A couple of weeks ago my buddy Dan said he was ready to try online dating. Tired of the club and bar scene, he was looking for something new. Like any supportive friend I told him I thought it was a great idea and that I would be happy to help. He said, "GREAT! Now, go write my profile.” And so I did.
But a lot has changed since I was single. When I exited the dating world in 2003, online dating was in its infancy and was a sign that you'd given up on real people.
Fifteen years later, even the greatest hope for online romance has left the shadows and stepped into the sun as the primary place people turn to when seeking romance. While the Match Group (the Amazon of online dating) shows that digital matchmaking is big business, and that there are hundreds, if not thousands, of niche dating sites that are experiencing success by catering to the most specific and peculiar areas of interest.
There are sites for lovers of bacon, sea captains, and farmers. There are sites for smokers, Filippina Christians, Ayn Rand enthusiasts, and people who have the hots for hot sauce. If you can find a way to categorize a future mate based on a mutual love of something -- anything -- there's an app for that. But can you actually find love when you've narrowed your options in the name of, say, a common love of the movie The Little Mermaid? It turns out that the answer is an emphatic YES!
So, forget Match.com, where’s March.com?
I’m being serious. How do middle aged farmers get a website and a national TV ad campaign but 10% of America’s population get nothing? I smell opportunity here, well, that and sunscreen. I say YES to March.com! Ready for my ad campaign?
Want a dedicated spouse? Our clients carried around 32 pounds of sheet metal all summer.
Looking for someone who can make a commitment? Our clients will show up six days a week, morning, noon, and night for months at a time!
Want someone who enjoys the outdoors? We're connoisseurs of bug spray.
Trying to find someone to share your Friday nights with? Just look two bleacher rows down.
Like going to concerts? Connect with someone here and create your own!
It’s not just me… My wife would (and did) say the same thing!
Full disclosure here, my wife and I taught at the same school when we started dating, and if I needed something I would just send one of my band kids down to her office to grab it. On one particular occasion I sent two of my favorite knuckleheads (Brad & Charlie Utter) to deliver something. They made some wise cracking joke as they were leaving, and as the class giggled, my wife said, “Laugh all you want, but those boys are special. Go on a date with the jock, but marry the band geek!”
And she did! (Wait, does that make me a band geek?)
In love and in life, we tend to look for people who share our values. We want people who are willing to make a commitment and can stick with something, or someone, until the end. We want people who are dependable. We want someone who is willing to put others before themselves and understand that the world does not revolve around them. We want someone who wants to part of a team and someone who respects that we all bring something valuable to the table.
In short, we want people who were once music students.
We want them as co-workers and neighbors. We want them as colleagues and community leaders. We want them as patrons and partners. We want them teaching our children and caring for our elderly. We want music people in every other facet of our lives, so why not our love lives?
So who’s up for a little coding and a lot of mockery as we tell the world: If you want the best of Match.com, go to March.com and let us show you some real (e)Harmony.
Remember, Ariel didn’t say she wanted to be part of your world, she SANG it!
p.s. FYI, within twenty minutes I had my buddy Dan online and getting responses such as, “This is the best profile on here.” and, “Best read on this site.” So, if this speaking thing doesn’t work out, perhaps I could be your "marchmaker." (see what I did there)