Group-dating from Japan - the latest craze in online dating

The online dating world is a world of many fads and crazes, and the latest is "group dating". Forget speed dating, online chat, one-to-one chat and message boards. What we all want is to go out and meet people in groups.

The idea is that it is much easier, more fun and more relaxed to go out in a group to meet members of the opposite sex. And we're not talking about going out on the pull with a bunch of pals on a Friday night. This is more organised, more formal and somewhat more civilised.

The concept, known as "kompa" or "compa", comes from Japan, where it's been established for many years. A group of about four men and four women will meet up in a restaurant and sit down in a boy-girl boy-girl configuration. After introductions and a clinking of glasses, small talk begins, and romance, possibly blossoms. This method overcomes the traditional reluctance for Japanese people to talk with people to whom they have not been introduced properly.

There's no reason why this shouldn't be transplanted onto a online dating model. Indeed services in the UK and around the world are beginning to pick up on the idea and bolt it onto their existing services (see www.midsummerseve.com) or dedicate themselves to compa (see www.compa.co.uk). Instead of joining the service on your own, you sign up as a group and nominate a "captain". The captain takes care of locating and communicating with other groups on the site. He or she will arrange the real-life compa and pass the dates and times to other members of the group.

Going on a group date is a lot more relaxed than the white knuckle ride of meeting a stranger from the Internet in a one-to-one situation. A common preconception is that people who use Internet dating lack social skills but if you can rally a group of friends together then by definition you must be a pretty sociable person.

What's more, if you're introduced to somebody who's already an accepted part of a social group you'll tend to trust them more. One of the key "deal-breakers" in new relationships is whether you get on with your new beau's friends. With kompa you get to meet them right away so there's no guesswork! Wonderful!

About the Author:
Gordon Smith is an online dating and mobile dating consultant based in the UK. www.gordonsmith.co.uk