If hanging out with the same set of friends and killing those free hours in the library is getting wearisome, then perhaps you could find a match at Wes Personals.
Wes Personals first began on the fairly successful Anonymous Confession Board, a blog that is now running its fifth discussion diary at LiveJournal (LJ). It has fostered a discussion of 437 comments since its inauguration on Oct. 15, 2006.
Wes Personals is a discussion board for Wesleyan students “to post their personals,” either anonymously or under their LJ usernames. This could include a description of personality or physical traits, or it could merely be a statement about the kind of relationship one is looking for. The aim is to bring together the exciting campus community that most students only scarcely know.
“I think it is a good idea as people get to meet people they wouldn’t normally meet,” said Mary Gonzalez ’09, who went out on four different first dates with students who posted or responded to her “personal” on the board. None of them transpired into a serious relationship, but she said that she still hangs out with one of them in a “friendly way.”
Given that the board is still in its infancy, the list of shortcomings isn’t too short.
“It should be productive in theory, but I think that people are too scared to put themselves out there,” said Madeline Weiss ’09.
The presence of such a gulf between the information provided by posters seems to be a recurrent thought.
“For me, the profile of the person who responded to me wasn’t exhaustive enough,” said Nick Marshall ’10, who only interacted shortly on the board before getting back together with his girlfriend.
The anonymity of the majority of students who post in the community, while an incentive for greater and freer participation, is not seen as the most productive means of seeking dates.
“There are either not enough people around or they are too shy to even respond as themselves,” said a disappointed Elena Logvinenko ’09.
“The fact is that if no one is responding to you openly and you want to get something out of it, it can be annoying,” said Sarah Leonard ’09.
For those who do end up finding desirable dates, the ball seems to be stuck in the court of friendship.
“I met people who I still talk to, [so I] have gotten friendships out of it,” Leonard said, who was content with the response she received on the board.
“I don’t know anyone who made a romantic connection, but they made friends,” said Janet Dewar ’09.
For all its seriousness of purpose, the journal produces its own moments of amusement.
“When people posted ‘personals,’ their friends would [post] to back them up,” Gonzalez recalled. “This is one of the more interesting things about the discussion.”
According to Gonzalez, trying to identify posters that one knows and praising friends to strangers makes for a fun pastime of its own.
“I personally just think it is a good thing to read at four in the morning, after writing an essay,” said Brian Brotman ’07, who finds the Anonymous Confession Board as more of a source of amusement. “I don’t think [Wes Personals] is that serious of an institution.”
Suggestions for improvement by users range from the desire for a search option to broader participation to moving the board out of the Live Journal community.
“It is pretty limited to a group. If it was a forum, more could be gotten out of it,” Leonard said.
At the end, there are still those who believe that the old-fashioned way of dating remains unbeatable.
“The best way to meet people is through your social interaction,” Logvinenko said. “If you go to an event you like or hang out with friends, you are more likely to meet people you are compatible with.”
But even Logvinenko isn’t willing to completely give up on the Wes Personals site. “It is all about trial and error,” she said.
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