Have you ever thought about the differences between face-to-face meetups vs online dating? In this article we dive into both.
You’ll either love it, or hate it.
That goes for both, or meetups, or online dating. But don’t knock either of them until you’ve tried them!
Here we look at some of the pros and cons of meetups vs online dating so you can make an informed decision about which is for you.
Obviously we’re a little bit biased though – face-to-face all the way!
Pros & Cons - In-person Meetups vs Online Dating
Right then – let’s take a look at meetups and socials vs online dating? What do we like and dislike about them?
In-person Meetups
Meetups and socials have been around for forever, but became a bit of an after thought when the first mainstream dating app, Match.com, launched in 1995 (wow that’s actually ages ago).
But they’re back, baby!
Now our meetups aren’t about dating, or meeting “the one”. They’re about getting out and having a nice time.
Here are a few things you need to know about meetups.
Pros of meetups
Immersive social experience
In-person social events are fun.
They give you the chance to increase your confidence levels and they’re a great opportunity to make friends and be part of a friendly community of like-minded people.
We recommend you attend our meetups alone and really immerse yourself into the experience.
In-person interaction
There’s nothing quite like seeing someone’s body language – that’s something you don’t get with online dating, but you get in bucket loads at a meetup.
It’s so much easier to make a connection when you’re stood facing someone in real life.
New friendships
It’s amazing to look around the room at a Single & Mingle meetup and see new friendships forming. It’s common for people to leave our events with one or two numbers of fellow members they can socialise with.
There’s a good chance you’ll catch someone’s eye, of course, but come with an open mind and willingness to meet new people and make new friends.
Cons of meetups
Cost
Although affordable, there’s a ticket fee for our meetups.
This allows us to continue to attract 60% new people to each meetup, offer our post-event connection request service, and work with the best venues (there are lots of other reasons we need to charge too).
Attending a meetup also means spending money on transport, drinks, and maybe even childcare.
Social anxiety
Sometimes, walking into a room full of people for the first time, at a venue you might not have been to before, can make you feel awkward or anxious.
We have welcoming hosts, fun ice-breakers, and conversation starters to help reduce these feelings.
No-shows
We try really hard to attract as many new members, and people to our socials as possible. But when people don’t show, it can affect the vibe.
We can’t do a great deal about it if people don’t let us know they’re no longer attending a meetup.
Online Dating
As mentioned above, the first dating app launched in the 90s, and is still going strong now. And there are now a plethora of dating apps on the market for you to choose from. Many are tailored to specific interests too.
Might online dating work for you?
Let’s take a look…
Pros of online dating
Convenience & Flexibility
We all run ridiculously busy lives and so going out might not be something you get much time to do.
With online dating, you can whip open a dating app or two whilst you’re on the bus, eating your lunch, or sat on the loo (whatever works for you).
Dating apps are accessible 24/7 which means you have oodles of singles at your fingertips whenever you fancy. Except for Thursday, which only lets you date, you guessed it, on a Thursday (we love this concept).
Variety
We can’t stress enough how wide the pool of singles is when dating online. But are they quality singles?
You can filter down based on demographic, interests, sexual preference, and so much more, meaning you only see singles that you’re likely to be in to.
New singles will pop into the infinite scroll daily so you should always get variety.
No awkwardness
Online conversations can help break the ice and reduce the initial awkwardness of a first-meet.
You can get a feel for someone’s morals, values, and interests, and decide whether you want to meet them in person or not.
If you decide not to, there’s zero awkwardness – unless you bump into them in the street, of course!
Cons of online dating
Superficiality
Many dating apps, like Tinder, place a heavy emphasis on profile photos.
Like books, we’re judged by our cover, so just be prepared for people to base their swipe-left or swipe-right decisions on appearance alone.
If you choose to embark on an online dating journey, we highly recommend working with our sister company, We Just Clicked, who will create you an enviable dating profile that gets you noticed.
Misrepresentation
Some singles exaggerate or lie about their personal information, interests, or relationship intentions.
This can lead to disappointment or wasted time when meeting someone who is not as they appeared online. It’s effectively false advertising!
Never meet with someone unless you know they’re real and authentic!
Ghosting
For those who haven’t heard of ghosting, it’s when someone cuts you off with no warning whatsoever.
And it happens a lot. Imagine talking to someone for days on end and then not getting a reply to your last message, but you’ve no idea why.
It can feel hurtful and frustrating, so watch out for this.
Meetups vs Online Dating - which is for you?
So, you’ve had a look at some of the pros and cons of both meetups and online dating.
Do you know which might work best for you?
