The Internet hookup has matured.
Logging on for companionship used to be mostly limited to looking for love, or something a little naughtier. But now more and more people are using the Web to keep active and be more social.
Need a walking buddy, want to play some tennis or join a basketball league? Websites like these will help you get connected:
After games, members are encouraged to attend regularly sponsored “social events” at local bars and eateries that provide food and drink specials for playcoed.com neighborhood teams.
Another feature allows members to keep their profiles “private” so only friends can access them on the site.
Notices throughout the site drive home the fact it’s not a way to find romance. The site includes a “report abuse” function to help weed out would-be daters.
Trend experts say they’ve noticed a contingent of regular business travelers who use the site to line up workouts with partners wherever their jobs send them. Advertisements from health organizations, fitness equipment and medicinal companies keep the site free for members.
Individuals can find activity partners or leagues to join, while already established teams can find new players. Members can create profiles, upload season league schedules, assign game positions or send out mass e-mail invitations to upcoming games. Additional site content includes blogs from professional athletes, health equipment and fitness product reviews, and local hot spots for sport activities.
In their profiles, members usually list six to eight activities they play or are interested in trying out. Additional details include rating their ability, how frequently they play and their competitive level.
Offered activities have grown from 400, when it launched in 2004, to more than 1,300 now.
Activities aren’t limited to sports; members can choose from friends interested in organic farming or Scrabble to those who are passionate about grilling or knitting.
People ages 25 to 34 make up the largest demographic, and there tend to be more women than men.
A new feature on the site allows members to organize their own events and help “get people from behind their computers,” Muro says.
Posters have the ability to be very specific about what they are and are not looking for.
In a post that ran a few weeks ago, a 22-year-old woman requested a running partner “for an early morning or late night running” to prepare for a test in which she would have to run 2 miles in 17 minutes. She added in her post: “PS I’m married. I need a running partner not a boyfriend!!!!”
One 31-year-old man who had recently ended a seven-year relationship was looking for recreational heartbreak therapy. “I’d like to get into some activities outside, specifically hiking. I am definitely a novice, so either fellow novices or patient intermediates please.”
Here are more options for recreational activities online:
