OK, so, the reason I asked: The writer, Ellen McCarthy, is a former technology reporter for the Post. She's in her late 20s, pretty much the prime demo for folks in Meetin, Meetup and other such groups. Meetin has been written about in the Post before, most notably by the Going Out Gurus.
She chose Dave because he's got an interesting story...and then used none of it. My roommate is an editor at the USAToday - the McPaper - and said that the first page of this woman's story is absolutely some of the worst language and awkward wording she's ever seen. I absolutely agree with her. Waste of 600 words. Attaching words like "banal" and "a little sad" without specifically referring to the situation, not the subject, is sloppy and irresponsible. All readers who think she's talking about the situation are *inferring* it. Her sentences and use of sloppy phrasing make it quite ambiguous as to her true descriptor. Also, the average reader barely gets through 4 paragraphs of the average feature. The first four paragraphs do not do Dave any favors. Now, I know I'm playing a bit of Gene here, but I wondered if the photos would change any opinions. Especially female ones. Dave, as you can tell through my (admittedly) stunning photography, is in ridiculously good shape. He's not sucking in his gut, he's not flexing. Not doing the "go to the gym for a quick pump before going out" thing; that's him. He's a trim, athletic, goofily-handsome character. He's not nearly the loner type; he was just in a new city with no established friendships, which pretty much describes half of the people who come to DC. I spent Friday night with Dave and Romel (also mentioned in the story) along with some other friends knocking down some dark beers at RFD in Chinatown. He was not a fan of this article, and I can't say I blame him. My Datelab didn't make me look as bad as my date, but Dave's article will forever attach "banal" and "a little sad" to every Google search he'll ever get. Seems pretty severe for a dude who just wanted to go rock climbing. --- In [email protected], "areofilm" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > I would keep reading, it's probably a story on how loners can meet > other loners or something like that. > > > --- In [email protected], "Ray Bradley" > <clavenia@> wrote: > > > > from Friday's Weekend section... > > http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp- > > dyn/content/article/2007/06/14/AR2007061400319.html > > > > This is the lede. I am friends with the subject, so I am biased. If > > you read these first few paragraphs, would you be inclined to read > > the rest? > > > > What would your opinion of Dave be? > > > > -------------------------------------------- > > > > Dave Connolly needed friends. > > > > Which is a tricky predicament. Tricky and kind of banal. And -- let's > > be honest -- a little sad. > > > > By the time you're out there in the world, haven't there been enough > > opportunities -- in the sandbox and eighth-grade math class and the > > varsity tennis team and between dorm rooms and cubicle clusters -- to > > pick up a few good friends? > > > > Obviously. > > > > Unless, you know, there weren't. Or there were. There were all those > > opportunities, and buddies were met and made and then, somehow, lost. > > Binding ties came unbound. > > > > Maybe there was a marriage. A baby. A transfer, a taxing project, an > > illness, a changing lifestyle, diverging hobbies, a new neighborhood, > > a gradual maturing, a big dramatic fight over a guy you were both > > interested in. Maybe your new medical sales job has you sleeping in > > Reston and creeping along Interstate 66, shaking hands with lots of > > doctors and nurses and not really getting to know anyone. > > > > Maybe you're Dave Connolly, 29, athletic and outgoing and fun and > > successful, and everything was great and your social calendar was > > booming until one day it just wasn't. > > > > Banal. A little sad. And common enough for this town to support a > > whole host of organizations designed to help people reach out and > > meet someone. Probably lots of someones. Probably in similar > > predicaments. > > > > ------------------------------------------------ > > > > Do these photos change or affirm your image of Dave? > > > > http://picasaweb.google.com/telecomic/BillyGoatTrail050606/photo#50616 > > 66529504285106 > > http://picasaweb.google.com/telecomic/BillyGoatTrail050606/photo#50616 > > 67349843038706 > > http://picasaweb.google.com/telecomic/WhiteoakCanyonTrail/photo#506981 > > 9857564963250 > > http://picasaweb.google.com/telecomic/WhiteoakCanyonTrail/photo#506982 > > 3362258276962 > > http://picasaweb.google.com/telecomic/WhiteoakCanyonTrail/photo#506982 > > 4994345849554 > > http://picasaweb.google.com/telecomic/WhiteoakCanyonTrail/photo#506982 > > 5174734476002 > > http://picasaweb.google.com/telecomic/WhiteoakCanyonTrail/photo#5 > > 069829242068505634 > > >
