November, 1999

Hi there,

My name is Catherine. I am 24-years-old, a full-time student and live in the Lower Mainland. IB次元官网网址檓 5B次元官网网址�10B次元官网网址� and quite attractive. I, like yourself, believe there are great people to be met over the Internet. I was wondering; where is the photo taken? Looks interesting. My address is below if you would like to chat.

Catherine

Hi Catherine,

Thanks for writing to me. You know, itB次元官网网址檚 quite funny, but I donB次元官网网址檛 remember exactly where this picture was taken, must be somewhere downtown... It was last spring. YouB次元官网网址檝e mentioned that you are a full-time student, what do you study? Judging by the number of punctuation marks you must be an English major. :)

...Hope to hear from you.

Cheers,

Boris

Catherine and Boris sit in front of a crackling fire in the living room of their Saanich home. Twelve years since Catherine was first taken by the photo of a handsome six-foot-four Russian manB次元官网网址檚 dating ad on excite.ca, the married couple reminisce about what was once considered an unusual method of meeting a partner.

B次元官网网址淎ll my friends were single and they didnB次元官网网址檛 have any friends who had friends, so it was very difficult to meet anyone,B次元官网网址� says Boris -- the name he asked to be substituted for his real name. B次元官网网址淚 was on a date or two, but B次元官网网址�(through online personals) you have better chance of meeting someone you really like.B次元官网网址�

Boris, a 31-year-old mechanical engineer at the time, had just finished his education in the U.S., moved to Vancouver and was interested in settling down. Catherine, who calls Boris her B次元官网网址渕ail-order husband,B次元官网网址� was a Simon Fraser University student looking for some fun when she came across his ad.

B次元官网网址淚 was like, B次元官网网址極h! I like your credentials,B次元官网网址� she says, noting his height and his masters degree were attractive.

B次元官网网址淯p until now I thought it was useless,B次元官网网址� he says.

Catherine and Boris paint a much different picture of what dating sites were like during the outset of the service. Catherine recalls sifting through profile after profile posted by busy professionals B次元官网网址� not just anyone who would spend their weekends at the bar picking up dates.

They were in the vanguard of Internet dating on excite.ca B次元官网网址� the portal that turned down an opportunity to buy Google for $750,000 that year and has since faded from the computer screens of online daters. For this, Boris dubs the era B次元官网网址渢he roaring B次元官网网址�90sB次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� a decade that gave way to high-volume sites like Vancouver-based Plenty of Fish. The free website, founded by Markus Frind in 2001 now boasts 145 million visitors a month and $10 million in annual advertising revenue.

Since the rise of Plenty of Fish has come a slew of niche sites that cater to every possible segment of the population from the hearing impaired (Deaf Singles Connection), Jewish (JDate), vegetarian (VeggieDate) and those diagnosed with sexually transmitted infections (STD match.net). Computer savvy singles young and old are immersed in the trend through sites like Cupidtino (for fans of everything Apple Inc.) and the self-explanatory DatingforSeniors.com.

While online possibilities abound, they might not be the right fit for singles uncomfortable with opening up to a dating community through a publicly-viewable profile.

B次元官网网址淎 lot of time professionals come to us because they donB次元官网网址檛 want to take their business online,B次元官网网址� said Jacquie Brownridge, co-director of matchmaking service ItB次元官网网址檚 Just Lunch Victoria. B次元官网网址淭hey donB次元官网网址檛 want people seeing their personal information B次元官网网址� their employees, their colleagues, what have you.B次元官网网址�

Clients who contact ItB次元官网网址檚 Just Lunch are interviewed and accepted to the database of singles once it has been determined if there are other suitable matches for them available at the time. ItB次元官网网址檚 Just Lunch Singles in Victoria meet with matchmaker Maria Manna, who co-ordinates a private lunch, after work drink or Sunday brunch date at confidential locales B次元官网网址� all without so much as sharing a photo of each prospect.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 married and happy and just want everybody to feel the same way,B次元官网网址� Manna said, admitting that she has been a lifelong matchmaker, long before she ever landed the official position. B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e just always been like that. I love love.B次元官网网址�

Brownridge will not share any hard details on just how many people in Greater Victoria are using the service, but offers that the number is in the hundreds. Client age spans from late-20s through to those in their 70s, with the most users in their 30s and 40s.

The name of the service, meant to reflect lower-pressure meetings at convenient times, is contradicted by an important element B次元官网网址� the cost. Brownridge will not go on the record with the figure of a one-year membership fee, but likens the financial commitment to investing in a career through a university education.

B次元官网网址淲hen somebodyB次元官网网址檚 also invested in the process, youB次元官网网址檙e catching them at a time when theyB次元官网网址檙e also looking for somebody and that makes a difference,B次元官网网址� she said.

B次元官网网址淏oth genders take comfort in that. They know that theyB次元官网网址檙e going to meet people who are serious about meeting their match. And our goal is really to get people out from behind their computers to connect day to day.B次元官网网址�

Some digital dating tools use technology to set the stage for instant connections, from smartphone apps like Singles Around Me, which uses location services to connect registered singles with others in their immediate vicinity, to Introvert Social, a Toronto-based group of the self-identified introverted, who use the group to connect initially online before meeting at regular social functions.

But even for the traditional online dating sites, the opportunity to bring the relationship out from behind a profile picture and into the real world is usually just a click away B次元官网网址� a moment that Catherine and Boris remember well from their first date.

B次元官网网址淚 tried not to blow it or to say something not P.C.,B次元官网网址� he said.

B次元官网网址淚 didnB次元官网网址檛 get every word he said,B次元官网网址� she added.

Now planning their 10th wedding anniversary, Catherine no longer has any trouble understanding what her husband is trying to communicate through his dry wit and thick accent. The same canB次元官网网址檛 be said for Boris, who smiles and suggests that he has yet to fully understand his wife since B次元官网网址渨omen speak in riddles.B次元官网网址�

nnorth@saanichnews.com