Virtual assistants to help women with online dating

Time-strapped women eager to stay on top of their game on the online dating scene will be glad to hear that a new service is promising to do all the hard work for them.

Since June this year, busy men have been able to outsource online dating by leaving their social lives in the hands of matchmaking service Virtual Dating Assistants' (VDA) professionals.

An expert team of virtual dating assistants on the website works on behalf of clients, dedicating 40 hours to handling everything from the creation of profiles to online interaction and, in due course, taking the relationship of the male client offline.

With Christmas around the corner and potentially the loneliest period before us, the online dating service has decided to allow busy females to enjoy the services of its virtual dating professionals.

The move follows unprecedented interest from single women, according to VDA co-founder and president Scott Valdez, who explained that "countless women have gone out of their way to make it clear" that they could benefit from a similar service.

Co-founder Mark Anderson explained that just like men, busy women need a service that can sort out their social lives without compromising their demanding schedules.

"I had always assumed that professional men would find our service most appealing since they have to take a proactive approach and craft hundreds of customised messages to women online, which takes considerable time," he said.

"What we realised though, after talking to countless time-strapped women, is that they need help weeding through the masses for potential keepers. Plus, many of them want to take a proactive approach to pursuing the most eligible bachelors possible online.

He went on to explain that many female professionals "simply don't have the time to handle these difficult and time-consuming activities themselves" just like their male counterparts.

Elsewhere, those participating in online dating can identify the best web-based matchmaking services by taking part in the first annual iDate Awards, which are aimed at recognising and honouring the sites.

According to organisers, the iDate Awards "will highlight the people and companies who exemplify the best and most innovative aspects of the internet dating and matchmaking industry".

Voting is currently on-going to name the top site among the nominees, which include online dating websites from Europe, North America and Asia competing across a variety of categories.

Winners of the categories, including Best Dating Site, Best Mobile Dating Site, Best Matchmaker and Most Innovative Company, will be announced at the Internet Dating Conference, which takes place at the Miami Beach Convention Center in January 2010.

Other categories in the awards, which also include mainstream as well as niche websites, include Best New Technology, Best Payment System, Best Affiliate Programme, Best Marketing Campaign and Best Up and Coming Dating Site.