Oxforddictionaries.com define online dating as “the practice of searching for a romantic or sexual partner on the Internet, typically via a dedicated website” ... Interesting choice of words for a definition; but best to lay out what we are going to explore. Compared to “A service that arranges introductions for people seeking romantic partners” again oxforddictionaries.com defining Introduction Agencies.
This is precisely what we are going to look at…
What is the difference between Online Dating and Introduction Agencies?
Depending on how you interpret the above you might decide that they are actually the same. Let us all figure this one out together and make sure we all understand where the differences are.
There are quite a few differences between online dating and introduction services… queue the bullet points:
Online Dating
Paid & Free.
Membership numbers – hundreds of thousands, likely millions UK wide.
Time-consuming.
Reasonably secure, you need to be vigilant though.
There is an element of risk involved regarding your identity and possibly your confidence.
The short success rate of finding the one, not impossible though.
Introduction Agencies
Premium rate, paid for service.
Membership numbers – thousands UK wide.
The small time investment required initially to build your profile.
Secure managed service.
The enhanced possibility of finding “the one”, often guarantees of introductions at a minimum.
So, as you can see, there is quite a difference and more importantly choice. Let me know which you prefer, and do you have any experiences you would like to share?
It is hard to believe that online dating has been around for quite some time. Should it be hard though? Between the mid-90’s and now, technology has developed at hyper speed. The way that we enjoy TV has developed and redeveloped, the way that we buy music has developed and redeveloped, even our cinema experiences have changed in the last 20 years. Why should it be so hard to believe that the dating scene has moved on too? I was guilty of this until I started to research and I guess most forget that online dating was a thing before the handiness of mobile apps.
One thing is for sure since the evolution of well built mobile apps - the exposure to online dating has become far most accessible to the casual user or technophobe. Over the last wee while I have been testing a few services out and I am coming to terms where this ‘swipe left swipe right’ culture has come from, and I see how the current online dating culture has influenced other industries. Business networking companies are jumping on this swipe left swipe right culture. In a way, I think that it is quite remarkable. It is remarkable because a culture that used to be so private and hush-hush is now in your face, ready to go and influencing other industries.
Personally, I am more old-school. Being 33 I cannot believe that I am saying this, but I am a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to finding love. The online dating apps were undoubtedly easy to use and made me quite decisive. I was slow at first because I spent more time reading and trying to understand a person’s profile, latterly though I was finding myself judging my decision on aesthetics alone.
It is 2017 though and I am happy to move with the times and that is where matchmaker services really come into their own. A service worth engaging in is worth paying for, right? One way or another we pay for people to find the best possible price on a service, ensure we get the best value for money or just take the time investment off our hands and let them get on with it so long as we benefit from the time spent on our behalf.
Intro NW specialise in personal introductions and one-to-one matchmaking. The service is personalised to help find life partners for their service users. If you understand what SAAS is, then you’ll appreciate MAAS, Matchmaking as a Service. Long story short, Intro NW help find someone that you have the right chemistry with, that you find attractive, and who have comparable principles, ambitions, and goals.
Unlike an online dating agency, they do not use computer algorithms to match people. The service is bespoke, 100% confidential, personal to you, and much to my preference they get to know all the people that join the agency. Can you name any other service provider that get to know every single client that signs up with them?
There is no swipe left or right culture at Intro NW (or any other similar company). Once you have signed up, you will not find client profiles to read or photographs to approve of (or not) online. Service users expect privacy as a priority and that is precisely what you get. Your interest in finding a partner is authentic, so they work with other clients to find you an authentic match.
So, what’s the deal? I fill out a questionnaire, it gets fed into a database, and I get matched up with dates? No, none of that sort at all. With Intro NW, you benefit from high-quality one-to-one attention with a certified matchmaker, giving you back your time to get on with your professional and personal life.
Still not seeing it? Let’s break it down more, shall we? No blank forms to fill out. Using a matchmaker over an online dating service means that someone will take a personal and invested interest in you, take the time to get to know you and work hard for you. With Intro NW in Wilmslow, you will be treated as an individual, privately, and discreet.
I cannot think of any better way to satisfy my own “old-school” believes and bring them into the modern era of dating. If I were a client of Intro NW, I get to know that I am being looked after but I ultimately still hold my destiny in my own hands. I still get to experience the butterflies, the excitement and true magic that makes us wonder why we put ourselves in this position in the first place but still go back for more; because knowing that every time we do we are closer to finding “the one”.
Remember when your auntie, the one that would only see you twice a year but would set you up on blind dates with the girl that would be “perfect for you”. Oh, you don’t!? That must just be me then. Yeah, well I remember well, being set up with the girl that was 2-3 years younger than me, from several towns away and didn’t even like football? Those sorts of things matter when you are a young teenager. Yes, you are my auntie, but you do not know what I want, what I do not like. Forgive me for saying it, but you have no clue on where to start with my physical and emotional turn on and turn offs. At that age, I barely knew. Now that we are a little older and wiser, matchmakers like Intro NW make it their business to know. Granted they will not send you a card every Birthday and Christmas with £20 inside, but they pride themselves on providing a personal service of the highest calibre.
Through getting to know you, they can look out, and see things that you would usually overlook. In any other circumstances for you and me, that would be a missed opportunity, and that is the difference that matchmakers provide; finely tuned intelligence, a passion for finding you the best possible partner and a particular intuition for seeing things that we would frequently miss.
I am of course not suggesting that everyone ditch the online dating apps, they work for many and like grocery shopping, we are not all ready to go for that high-quality bag for life. For now, the 5p one will do. When you are ready though, try a matchmaker service like Intro NW. You will be taken care off and then some. www.intro-nw.com
Thanks for stopping by and I’ll see you next time when I blog about Places to go on a First Date.
Cheers, Christopher McPhillips
Details and Links:
Website: www.bathgatebairn84.com
Email: christopher@bathgatebairn84.com
Telephone: 07968 996 271
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About Christopher: Born in Edinburgh (1984) but was brought up and has lived in Bathgate all his life. Now that he has retired from professional wrestling, yes, that’s right he used to wear spandex pants and do that “fake” wrestling stuff. Christopher recently left his role as Marketing Team Leader at a small a communications and IT provider company in Edinburgh to pursue a self-employment as a Life Coach, Social Media Consultant and Professional Blogger/Writer. He is naturally creative and all round a people person. A very hard worker and will go an extra mile after he has gone the extra mile for a colleague or client. Christopher has blogged and written knowledge articles for large communication companies such as Sky when he was part of their Social Media and Communities team and has written blogs about various topics via LinkedIn, now his writing is hosted on his own site. His interests are broadly people, places and culture. Despite being retired from actively performing on shows he is still a big fan of the wrestlin’ and when he gets the time will spend an evening watching.
