particular time the proportion of local people and travellers would be more balanced. (We can consider that, to not miss each other, there should be a time in the middle of the meeting when all local people are present; then, the fact they are meeting each other makes for the fact they are more numerous, so that the travellers will have an equivalent intensity of activity of meeting the locals meanwhile).

The meeting would take place between several hundreds of people, either in a building divided into a number of rooms that will correspond to the various activities, or outdoors in case of a good weather. Indeed, one does not generally come to meet singles only for the other singles interested in a uniquely fixed activity in common with oneself, but to meet as many singles as possible in the city or region, that, if so wished, may have some common interest whatever it is. This is just a matter of tolerance: the right to meet other single people should not be subject to social discrimination by taste and activities. But how to find such a building, you may ask? It's simple: we can for example use for this purpose buildings of high schools that became vacant after some proper reforms in education (explainations to be translated...) (these buildings may also, other days, be used for various activities not dedicated for singles).

Here are some main categories of activity that come to mind, each of which may be split into sub-categories:

But that's not all. Already, the above arrangements would be applicable unchanged and it would be nice. But in the future these meetings could even better be assisted of new technologies.
Let us imagine how some future technology (that we almost already have) may contribute to the success of these meetings.

Each participant would carry a device which will guide him/her through the meetings, that has a list of all other participants with their pictures. With it, you (the participant) will specify in advance and again after each interview with someone, if you want to meet:
1) not at all
2) If that person insists, with some requirement on activity type
3) possibly yes
4) yes absolutely and you are ready to comply with the requirements of the other.

Before the gathering, you can register your general preferences: the classification of available activities in order of preference; what you prefer to do first, or what you're ready to concede respectively with people in cases 2), 3), 4) and depending on whether you already met that person or not. Also, the preferences of activities are independently modifiable vis-à-vis each other participant. This may include, for example, details on how to dance, and we can still imagine other kinds of information.

The device will be able to measure its position and orientation. Its screen will display the photo of the next person to meet, by which activity and other possible details. An arrow will show the direction to follow and the distance to go (taking into account the itinerary due to the structure of the building. It will also indicate how much time is available, with which flexibility, to ensure the consistency of the operations with respect to all requirements of everybody. At each interview, devices would be vis-à-vis to note that the interview happens (and avoid any misunderstanding). 

Then, of course, travelling participants need accommodation. Some may sleep in the meetings building itself, while others could be housed in the homes of local singles. For this, the attribution of available accomodations to travellers could involve a procedure such as studied here or one of its variants adapted to the situation. Of course, after that day's gathering, you will have the electronic contact of those who accept a later private meeting with you.

Once the market will be fluidized by all these ways, its possible imbalances may manifest more clearly. Thus there will be very popular people, and others that can usually expect to only be accepted for short encounters. As in any market, we can then introduce a price to be paid from one to another for each interview (depending on the duration and nature of the activity). This will let the most wanted people to be discharged of their obligations of work, and thus be able to spend more time on meetings (that will be sort of "their job").

All data from these events, as well as comments from participants, may be used for research under pledge of confidentiality on the part of researchers to improve the whole system: the calendar of meetings, proposed activities, list of options; to study the advisability to consider a differentiation between types of meetings: separate gatherings depending on tastes or characters (to avoid disputes or for other reasons); to distinguish between slow and fast travel routes. And also, to publish books to advise people in their search for partners. Those most desired people, after already deriving income from their datings, can then also be paid for donating their gametes to contribute to a better loving satisfaction of future generations.

And once these collective general solutions have been introduced, ifever someone, despite great qualities, would happen against his/her will to suffer more than one year of a painful celibacy endangering the balance and the success of one's life and works, it is not to the psychiatrist that one should be sent to discuss and attempt to resolve one's problem, but to a television (offering of course the viewers the means to send their profile to that person for contact).



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