My WhatsYourPrice Adventure (Part 2)

So it's been a while since I've written about the online dating site for sugar daddies (ahem, generous men) and golddiggers (I mean, uh, women), What's Your Price. At the time I was intrigued by the prospects, but never got around to writing about the outcome of my adventure.

What happened? Well, honestly I figured out much more effective methods to meet women online, and no longer had any need for a gimmicky website like What's Your Price. But since so I've received so many requests to follow up my first piece, here it is, by popular demand, Part 2 of My What's Your Price Adventure.

My WhatsYourPrice adventure (Part 1)

You may recall my analysis of WhatsYourPrice, the online dating site where men agree to pay for a date with a woman. Sounds a lot like prostitution, doesn’t it? Well, we’re about to find out.

Based on the amount of money I’d spent in recent months on dates with women I’d met online who turned out to be duds, I came to the conclusion that paying for quality might not be that bad an idea... as long as it increased the probability that I'd get laid. So I set out on a mission to find out what this site is all about. Here’s what happened:

Weekend reading

1. The New Yorker explores the history of online dating. Personally, I'm more interested in the future.
2. In case you didn't know, coupons are tacky on a date. Women think it's romantic when you throw money away.
3. Definitely read this very thorough discussion of the many problems with child support calculations. Then read my analysis again.
4. The majority of Canadians now support legalized prostitution. Oh sure.
5. Hopefully you'll never need any of the five legal documents that can protect you in a relationship.
6. Most New Zealanders favor child support overhaul.
7. Good for Malaysia Airlines, banning babies First Class.
8. It turns out the success of female politicians might have a lot to do with nepotism.
9. Here are some good tips on how to be a better liar.

Online dating sites, always innovating

You read about the new online dating site, What’s Your Price, where you can essentially buy a date. Well, the march of progress continues. Here are three more new online dating sites to consider:

Site: Clique
Summary: Here
Innovation: Leverages your existing social networks (Facebook, twitter, etc). Limits your potential dating connections to friends of friends, i.e., 2-degrees of separation.
Availability: only in NYC
Cost: Free for now
My take: Sounds interesting. This is the way people usually meet organically. The problem with most new online dating innovations is that it takes time to broaden the user base past the critical mass that makes it work. This site gets past that by integrating your existing networks. Hopefully it’s discreet. That’s the biggest barrier to most online dating sites integrating with Facebook. No one wants a Facebook update that says, “I just joined an online dating site.”

Site: Date My School
Summary: Here
Innovation: Exclusively for college students
Availability: A select number of schools and expanding
Cost: ??
My take: Again, this is how a lot of people meet -- in class/at school -- so why not take it online. At least you know the people there (a) are in a similar age group, (b) live very close by, and (c) are not total losers (at least they’re pursuing a college degree). But to me, it seems too narrow a focus. What do I do after I’ve looked through the 20 or so people at my school who meet my criteria for major, interests, etc and haven’t found anyone I want to date?

Site: Sugar Daddy for Me
Summary: The name says it all
My take: This site faces the same issues as What’s Your Price. In fact, this site might be in a less secure legal position. A California D.A. is currently hot on its trail. Let me help to answer the question of whether or not this is prostitution. Yes, it is. But so is marriage… almost all dates… and most romantic interactions between men and women.

Online dating trifecta: beautiful people, iPhone hookers, Zoosk statistics

1. Beautiful People an online dating site that only allows, you guessed it, beautiful people, had to lay down the law on 30,000 “uglies.” Good for them.
2. Apparently iWhores may be in our future. Ah, the march of progress.
3. New research from Zoosk on summer dating (I guess they were jealous of OkCupid). Here are the takeaways:
• Don’t talk about your ex on a first date. (Duh)
• The large majority of people expect men to pick up the bill for first date. (I guess you aren’t THAT independent, huh ladies?)
• Most women have made up their mind about a potential romantic interest by the end of the first date. For most men it takes less than an hour, some only 15 minutes. (Me? 15 seconds.)
• The majority of singles think an outdoor date is best for summer. (Not on the first date. See rule #2.)
• Very few people think karaoke is a good idea on a first date. (Ya think?)
• Most men, but less than half of women would go on date that requires a bathing suit. (My advice: not on the first date. Again, see rule #2. But it can be a good way to find out what you want to know. If she won’t show you her body, you probably don’t want to see it.)

What's Your Price: Prostitution or a good deal?

How much do I usually spend on a first date with a woman I’ve met online? And how often is it a total waste when she turns out to be either unattractive or uninterested? These are the questions I was asking myself after hearing about a new online dating site called What’s Your Price. It’s a new model where the suitors bid on what they'll pay to go on a date with the object of their affection.

My first thought: Is this a site for prostitutes or golddiggers... or both? But then I started thinking, maybe it’s not such a bad idea when you consider all the money I’ve wasted on bad dates. The average price of a What's Your Price date in my area (Los Angeles) is about $170 (not including the cost of the actual date), and the available women seem to be attractive, and let’s just say, “looking for a good time.”

It shouldn’t be to difficult to run a few numbers. But first, another question: How is this even legal? Isn’t this prostitution?

5 more reasons (Links)

1. Even if you’re bankrupt, you still have to pay alimony and child support.
2. News flash! Promiscuous women more likely to divorce! Study on promiscuous men to follow.
3. Divorce is painful enough without the courts getting involved.
4. In Canada and Australia, those in the know believe laws prohibiting prostitution actually make it more dangerous.
5. If you’re a Singaporean woman, I recommend not wearing makeup to the divorce proceedings.

Links

I'm sure you've all heard enough about Weiner-gate by now.  What's that?  You haven't?  OK, well here's some more: an analysis of how the fact that his wife is pregnant changes the game.

And here's a reason I need to visit Switzerland.  Now that I think about it, maybe Weiner should have taken a diplomatic trip there.