ONLINE MATCHING

What do you guys think of www.match.ph? Or of the services it offers, in general? Someone in PEx thinks that it's a good idea. I think that it's not, especially for Filipinos. Yes, Filipinos are in love with the idea of love. They love to talk about it, to write about it, to read about it, to watch it on TV or in the movies. However, I don't think people will be willing to pay to be 'matched'. It's not a sure thing, and I would think that Filipinos prefer interaction before thinking about any possibility of being with someone. For blind dates, I think they only work because the person who sets up the date is someone who's trusted. Unlike online matching, you're actually being paired up with someone by a program! I don't think Filipinos are ready for that.

Yes, people do text LinkTV, and they post in message boards like PinoyExchange, chat in IRC, etc. They're paying indirectly - they pay for the text message, for the prepaid internet card or postpaid account - but they don't pay for 'being matched'. Heck, people even post their celphone numbers in LinkTV so that they can be contacted directly, without going through the 'expensive' LinkTV service.

Also, there are just so many things to spend on. Things that are considered necessary. Prepaid internet cards, postpaid dial up accounts, celphone prepaid cards, food, transportation, clothes, etc. If ever, an online matching service will be last on the list.