Jane Saeman asked:


Many people on the dating scene today aren’t there to find “the one” person that they want to settle down with for the rest of their lives. Dating is now a standardized term used for social networking. Although the word implies that those who embark on a dating experience are doing so with romance in mind, the reality is that for most people who date people who have similar interests to their own are more likely to meet again socially with nothing more than a friendship in mind.

While this isn’t so good for anyone who is looking for romance with a view to a long-term monogamous relationship, it’s a positive change to the way that dating has been perceived in the past. At one time there was a lot of anxiety placed on anyone preparing for ‘a date’. They wanted to make a perfect first impression because they wanted their date to like them. They were looking for romance and hoped to find it.

In today’s dating scene, there may well be an underlying hope that one day the romance button may be clicked when meeting someone in a dating situation, but generally expectations are lower with most people looking to just enjoy themselves with someone that they think they have enough sufficient interests in common with to relax and have a little fun. This takes the pressure off the date and allows true personalities to shine rather than ones that are edged with a “best behavior” hang-up!

Western culture in particular is increasingly moving towards a trend of increased work ethic where single people, especially those following a career path, have little time for a serious relationship. The more informal dating rules allow people who are working towards their professional goals a release to get out socially (although some choose their dates selectively in order to use this as a networking opportunity as well as a social one!) and meet with people outside of their professional environment.

There are also an increasing number of people on the dating scene who have been seriously hurt in a previous relationship. They also are looking to connect with others, but they aren’t necessarily ready to entrust their feelings to anyone else at this time. Retired people who have lost their life partner are also among those who are initially looking for friendship rather than romance from a dating experience.

This doesn’t mean however that informal dating doesn’t lead to romance. There’s many a relationship that has started out as one thing and ended as something else. Any long-lasting permanent relationship needs a number of foundation stones that will hold it together during difficult times and one of these is friendship.

If you can find someone whom you like, and trust as a friend, and this relationship grows into a romantic one, then this relationship has a much stronger chance of surviving the long-haul than one that starts with a romantic spark which then fizzles out because there’s nothing else holding it together.

Rebecca Walker asked:


There is always a need for meeting new friends. Meeting new and interesting people can be exciting, and many people enjoy the social aspect that comes with meeting someone for the first time. Furthermore making friends is important psychologically, and it can allow us to unwind and relax and forget about our daily troubles during our leisure time. For companionship and social occasions, friends are crucial in ensuring we have a good time and truly enjoy the experience. Meeting friends online has become a great way to get in touch with people with similar interests, and it can lead to long term friendships lasting for a number of years. In this article, we will look at how best to make friends online, and why making friends over the Internet first can help cement relationships over the longer term.

The first thing you should do if you are looking to make friends or meet new people on the Internet is to locate a social networking website that fits with your requirements, which shouldn’t be a difficult task at all. The Internet is currently in the midst of a revolution whereby social networking sites and others with higher levels of interactivity are coming to the fore. This means that it is easier now than ever before to get involved in shaping the Internet, as it becomes more community focused and personal, and with social networking sites to fit every niche interest area, there are plenty of ways you can get your name out there and get meeting people you want to talk to.

Whether you’re looking for friendship, romance or a combination of the two, social networking platforms are the best way to find the people you want to meet. Simply by registering with a few basic details and establishing a profile, you can present a face to the world to allow anyone who wants to chat to contact you. Whether through instant messenger or some on site communications method, this allows you the chance to chat with people you meet online to build up a level of familiarity and a relationship, eventually helping to kick things off to a great start should you ever go a step further and meet in person.

As we’ve seen, the Internet is a great way of meeting new people and making new friends. By having the ability to talk online first, and working out the personality of the person before you go on to meet in person, you can help filter out those that will become close friends. Additionally, the ability to present yourself with your interests, and look for those with things in common with yourself allows you to find exactly the kind of friends you desire, to form a new social group or simply to talk to about your shared interest. By going online today, you can make new friends and meet interesting and exciting people, in as little as ten minutes with any of these proven ways of meeting others online.

Rajesh Bhatia asked:


Buddystumbler is a new, revolutionary way to make friends based on existing IM networks, today announced its production launch.

Buddystumbler.com is the only social networking site on the web based on instant messaging across existing networks: AOL, Yahoo, MSN or Google. Users can meet people online across AOL, Yahoo, MSN and Google for free online chat. Being a frequent user of instant messaging (IM), founder Han-Shen Yuan decided to create a social network that allowed more people to interact with each other, in communicating online. By developing Buddystumbler, he found a way to enable free online chat in a new and more personal level.

Users create their own profiles that include their photos, descriptions and interests to show others what they like. Furthermore, Buddystumbler provides a powerful interface to enable search to meet people online based user profile, interest and location. Not only do you choose who to chat with, but can have the ability to find others with similar interests or within your area.

“There are millions of users on existing IM networks chatting with known friends, colleagues and family members. Until buddystumbler.com there wasn’t an easy way for these users to find other like-minded people to chat with.” said Han, founder of buddystumbler.com.

“One of the biggest differences between us and other social networking sites is that you don’t have to log onto the website constantly to meet new people. You simply create a profile and make new friends using your existing IM client.” said Han.

Buddystumbler has enabled more comprehensive profiles, as users can now include the latest blog entries from Xanga, Myspace, LiveJournal or Blogger. A RSS feed enables users to broadcast their own blogs into their profiles. The Buddystumbler interface leverages the Web 2.0 paradigm and is built using the Ruby on Rails development framework. Yim, UI architect and co-founder of Buddystumbler, has refined the interface based on feedback during months of beta testing by thousands of users.

“The production launch is a milestone for the whole team and we hope to continue helping others make connections through instant messaging. Our motto is “I search therefore IM”, enabling you to search and instant message others to find new connections. Happy Stumbling” said Han.

contact

info@buddystumbler.com