Online or Offline? The Return of Offline Matchmaking Services to the Dating Scene ( Archived) (4)

Online dating has become the norm for dating in recent years. With a few swipes, you can get yourself a date for Saturday night, all on the screen of your smart phone. However, offline dating is slowly starting to gain traction once again as more and more people are starting to realize how easy it is to get tricked by a pretty photo, or hyped up personal information found on an online dating site.

Opinions from dating forums and personal forums show that the most common complaint by men is that women’s photos on their profiles don’t match up to how they look in real life. Because of the convenience of filters and a well angled camera, it has become easier for people to drastically change their appearance as seen on their online presence. It’s also becoming easier for people to take more photos of themselves and choose the one that displays their best physical features to their advantage.

For women, the most common complaint from them is the fact that men tend to exaggerate their financial statuses on online dating sites. Women decide to go on a date with these men, thinking that they are financially capable of taking care of themselves and their significant other.

So they go out, have a nice dinner, nice conversation about interests, politics, and business forum topics, but when it comes to picking up the check, he makes the woman pay for it, says he’ll take care of the tip, but only leaves 3%. These are also the type of people you see zipping around in a BMW or a Lexus, only to find out that they still live in their parents’ basement.

Women say that men don’t care about the more important things, and only care about superficial qualities, like physical appearance. Men complain that women only care if a man is wealthy or not. Whatever the main complaints are, the ease of access of online dating has made it easier for men and women alike to be pickier about their dating choices. The prevalence of dating advice on love forums only serves to enhance the mentality that you must be as picky as possible when it comes to choosing your significant other.

To address some of these complaints, some sites have started implementing certain precautionary measures. For example, some websites have tried implementing ID verification. While this is a great way of verifying an individual's identity, this does not help with verifying an individual’s facial features, or their financial status.

Some sites have tried implementing video call to encourage its members to connect with each other and see what they look like over live video call. While this is a simple solution to the problem, not many people are comfortable with live video call, and choose to opt out on that particular option.

So many people have lost their faith in internet dating for these very reasons, and are slowly starting to embrace offline dating once again. For the younger generation, they find that the best way to find a long lasting relationship is through personal interactions, like introduction by a mutual friend, parties, bars, concerts, etc. But for the older generation, personal introductions are hard to come by sometimes. Almost everyone they know is in a committed relationship, busy with their careers, or their children.

This is where offline dating options come in, and these are making a splash in their reintroduction to the dating industry. More niches of offline dating are starting to become more popular, from speed dating to hiring a matchmaker to set you up on a date. Dating coaches are becoming a popular option as well, with people paying a professional for love advice and to help them meet and attract potential partners.

One of the more interesting offline dating options is through the romance tour or the international foreign bride system. These services are the perfect combination of offline and online dating. They have men sign up for their website, where they are given