Rescue Dating
For the Perfect Search
by Melinda Maximova

Online dating services have come a long way since inception and there’s certainly something for everyone. Even if you’re not looking to find a match for yourself, Girl’s in Tech Virtual Dating 101, will offer valuable insights into the profitable, online business. The expert panel of entrepreneurs include Perfect Search, SingleMomSeeking, SpeedDate, Zoosk and Thread, discussing what works and what doesn’t in the world of online amour.

Since 1995, when the first major online dating site began offering user generated profiles, the online dating industry has grown by leaps and bounds. Starting as a service people rarely admitted to using, it has now become part of everyday conversation. “We met online”, is a common phrase many of us have uttered, or at least heard. How did this industry overcome such stigma to become one of the most competitive online businesses?

Girls in Tech: Virtual Dating 101, addresses this question and will explore the evolution of the online dating industry with Perfect Search, Thread (formerly Frintro), Single Mom Seeking, Zoosk and SpeedDate. Discussions will include how the online medium has overcome a major stigma and become the dating norm in a short 14 year span. The event will follow the different approaches to fee structures (paid/free/SNS) used by providers and will look ahead to see what’s on the horizon for the future of love via the internet.

According to Online Dating Magazine, eHarmony claims that from their service alone there were 33,000 marriages that occurred in a one year period. The same article estimates that the number of marriages resulting from all online dating sites is over 100,000 annually. Online Personals Watch reports that Match.com and eHarmony saw 16% and 20% growth when compared to the same time frame the previous year with Match.com boasting over 15 million current members.

Alternatives to these classic user-created profile models are being offered by both Thread and SpeedDate. Thread allows users to play matchmaker by introducing friends via Facebook. Users can log on to Facebook and browse profiles of friends of friend’s to ask for introductions or introduce themselves. No more meeting complete strangers. SpeedDate, on the other hand, believes that two people know if there’s a connection within the first 3 minutes of meeting and have created a platform through email, chat, voice or web cam in which users can test the spark factor before risking their time on a real date. Connect Zoosk with Facebook to interact with your friends on this site and to share on Facebook through your Wall and friends’ News Feeds. This site will also be able to automatically post recent activity back to Facebook.

Guiding the Virtual Dating 101 discussion is moderating panelist Melinda Maximova, relationship expert and founding matchmaker at Perfect Search, a VIP matchmaking service which combines old-world, face-to-face matchmaking with the added convenience and speed of the internet. Melinda is RescueDating blogger Examiner.com writer, matchmaker teacher, and author of the e-book, Power Shift: Rescue Dating For Women.

Once the business side of the industry is covered the discussion will move toward user tips from Rachel Sarah, online dating expert, author of Single Mom Seeking and founder of one the largest blogs for single parents, who will address the most common missteps people make when dating online. Also a contributor for Match.com, Rachel claims there is a science to successful online dating and she’ll share first hand from her experiences in the field.

Conference Date: Monday, October 19th, 2009
Time: 6:30 pm check in, 7:00 pm start
Venue: E & O Trading Company, Downtown San Francisco
Tickets: $10.00 Please RSVP at: www.girlsintechvirtualdating101.eventbrite.com

Visit Eventbrite to reserve your space: www.girlsintechvirtualdating101.eventbrite.com

Hosted By: Girls in Tech

Girls in Tech is a social network enterprise focused on the engagement, education and empowerment of like-minded, professional, intelligent and influential women in technology. As young women with the capacity to inspire, we made it our personal desire and passion to create and sustain an organization that focuses on the collaboration, promotion, growth and success of women in the technology sector.

Created in February of 2007, ‘Girls in Tech’ (GIT) was founded by Adriana Gascoigne. GIT and was born out of a need to provide a place for women to cultivate ideas around their careers and business concepts involving technology.

Girls in Tech aims to offer a variety of resources and tools for women to supplement and further enhance their professional careers and aspirations in technology. Some of these resources include, educational workshops and lectures, networking functions, round table discussions, conferences, social engagements, and recruitment events.

For more information, contact Melinda Maximova, matchmaker with Perfect Search melinda@theperfectsearch.com

It is hard to meet your match during these tough economic times. Pink slips, pay cuts, foreclosures – doom and gloom are all the noise. But a girl’s gotta eat (at least a few days a week) and everyone wants some wine while listening to the whine. So BD’s List says, recession – smession — let’s go out and mingle.

A new website entitled, BD’s list, has all the best happy hour digs with prices, hors’ dourves, times, and locations listed.  They’ve done their research  and shaken out the best values and special deals offered by the many amazing bars and restaurants in each neighborhood through out San Francisco and beyond.

The website allows visitors to suggest a favorite happy hour place and is expanding to every city nation wide. It is a handy site that minglers can access to find great deals after work in their area.  Local businesses are thriving from the new site while America’s tired, poor and hungry descend upon them for appetizers and libations at a fraction of normal cocktail pricing. “It was a lot of work researching all the happy hour spots” admits Brenda Dos Santos, owner of BD’s List, but she sure had a good time doing it.

So if you want to meet your match, access BD’s List for a listing of happy hours close to where you are, or where you want to be.

