The search for companionship is a difficult and frustrating process. There are so many people out there, and yet, so few opportunities to meet them. The advent of online dating has introduced new possibilities, but instead of solving the problem of how to bring people together, it seems to have only created entirely new problems. How do you represent yourself in online form? How do you trust people? How do you avoid the exposure of having a profile up for all the world to see?
People need help, and they're not going to get it from a computer. They need help from each other. Strange Angels is an opportunity to get that help—and to give it. We offer a network of volunteer matchmakers who are available to help you find the person you're looking for. And if you want to be a matchmaker yourself, you may join them.
When you sign up with Strange Angels, instead of launching into the stressful and exasperating process of navigating through a typical dating site, you may partner with a matchmaker who will serve as your advocate and your guide. A matchmaker could be a professional, a friendly volunteer, or someone you know personally who wants to help. Some matchmakers may specialize in certain kinds of communities, such as gay & lesbian, artistic, or business. Most dating sites are basically comprised of thousands of isolated individuals working independently to fulfill their personal needs. Strange Angels is the opposite—it is an online community where people cooperate and volunteer to assist each other in their shared goals. Others may simply be a good person to have in your corner. Many matchmakers may also be searching for a companion and want to earn some good karma by helping others. We are opening the site to all different kinds of matchmakers in order to best meet everyone's needs. Once you partner with a matchmaker, this person may help you compose a profile, suggest other people on the site, or simply serve as a reference should you need one. How you work with your matchmaker is totally between the two of you.
We are just in the very beginning stages of building our community and are looking for compassionate, spirited people who are interested in being a part of something new and unique. Strange Angels is not only going to be a different online dating site, but a different kind of social networking site in general. We are going to build a true network of people working together to help each other find companions. We believe it will be a fun and easy way to make a real difference in someone's life, while making new friends in the process. (And if that isn't enough of a reason, you could also earn some money while doing it!)
If you think you might be interested in becoming a matchmaker, we want to hear from you. Please fill out this form.
Do I have to use a matchmaker?
No. Whether or not you use a matchmaker is entirely up to you. We think there are a lot of great reasons to use one, but even if you choose to act alone, you may still find it beneficial that others on the site have elected to take advantage of this service.
What are the responsibilities of a matchmaker?
Matchmakers provide many important services. They put out a good word for you on your behalf, so that you don't have to worry as much about "selling yourself." They recommend other people on the site to you, cutting down the amount of work it takes to sort through listings. They can help you build your profile. They can screen people contacting you, making sure only the people you really want to talk with get through. If you choose, they help keep your profile anonymous in case you don't want your family or coworkers seeing your profile. They can also offer valuable feedback.
That sounds like a lot of work. What are the benefits to being a matchmaker?
Often a matchmaker will be a friend you know in real life who wants to help you. Some of the people volunteering as matchmakers may also be single. It's a great way for them to establish themselves on the site and generate some attention, while demonstrating good character. Other matchmakers may already be in relationships, but want to engage in a social networking experience that makes a difference.
There are many reasons why someone would want to serve as a volunteer matchmaker -- but in the coming months, we will also be giving people the ability to "tip" their matchmakers with tokens that the matchmakers may cash in for money, or other goods and services.
How do I find a matchmaker?
There are a couple of different ways to find a matchmaker. You may simply perform a search based on a number of criteria, such as common interest, location, age, etc… But you may also visit the "matchmaker" section of the site, where we list selected matchmakers we feel are doing a good job. Every so often, we will also profile matchmakers in the blog.
Once I partner with a matchmaker, am I stuck with that person?
Not at all. Matchmaker partnerships are set to expire every two weeks. If you don't feel your partnership is working, you may simply move on. You may also terminate the partnership at any time.
Can I have more than one matchmaker?
There's a saying in football: "If you have four quarterbacks, you really have none." We believe that allowing people to have multiple matchmakers will dilute the power of those matchmakers, so we only allow you to have one at a time. It's better to have one person acting as your chief advocate.
Can I be both a member and a matchmaker?
Yes. This essentially requires you to sign up for two accounts and switch back and forth between them. This is because we would like you to keep these roles separate. If you're logged in as a matchmaker, you should spend your time on the site helping others, not looking for your own companion. Once you have completed your session as a matchmaker, you may then switch to your member account and begin your work searching for your own companion. Also, we eventually plan to charge a small monthly fee for members, while keeping matchmaker accounts free.
How much does the site cost?
For the initial rollout of the site, StrangeAngels.com will be free to everyone. Sometime in early 2012, we plan to start charging a very low fee of $4.95/month for members. Matchmaker accounts will always be free. We have decided to go this route for two important reasons. 1) We only want people on the site who are actively searching for a companion, and by charging a low fee, it ensures that everyone on the site is current. 2) The alternative to charging a membership fee is having an ad-based site. And you pay for that with your soul. We're very serious about making Strange Angels a dating site that not only helps you find a companion, but also challenges your thinking. We feel the presence of advertisements on the site would be in conflict with our overall mission. Someday it may be possible for us to manage advertisements in a way that is cohesive with the tone and style of the site -- and we have talked about ways we can promote other businesses that share our philosophy. But generally speaking, on ad-based websites, the customer becomes the product. So we have decided the best experience for the community will be one in which you contribute directly to our success, without any third-party influence.
When you sign up for an account on Strange Angels, you have the option of either being a member, which is someone looking for a companion, or a matchmaker, which is someone who has chosen to help others.
If you sign up as a member, you may then, if you choose, partner with a matchmaker to help you along. If you don't already know your matchmaker, you can either perform a search for one based on location, common interest, etc... or you may visit the "Matchmaker" section of the site that features people we recommend.
We want to make you feel safe to give matchmakers a try, which is why we set partnerships to expire every two weeks. At the end of the two week cycle, you may renew your partnership, or you may choose to move on. You may also terminate a partnership at any time.
As a matchmaker, you have many tools at your disposal to help your clients. You can recommend other members to your clients. You can post notes for your clients on other member's profiles, which your clients can respond to. You can also compose testimonials that appear on your client's profile. And in the coming months, in order to help reward matchmakers for their efforts, we will give matchmakers the ability to receive tokens from their clients, which can then be traded in for money, or other goods and services.
To contact us, send an email to info [at] StrangeAngels [dot] com, or even better, use this form.