I was intrigued by Online Dating Magazine's article called, "Avoid Becoming a Professional Online Dater", which discusses at length what a "professional dater" is (in the writers' opinion of course), what signs to look out for in yourself and others, and what to do about it if you recognize any of the signs in yourself.
Some characteristics of a professional dater according to the article are:
- If someone breaks up with you, are you back online within 24 hours?
- Are you an active member of more than two online dating sites?
- Have you, on more than one occasion, dated more than 3 different people in a week?
I was truly surprised by the list (read the article yourself for the entire 'criteria'). Just because someone has profiles on more than one online dating site does not mean much at all. In fact, I highly recommend that people join several online dating sites to determine which space will work best for their individual needs.
As well, I would think the term "professional dater" would be left for someone who gets paid to date. Not a lot of people fall into this category, I'll admit. Perhaps people like myself who write about dating and relationships or escorts would be considered 'professionals' (but let it be clear no one pays for my dates!). Instead, I feel that this article is sharing a list of traits to be found in people that are playing the field, or are not marriage-minded when it comes to dating. What do you think?
No single point in the list suggests a person is a professional (aka serial) dater. As the article says, a serial dater usually has six or more of the criteria listed. So a person using more than two online dating services means nothing by itself. However, if that same person also:
- rushes back to their computer after a date to check for emails from other people…
- bolts from relationships at the first sign of trouble and right back into online dating…
- never settles into an exclusive relationship…
- gets anxious if they can’t check message for over 24 hours…
- is always looking for the “perfect person” and passing a lot of people on the way for that quest…
then that person is showing potential symptoms of this growing problem. In fact, some TV talk shows are now dealing with the serial dater issue. These are people that go on hundreds of dates over the course of years and have virtually nothing to show for it.
If you type in “serial dater” into the Online Dating Magazine search box, you’ll find several more articles on this topic, including two really good ones by columnist Susan S. Davis.
Cheers,
Joe Tracy, Publisher
Online Dating Magazine
http://www.onlinedatingmagazine.com
Thanks for the response, Joe. If this piece has used “serial dater” instead, I think I would have agreed with a lot more points in it.