Love in the Golden State ~ From Social Media to SOCIALizing
2010-04-07 ·
By Brook Moehn
Meet some great new people the tried and trusted way: through socializing! San Diego invites the city’s most eligible singles to the launch of save~the~date(ing) on Thursday, April 8, 2010
It’s no mystery we live in an era where social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Skype are the main portals we use to stay connected. With hundreds of likeminded websites emerging in the virtual space each month, 2010 promises to be even brighter in social media and online communication. Rekindling lost flames and old friends has never been easier. But as we resort to online simplicity, it seems we’ve lost the value and interest in old-fashioned courtship. Launched in the midst of the social media whirlwind, Save the Date(ing), has sought and succeeded in reviving the back to basics art of meeting a potential mate.
There is no doubt the dating scene has changed dramatically in the last decade, since today in-person dates transpire only after a stringent cyber-based prescreening process. The work has been done for us and we have, sitting in our inboxes, the profile of the perfect mate: Coldplay enthusiast who enjoys going out for sushi, reading first edition Steinbecks, working out and lives within 20 miles. Yet, the prospect of chemistry eludes us. It’s nearly impossible to delineate “a connection” with someone online. Probably that’s why, according to recent dating polls, fewer people are consulting the Internet and are instead opting for in-person interactive methods to meet people. They are practicing a back to the basics approach: the best way to meet someone is through a friend or a referral. After all, it’s how many of our parents met each other, and their parents and their parents met- and it’s the model that Save the Date(ing) is based on.
Having realized the need for in-person interaction, single New Yorker Hattie Elliot decided to go from social media to socializing. In November 2008, she launched Save the Date(ing) – a social networking group for her single friends (and friends of friends), where, unlike online dating, the emphasis is on socializing and meeting people in person at different monthly events. In 2009 Save the Date(ing) experienced such a dramatic upswing that only months after opening its doors in New York, the company successfully expanded Westward to Los Angeles and San Francisco, and will be opening shop in San Diego on April 8, 2010.
Save the Date(ing) will officially kickoff in San Diego with a Classic Cocktails event on Thursday, April 8. Led by Brook Moehn and Brett Charobee, SD’s newest directors, the event will be open to both prospective and existing members. “It’s clear San Diego is the next ‘it’ place to launch Save the Date(ing),” explains Elliot. “I have no doubt our San Diego chapter will be a colossal success. Like New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, San Diego is filled with ambitious, dynamic, fun and attractive singles who are too busy or simply tired of surfing the net for love, or are too over the bar scene to strike up a meaningful conversation with the lady/gent across the room.
Save the Date(ing) members gather at monthly events like Pizza Making 101, Paint Your Own Pollock, Squash clinics, Etiquette dinners, Sailing lessons, and Surfing classes, where in a focused and lively setting they can have genuine conversations with equally high caliber individuals who share the same objective. As the membership has grown beyond Save the Date(ing) directors’ immediate circles, all perspective members are screened personally by the ladies to ensure they would be a good fit for the group. “One reason our events have been so successful is because people know that all attendees have been personally vouched for since our membership has grown organically through friends and personal referrals,” Hattie explains. This “back to basics” approach eliminates awkwardness and allows singles to mix and mingle comfortably. New members pay a $125 quarterly membership fee in addition to an a la carte fee for each event they attend. All events host a uniform ratio of men to women, evening the playing field.
For more information on Save the Date(ing) in your city, visit the save~the~date(ing) website. To schedule an interview with Hattie Elliot (NY), Kelli Stember (LA), Missy Cohan (SF), or Brook Moehn and Brett Charobee (SD) please contact Kristina Uzunova at 609.334.0813 / kristina@savethedateing.com.
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