Is it All Over for the Personal Ads? by Jane Foster

At one time, joining a dating agency or putting a personal ad in the paper was seen as the mark of desperation. If anyone did do it, they seldom admitted it - unless they actually ended up meeting someone and staying with them. Then the details of how they met might leak out slowly.. But technology has changed the way people meet and interact, and one of the most common pastimes is chatting on the Net.

It's now so common to chat with the opposite sex online that the taboo of actively advertising and looking for a partner has finally been lifted.

More and more people are using the Internet to find a partner - we hear many success stories due to such things as Love@Lycos.

I can account for this personally (though not for myself!) as I seem to meet increasing numbers of happy couples who have met on the Internet. And the important thing is - there's no shame in admitting it. This is all good news. With our increasingly busy working lives and fragmented social lives, it can be difficult to find the time and motivation to look for a partner. But does it mean that the old fashioned personal ad is losing out?

The language and abbreviations of the personal ads have slowly slipped into public consciousness - even to those who insist they never read them, let alone advertise. But will we soon hear no more of the old 'GSOH?' Or the 'bubbly blonde' who likes 'wild nights out and cosy nights in?' Or even the rather more dodgy 'couple seeking other couple for 'fun times?' So, before the personal ad dies a natural death, here's a little sample of the more common phrases used in the adverts.

And next to them..is what we all know they really mean...or at least the cynical amongst us do!!

'Considered attractive' - by his half blind grandmother - especially in that lovely tank top she knitted him for Christmas.. 'Seeking faithful lady' - not like that bitch who went off with the jerk in the Mercedes. Height : 5.6' and three quarters..honest.. - has issues with his penis size.

'Solvent' - glue sniffer. 'Single mothers welcome' - paedophile. 'Mature student..into philosophy' - Lazy twat who can't be arsed to get a job. 'Likes all the usual things'- I'm a long-term advertiser who can't be bothered to run through the list again. 'Seeks old-fashioned girl' - Get in that kitchen, woman..

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