Meetup to Find New Friends, Potential Dates

Looking to explore a new interest or get back into an old one? Looking for people you might want to date? Writing in the Los Angeles Times Magazine, 40-something Amy Albert says forget the online dating services -- go to a Meetup.com gathering.

Meetup provides a forum for people who want to do something -- play in an over-40 soccer league, go to wine tastings, hike -- to plan actual, real world get-togethers. Here in Los Angeles, one of the largest groups is The Los Angeles Art Group, but there's also the Portuguese Language Group, a Manga section, and a bunch of Dallas Cowboys supporters.

Albert didn't start going to meetups to find dates -- she wanted to improve her French -- but she realized that when people with similar interests get together, who knows what can happen?

Again, the C word: community. It reminds me of how isolating Internet dating has been in all its single-minded efficiency. But when you're doing your thing--and for every thing there is a Meetup -- the pressure is off. You're not auditioning for anything. You're opening yourself up to serendipity. And that is a way to meet someone.

This isn't news. But it's easy to forget when you're shopping hard for love.

So if you're looking to expand your horizons, have some fun with like-minded people, and maybe stumble upon a particularly interesting person, check out the Meetup site.