On-line romance now made in Manitoba

I also know someone else who jumped on a plane to meet a girl he had been "seeing" for months via the Net, but she didn't show up at the airport to pick him up as arranged. He didn't know her phone number or her last name. So he spent a week by himself in a strange city.

All sorts of love stories and horror stories have sprung from on-line dating. Tales of love at first e-mail chat to downright scary accounts of weirdos and restraining orders.

But one thing is certain. Lots of people are doing it.

Lavalife.ca -- one of the most popular Internet dating sites in North America, has more than one million active members, and is raking in over $112 million in revenues.

Over the last few years, the negative stigma attached to Internet dating has disappeared.

I know lots of sane, well-adjusted, single people who have joined Lavalife, match.com or date.com. Sure, you take your chances -- but that's the dating game.

They say it is a much better way to meet people than the bar scene. You can choose to chat with people based on reading about their interests, hobbies, or their profession. And you can choose when or if to meet the person on your own terms.

In fact, some people say most of the fun is just picking people to chat with on-line, or seeing how many people contact you in a given week. They don't actually ever meet up with their Internet intimates. It's more of a game.

Either way, Internet dating isn't viewed as a sign of desperation anymore. In fact, it has become the cool thing to do.

Well, now there's a made-in-Manitoba site about to get in on the action.

The Dream Dating Experience (www.dreamdating.ca) -- which launches July 1-- is planning to make its mark on the crowded Internet dating landscape by helping to relieve the main concern of many on-line daters, particularly women.

And that's safety.

At Dream Dating Experience, you can request a background check on someone before you set up a first date. Just to make sure they are who they say they are.

The site has contracted Quest Investigation Group here in the city to do the background checks, explains Winnipegger Dan Rautavuori, promotions director at Dream Dating Experience.

The fee is a tad hefty at $50, but at least this way you'll find out whether the man you're meeting next week is the lawyer he says he is or an ex-con just out on parole.

It's not just about filtering out the axe murderers. As any on-line dater knows, many people lie in their profiles about their ages, professions, marital status, their condos in Florida, etc. So the background checks are also a way to find out about these "little white lies," as well.

Like other Internet dating services, at The Dream Dating Experience it's completely free to become a member and set up your personal profile with pictures. Then you pay each time you make on-line contact with another member.

The Dream Dating Experience will also be hosting singles events throughout the city in the coming months. If you are seeking your moment in the spotlight, Rautavuroi is developing a reality TV show, where Dream Dating Experience members can have the trials and tribulations of their online dating experiences play out on national television.

And, quite the altruistic guy, Rautavuori says that he has plans to donate a percentage of gross revenue from the site to local charitable organizations.

If you want more info, call the toll free line at 1-866-74-DREAM or check out www.dreamdating.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition June 26, 2003 $sourceSection$sourcePage