In an odd but perhaps effective odd news quip, the Townsville Bulletin reported earlier this week that the Australian town of Mount Isa has been having serious issues with attracting eligible women to the mining-focused area. Some residents were quoted saying that the problem was with the local job market, in that the positions normally attractive to women weren't anywhere near as well paying as the resource-rich and physically demanding work that most of the men living in Mount Isa had moved for. One gent event went so far as to call Mount Isa the "beer goggle" capital of Australia - but only out of practicality.

So Mayor John Molony spoke with the press about the situation, saying:

May I suggest if there are five blokes to every girl, we should find out where there are beauty-disadvantaged women and ask them to proceed to Mount Isa.

Which, admittedly, may not have been the best wording to use when trying to attract women - but the press generated from the Mayor's comments will undoubtedly increase interest in moving to the area.

Years ago I was told that if I wanted to meet a well-off guy, I should move to Fort MacMurray, Alberta, Canada - a town also well-known for offering very high-paying jobs to work in the mining industry. Fort Mac also had a serious woman shortage, and the town tried attract more feminine residents to balance out its very testosterone-heavy ranks. But similarly to Mount Isa, I found few decent paying jobs in my field and decided against the move.

Yet I have to wonder if people do move in an attempt to find a partner, in the hopes that an area with a larger percentage of singles and/or a specific gender will make them more likely to date and meet a partner. I can't be the only person having the same thoughts either, as I had a similar discussion with a reporter for a major women's magazine not that long ago, and she'd advised me that she'd had hundreds of responses to her query for women who'd moved for love.

So, I ask you: Would you consider moving for love? Would an appeal like one from Mount Isa's Mayor pull you?

An article last week in the Times Picayune called "You and improved," discusses online photo retouching services and how they are currently in hot demand. Why not shave off 15 pounds from your Facebook picture or remove an inopportune zit from Flickr if you can?

It used to be that these kinds of services were only affordable for magazine publishers or marketers with million-dollar pocketbooks. But these days anyone can afford a $7 photo tooth whitening or scar removal. Yet the article only discusses social networking sites and makes no mention of how such technology could affect the online dating world.

Personally, I'd much rather post photos of myself that were a tad less favorable than ones that had me at my absolute best. Why? Because if I do end up meeting an online suitor face to face at some point in the future, I don't have to feel like I'm living up to a second-in-time that could only be perfect at that moment. I'm a real person who has flaws (just like the rest of us), and I would hate to think that a date found me to be less than forthcoming about my age, weight or any other physical representation that people take stock of.

What do you think? Would you be upset if you met someone that had obviously doctored their photos to post at an online dating site? Or do you think it's a great way to enhance your looks so as to attract more suitors, dates, and a potential mate? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.

Related:

• Online Dating Rules
• How To Date Online
• Dating Profile Don'ts