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From: gmack@denelvx.UUCP (Gregg Mackenzie)
Newsgroups: net.singles
Subject: net.personals
Message-ID: <136@denelvx.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 6-Sep-85 04:00:05 EDT
Article-I.D.: denelvx.136
Posted: Fri Sep  6 04:00:05 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 10-Sep-85 20:10:02 EDT
Distribution: net
Organization: Denelcor, Aurora, Colorados
Lines: 58




I can see at least one problem with the net.personals idea. The 
problem is that the ads would not be anonymous as they are in the 
newspapers.

Usually, in the newspaper, the responses to an ad are directed to a
box so that if the person chooses not to follow up on a response, that
person won't be hounded by some idiot who can't take no for an answer.

Let's say we have net.personals and I post an ad and I'm brave enough
(or stupid enough) to reveal that the woman of my dreams will be a
leather bitch who can dish out some serious domination.  Whips, chains,
spike heels, rumpus room...the works.

First of all, everyone knows who posted the ad.  Second, I have now
opened myself up for all kinds of abuse from people on the net who now 
think that gmack@denelcor may lean slightly toward the kinky side.

Even if I were to post a semi-normal ad, I wouldn't feel comfortable
sharing my secret desires with the entire net.  With an ad in the paper,
you can reveal your true desires and remain secure in the knowledge that
noone will ever ridicule you because noone will ever know who submitted
the ad.

I think the network is a fine vehicle for meeting people just the way it
is.  I think you can find out as much about a person just by reading their
articles as you can by reading their personal ads.  Then if you think you
might be interested in a certain person, you can start sending mail to
each other.

An alternative solution might be to include the fact that you are available
in the signature line of your articles to net.singles (and only net.singles)
Then if someone happens to be smitten with your wit, charm, and personality
and wishes to woo you, they will know by your signature line whether or not
you care to receive the attention.  It would be more of a statement of
position rather than an active recruiting drive.  That way, if there is no
response, it is not a direct rejection.  Someone could be "not responding"
to your article instead of directly "not responding" to your net.personals
ad.  Also, maybe the person you've started e-mailing with actually started
writing to you because they saw that you were available.  You would have no
way of knowing unless they came out and told you that they wrote to you only
because you were available.  I guess what I'm trying to say is that I think
it would be a lot more comfortable all the way around.

Now *that's* one that even *I* would have guts enough to start off.  It
could look something like:

Gregg Mackenzie				Status:  Single, date often,
denelcor!gmack					 always room for more.

Drawbacks I can see: no indication of vital statistics such as age, sex, 
race, tongue-length, results of penis-length survey,...etc.  It merely
states that you are available, nothing more, nothing less.

Gregg Mackenzie
denelcor!gmack