Busy students connect with local online dating service

Meeting new people for some IU students involves striking up nervous conversations in classes and study groups. For others, it involves talking over drinks at bars and house parties. \nBut now a new Bloomington area Web service, IUMeet.com, looks to serve those without the time for after-hours socialization.\nThe service, which was created by IU graduate students Jeremy Buckler and Young Chang, caters to Indiana students in and around the Bloomington area. It is an anonymous matchmaking service which offers space for users to post their profiles for others to browse. It is for both the romantically inclined and those simply looking to meet new people in a new town.\n"We are a matchmaking service for just about anyone over the age of 18 who is too busy with school, work, sports and other responsibilities or is too tired at the end of the day to go to bars or other popular meeting places to meet and interact with members of their own age group," Buckler said.\nThe service stemmed from a class project Buckler and Chang were assigned to work on. While brainstorming for Web site ideas, Buckler suggested a matchmaking Web site designed specifically for Bloomington and the surrounding area, because no existing service was appropriate and affordable for traditional college-aged students. IUMeet.com was born.\n"As graduate students of the University, we feel that we know what college-aged students want, and we will apply their tastes to IUMeet.com," Chang said.\nAnyone who has used the Internet before is aware of the dangers of roaming the Web, but Buckler said he assures users of the safety of the service.\n"The security is overwhelming," he said. "I have personally been a member of several competitive services and met some great people, as well as some psychos."\nThe service's security features include the restriction of e-mail addresses and the blockage of inappropriate language. Some words, banned by the site, show up as symbols instead of the word itself. Besides this automated system, the site's managers monitor the content of the site closely.\nRegistration for the service is free, as is instant messaging, profile and photo posting. The basic registration process is a simple matter, as is the method of finding a mate on the site. \nUsing an advanced search option, users can look for what they consider to be an ideal match. Users can modify their searches to include qualities like body type, interests or even the person's drinking or smoking habits. If participants find an ideal match, they can e-mail or instant message them to see if they are online. \nIf users are really interested in a person, they can send a virtual kiss to them, which are received through an e-mail in their IUMeet.com mailbox. If recipients like the potential suitors, they can reply via e-mail, phone or even set up a date face to face. \nTing Gan, a graduate student and a user of the service, said the site was easy to use.\n"Every step is well-guided, so you don't get lost or confused somewhere," Gan said.\nUsers of the site can only instant message and receive e-mails via IUmeet.com for free, but cannot send e-mails via the service. If users want to continue to e-mail via IUMeet.com, they begin to pay membership fees. Despite these costs, membership continues to grow. \n"Response to the site overall has been very good," Buckler said. \nAs more members register, the chance of meeting new people increases.\n"I registered about a week ago, and I already got an e-mail from a person who's also an IUMeet member today," Gan said. "It's pretty exciting to see that it's really happening."\n-- Contact staff writer Eamonn Brennan at eabrenna@indiana.edu.