Online dating sites sprang up in the ’90s almost as quickly as the Internet itself. Since then, television has been flooded with E-harmony and Match.com commercials touting the skillful matchmaking that will ensue with membership. A variety of websites have emerged, all with different strengths and niches. And as of this summer, Pepperdine is getting a piece of the cybernetic action.
Datemyschool.com added Pepperdine University, and all of its encompassing schools to the list of universities it currently serves during its launch of 350 schools.
In a growing list of dating sites, Date My School is trying to earn a coveted spot. Date My School (DMS), is geared solely toward university students by only allowing those with emails ending in “.edu” to register.
Two MBA classmates from Columbia University, Balazs Alexa and Jean Meyer created the site and founded it on November 2010. They came up with the idea for the site when a girl in the nursing school complained that 90 percent of her department was composed of females. In contrast to her position, the business department that Alexa and Meyer attended was 80 percent male. They claim that in one week, 1,300 Columbia students registered.
Melanie Wallner, director of public relations of DMS, asserts that it is different from other sites in that they’re “extending their usage to become a platform to discover new people online” by functioning as a reversed social networking site. People find other people online first then they meet in person.
Boasting exclusivity to college and university students and alumni, the site creators’ goal is to make DMS into “the go-to place to discover new friends, study partners, work contacts and of course, dates as well, on campus and campuses nearby,” Wallner said.
When told about the possibility of online dating, junior Liliana Arias still would rather go for a traditional date.
“It’s something that I would never do, but, I do know a lot of people that do date online,” Arias said.
“I would prefer to get to know a person face-to face rather then put trust in a person that pretty much exists in cyber world and could make up everything they’re telling me. You can’t guarantee that person is being honest about what they’re saying about themselves,” Arias concluded.
On the other hand, junior Briana Goncalves is open to the possibility. She does believe, however, that many people use online dating for more than just dating.
“I think a lot of people our age who use online dating do so to find casual hook-ups rather than long-term relationships. However, for older people who lead busy lives but are serious about finding a good match, it definitely makes sense to use it as a resource,” Goncalves said.
Wallner commented that since the Aug. 17, expansion of Date My School “hundreds of Los Angeles members have registered.”
