Another venue is online dating...
As we all know, single life and dating can hit peaks and valleys. Being out and about in public obviously increases your exposure to a lot of women, but you always run into the same problems... is she married, does she have a boyfriend, etc.
Online dating, which used to be a stigma, has garned more respect since it has become commonplace for working adults to meet. Life is busy, so by using an online dating service, it makes the possibility of meeting someone you are compatible with more efficient.
Now, I'm not saying that it doesn't have it's pitfalls... I've run into a few people (and heard stories from others) who purposely deceive others to get a date. It sucks, but it happens.
The path I follow when meeting someone online is pretty simple:
Write an honest profile with current pictures. Love is blind, but attraction is not...
Do a detailed search for who you are looking for... be honest with yourself about what you want, because then the matches you get will be who you are looking for.
Rob sees pretty girl, reads her profile, and drops her an email to gather some interest
Email back and forth awhile (usually a week or two) to start to get to know that person
Get the digits and talk on the phone
Set up a date in a safe public location
Meet and have a good time!
Usually if the person has been less than truthful, it will come out before the date. But should I go out on a date and find that the pictures the girl has posted are
way out of date, I'll usually call her on it... My online profile is accurate and up to date and I expect the same. Irregardless, when that happens, I still go through with the date and then say goodbye, with no promises that I'll call.
The key thing with any type of dating is confidence. If you're honest and confident, you'll get dates and hopefully meet the woman of your dreams.
Here's several sites that I've used:
www.match.com (very good site... many searching and matching options)
www.eharmony.com (very good site... they pick who you should talk to based on a personality test)
www.true.com (not a lot of time on this one, but it seems pretty good)
My biggest piece of advice is be honest and don't rush to meet someone. Get to know them somewhat first... Some people have sent me phone numbers in the first email... that's an immediate buh-bye and turn off.
As time permits, I'll create a new topic in this section about each of the above websites.