Access BD’s List.  www.bdslist.com

Bd’s List Launch Party

Start getting happier on Monday, August 3rd at the official launch of BD’s List.  A kick off party will be the happiest hour ever, with booze, bites, and beats, all for a $5.00 cover charge.  After all, isn’t that what you would expect from a great happy hour deal!

Where:  The RIGHT Loft (Penthouse)

85 Natoma @ 2nd St

San Francisco, CA

When:  Monday, August 3rd, 7-10 pm

For more information contact Melinda Maximova, matchmaker with Perfect Search

melinda@theperfectsearch.com

What a magical weekend out at Rancho Rico for our 2nd annual Burning Girl event. My daughter and I were the last people to leave, and as we watched the last campers drive out of the gate on Monday I felt a little heart ache that it was over. We had such an amazing experience with all the talent, warm energy, sunshine and love. It was everything we dreamed of, and more. Thank you!

Rancho Rico is located on the East Walker River and centered on 100 acres of the Nevada wilderness, approx. 1.5 hours East of South Lake Tahoe, and 1.5 hours South of Reno, Nevada. As a long time veteran of the “Burning Man” community the owner wanted to share his property with those who may not be able to attend the 50,000 plus, event in September. Burning a ceremonial wooden “Girl” helped to create the peaceful vibe similar to “Burning Man“, but is also a pyrotechnic celebration for the 4th of July. It was a free event with new friends and old, to share in the spectacular wonder and beauty of Rancho Rico, and celebrate the 4th of July holiday with music, sunshine, and much love.

The spontaneous, Friday night jam session was just a taste of what was to come, and a perfect bookend to the Sunday night open jam session with Tarik and Kim, from T-Wrex and the Primitive Rhythm, and Todd Maudlin of The Hellbusters and his young nephew and friend, Erin and Devon.

The formal kick off was Saturday at 11 am when T-Wrex and the Primitive Rhythm opened and serenaded us all with soulful, harmonic, blues while kids and adults floated down the river and people roamed around their camps soaking up Rancho Rico.

Next, Michael Gallegos infused a little Latin culture to the party and got everyone in a party mood with traditional, bilingual songs and original Spanish songs. Next year I hope Michael can bring his family and stay and camp with us.

Nevada Hazzurd followed Michael by singing traditional country the first set and good, old rock n roll the next set. Thank you, Cindy for bringing rock n roll to the party because our rock band from Last year, Last One Picked, was unavailable this year and was surely missed.

Next, The Hellbusters pounded out some lean, hard, raw blues and we all lost track of time from their hypnotic rhythm. You know it is a good set when you end up in a sequined tube top!

Little Sister played after The Hellbusters and it was a real pleasure hearing the traditional country music I grew up with. I always like to see a cool, female base player and they brought so many great fans. Thank you, Erv, for the wine and thank you Little Sister for the t-shirts. Please camp with us next year. Charley filled in on the keyboards and promised next year to help us build a dance floor to keep the dust down from all the dancing feet.

Finally we were honored with the Windshield Cowboys. We were a little behind schedule but no one seemed to care because the music was so good and the spirits were so high we were dancing like crazy and groovin’ to the talent. Thank you Rose and Robert for bringing the glow lights and thank you, Butch for taking over the stage management aspect. Next year Butch promises to help keep the schedule a little tighter. I have memories of Jan in a blond wig, hugging Mike, and Terry doing his belly slap dance while slow dancing with Ric (All dudes in case you weren’t there) Ric took a really good spill and lost all perspective of personal space by standing way too close to the stage, in fact jumping up on it a few times and belting out spontaneous rhymes. Juli was dancing with her baby, Catalina was wearing a boa, I was wearing my happy feet, Loretta was giving a lap dance wrapped in glow sticks, the stars were shining, the river was streaming and…well you get the picture. Really, really fun. Thank you all.

Sunday morning began with bloody marys for all of us in the house, and lazy camp breakfasts’ for those in tents and RVs. Lots more swimming, tubing and rafting and more music from T-Wrex and the Primitive Rhythm and Windshield Cowboys. Thank you, Charley’s camp for sharing the crawdads with me that you caught in our river. I truly enjoyed hanging out with you.

Please continue enjoying the music and give the bands continued support by visiting their web sites and going to their scheduled shows through out the year.

T-Wrex and the Primitive Rhythm

Michael Gallegos

Nevada Hazzurd

The Hellbusters

Little Sister

Windshield Cowboys

For more information contact Melinda Maximova, matchmaker with Perfect Searchmelinda@theperfectsearch.com

There is an expression men often fling around in humor, “For every beautiful woman, there is a man who is tired of F______ her”.

Well, touché, here is an expression for those men: “For every neglected woman, there is another man wanting to F____ her”. Take your woman for granted and she will be drawn to the affections of other more attentive admirers. Men may stray because they are craving someone different, but women stray when they are feeling neglected at home. Women love the attention of suitors and become accustomed to it in our teen years and 20s. When this affection disappears she will easily be sucked in by the adoration of other, more amorous wooers.
So for all you men who have grown bored with the same ole, same ole, you better figure out how you can spin her to refresh your libido because neglecting her will only be inviting other “snakes in the grass” to do your job for you. And they will. Oh yes, they certainly and willingly, will!

For more information contact Melinda Maximova, matchmaker with Perfect Search melinda@theperfectsearch.com