The Rattler February 10, 2010 v. 97 #7 - St. Mary's University

02-10-10Featureswww.stmurattlernews.comOnline dating sites prove useful but with limitationsThe Rattler 13By Joe GuerraStaff WriterE-Dating has become more and morepopular amongst tech savvy individuals onfinding their soul mate from the comfort oftheir bedroom. Meeting the opposite sex inperson seems to be taking a backseat to theease and speed of something as simple aslooking at a profile.Online dating sites can be excellent toolsto expand your social circle of friends aswell as try to make new romantic connectionswith people you would have otherwisenever met. The only problem is that they areonly as functional, clean and good as thepeople who log on. While some Web sitesspecialize in meeting your soon-to-be significantother (OkCupid, Match.com, eHarmony,Chemistry.com, and Plenty of Fish),you can also find hopeful romantics on simplesocial networking sites such as MySpace,Facebook and even Twitter.It is imperative to remember that a lot ofthese networking Web sites do not provideall of their services for free; these sites mightalso condone its own way of connectingpeople. For example, eHarmony is based onpre-screening its applicants using a varietyof personality tests. One criticism about thisparticular dating site is that it takes quite awhile to answer the 258 question test. Additionally,a potential member may be rejectedwithout reason if they provide inconsistentanswers. Those who are under 21 or thosewho have been married four times and arestill under the age of 60 will also be rejectedfrom using this social site.An article published in The WashingtonPost in 2007 stated that about one in fivepeople do not meet eHarmony’s requirementsand many people are rejected uponcompletion of the test. Despite the fact thateHarmony has about 15 million registeredusers, it stills costs a full subscription to haveaccess to all the features.To find preference matches on OkCupid,users must answer questions generated bycurrent members. This way, it can easily getanswers to questions people really want toknow. While it is free to register an accountat OkCupid, it also has paid optional services(which they call “A-List” services) suchas the ability to search, message and chaton the site. While these services may seemto be something one would expect to get forfree, this is actually not the case. Be sure toread the Web site's terms of services beforebecoming a member to see if they have anautomatic subscription renewal service.But how successful are these online servicesanyway? How often do matches comefrom these tests? And how many marriages?The Web site eHarmony advertises that“on average, 236 eHarmony members getmarried every day; that accounts for 2 percentof all U.S. marriages,” according to a2007 survey for the Web site.These numbers do not mean that all servicesare perfect. According to Neil Warren's2005 article “Online Passion,” eHarmony'smembership is about 58 percent femaleand 42 percent male where as Match.comis the opposite. Other problems includevast differences in members' ages as well asmembers not being truthful about their singlestatus and frequent infidelity mishaps.One of the most well-known problemswith online dating services is often discriminationor lack of what some would call politicalcorrectness. The site, eHarmony, hasdrawn huge criticism for this reason andwas even taken to court in 2007 due to onlycatering to heterosexual relationships. WhileOkCupid has the option to choose “bisexual”as an orientation, many others do not.Most sites also require members to choosetheir sex as “male” or “female” which oftenmakes matters complicated for transgenderedindividuals.According to The New York Times, mostoften the only choice one has to circumventthese problems is to set up an account withan online dating service which only cater toa particular group or religion such as JDatefor Jewish singles), Black Christian PeopleMeet, or Shaadi for Indian singles.One of the bigger things to rememberabout online dating sites is overall safety.Upon registration, sites like eHarmony,Match.com and Yahoo! Personals informthe individual to take precaution. Thesesites stress the point of taking guard of yourpersonal information and to be weary ofwhat some may call an “internet stalker.”Even simple information written in blogsor snapshots in photos should be checkedover to make sure you cannot be traced byanother member.If you do feel a romantic spark andwould like to set up a first date, it is best totake some simple and unhindered precautions.Make plans to go out at a public place.Never go to their place of residence or allowthem to come to yours on the first meeting.If you desire a less intimate setting, take afriend with you or try to schedule a doubledate with that person, and keep communicationthrough e-mails and private messagesbefore handing out your phone number.Most importantly of all, if you sense anythingsuspicious and weird about the person,or if they seem a bit too much for you tohandle, break it off immediately.Online dating services seem to be here tostay for the time being: helping us network,find friends and even find that special someonewhile we try to manage our daily lives.Three things not to do whenyou are online datingPost nude picturesEverything online is liable for publicviewing, you don't want your goods allover the web.Meet at somebody's houseTry meeting at a public area, where it'smore difficult for you to get kidnapped.Give out personal informationSomething as simple as a phone numbercan allow anyone access to further personalinformation regarding your identity.Assume everyone will stalk you.The College CrosswordACROSS1 – Lancelot’s lover4 – where St. Valentine was martyred8 – mole ingredient10 – dangerously seductive sea nymph11 – Barbie’s lover12 – mesh well13 - ___ Awareness Day17 – John Lennon’s lover18 – conversation heartphrase – two words19 – kiss hug kiss hug21 – endearing introduction“this is my ___ ___”22 – piercing weapon25 – dinner and a movie26 – They stealthily adore you.27 – funny feeling in your tummy28 – suction bruise32 – diamonds et al33 – brand of conversation hearts34 – one of the seven deadly sins35 – relationship between Edward,Bella, and JacobDOWN2 – those three words, in German3 – never-ending5 - ___ are red.6 – Love songs of the Bible7 – demonstrating love9 – love in Spanish14 – the star-crossed lovers15 – not apart16 – fruit often covered in chocolate20 – sixteen-line love poem23 – flirty under-the-table game24 – counterpart of Greek Eros29 – “Love Me ___”30 – beautiful in Italian31 – “I Got You ___”www.stmurattlernews.comCompiled by: Annie SwensonCheck itout!For the answers to our previous crossword puzzle, visit our web site.Also check out other exclusive content that you will only see online!Child EmpireBy: Clayton BilladeauSenior English/ history majorOn a playgroundan imperious boydemands,instructs,directsthe playtime ofall other children.Another comes,rejecting the little lord'sgame.Boy emperormonkeys across bars,little shoes swaying,legs swinging - notkicking,controlled!Kid king stands - top bowof the playground's ship.Eyes stopped to watch.The two stared.“What are you doing?! It'smy rules, or off the sand!”Neo-boy plants himself,toy shoesscrewing deepinto the grinding sand.“You're not the bossof me,” he says,staring hard, determined.All other childrengather, spectating- no more playing.In front of all,the newcomer smiles,turns, andmoons,sending the king childcrying home.Like fireflies - brightfor a moment -One empire darkenswhile another lights.