Online dating service aims to raise awareness on environmental issues
| By Kasia Fryklund Special to the Epoch Times | Aug 23, 2007 |
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Past stereotypes have labeled online dating as both shady and questionable. However, it seems using online dating sites is increasingly becoming the acceptable norm for the many lonely hearts out there who are seeking Mr. or Ms. Right.
Vancouver-based Kisscafe is one of the numerous online dating services which allow its users to weed through many hopeful singles to find their perfect match. But Kisscafe is a little different in that it has an environmental slant.
In an effort to influence users to raise their environmental consciousness, the creators of Kisscafe have made it so all of the ads that help fund the site provide links to different environmental organizations and causes.
"Each project that I take on has to first make me happy and make me feel as though I've contributed to something positive," said Kisscafe founder Pete O'Reilly, who has made a conscious decision to live in a way that preserves the environment and urges others to do the same.
O'Reilly said one of the reasons he started the dating service was to "attract and inform" a large network of people on environmental issues. As well as the advertisements there are blogs, tips, and various discussions, many laced with environmental information.
"The site is like a combination of a dating service, an environmental website, and a self- help book. Even if you're not looking for a relationship, this site provides an interactive landmine of useful and applicable information for all areas of life," said 27-year old Kisscafe user Shawn Wilson.
No Fee for Kisscafe
What is also unusual about Kisscafe is that it invites users from all over the world to connect with one another for free. O'Reilly explained that many online services advertise their sites as free of charge, only to ask for subscription money when people attempt to go any further than making a profile.
"In our site we find people coming together from all walks of life. It's similar to speed dating where you can quickly look through a number of people, only with online dating you're more easily equipped to pick and choose," says O'Reilly.
Mark, a 33-year old from the 
'> area who was introduced to the Kisscafe by a relative who met her husband through a similar dating site, said that while "it all seemed like a good idea," he's worried that his perfect match will come from some impossibly remote area.
"I know what's going to happen: I'll end up on here for way too long each day. There are so many more people on here than what I originally thought, and from all over the world too. I know that my Ms. Perfect will be living in some place like
But does communicating through machines help or hinder relationship seekers to truly connect with the person on the other end of the monitor? According to a poll taken on Topdatingtips.com in 2004, 69 per cent of men and women said they use Internet dating sites.
When asked where the best place to meet people was, the Internet tied for second place with the bar. The workplace ranked highest as the place to meet people.
But there can be pitfalls with online dating, as Tessa, a 20-year old user from the
"My friend and I both signed up to Kisscafe and found that we were getting identical messages from the same guys. They were just copying and pasting the same pick up lines to us both. Digital or 3-D, guys don't seem to change," she said.
Because "you can never be too careful" when interacting with people on an Internet site, Kisscafe offers some advice to dating hopefuls for staying safe, such as not giving out contact information or agreeing to meet unless "you are completely sure it is safe to do so."
"I'm very proud of what we've done with Kisscafe and what we are about to do," said O'Reilly. "I decided to make a free dating site that has all the features—and soon to have a lot more—than the paid sites."
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