Show me someone who is single in New York City and hasn’t tried, or at the very least considered, online dating. Since I moved here 5 years ago, this method of meeting people has evolved from stigmatized to the norm. At this point, even my mother- a woman who doesn’t own a cell phone, never watches television, and thus claims truly impressive pop-culture ignorance- has heard of Match.com. When my luddite mother has heard of something, it reaches a new status, one beyond “house-hold name”.

Just celebrating its one-year status, Stir Events by Match.com needs to achieve this same status. Singles of America, you need to know about this fantastic service Match.com now provides to all members! What the hell am I talking about? Stir is Match.com’s answer to offline singles events, offering a wide range of activities to Match.com members around the country ranging from large-scale happy hours at popular venues, to more intimate events like tequila tastings and DJ lessons.

Now, I did not meet my boyfriend through online dating. I met him in a way that could not be farther from New York cliché- at a renaissance faire. Yes, I’m serious. Before we met, I tried online dating on and off for nearly four years with very limited success. I always enjoyed the dates I went on, in fact some of my favorite New York hotspots were introduced to me by eligible online bachelors. The men were always nice enough, and more often than not interesting and reasonably successful. But I never found anyone I really clicked with; never in the way I clicked with people I met offline.

Part of that is due to chemistry- that intangible element that is impossible to measure until your face to face. That’s probably the #1 reservation people have about online dating. The other problem I had was more unique to me as the author of this blog. I have spent years cultivating my writing voice and there’s little I love more than a compliment regarding “my voice”. I’m perfectly pleased with how far it’s come and how engrained it now is. The only place this was ever a problem? My online dating profile.

Any other writers experience this problem? I found it impossible to write a profile that wasn’t with my writing voice!  “My voice” is me, there is no doubt about that. Still, representing myself through the written word found me attracting different types than my in-person, speaking-self would. I found it paradoxical- a problem I didn’t know how to solve. And no longer have to after finally meeting a great man. It only took four-freaking-years.

If you want to find someone sooner and have a similar difficulty with written representation, Match.com’s Stir is the perfect answer.  In just one year…Match has hosted 2,850 events – that’s 14 events each day! Over 225,000 singles have attended a Stir event to date! Match is throwing these events in over 80 cities across America – including events in Anchorage and Honolulu. The biggest event to date was (no surprise) in NYC: Wine tasting and cooking at The DL on the LES. Could you dream of a better singles event?

Well, here’s hoping you can because in celebration of the Stir anniversary, Match.com is offering the opportunity for singles to create their own Stir event! If your event is chosen, you’ll work with Match Stir event planners to bring it to life! The selected winner will have their idea re-created by the Match.com Stir Events team in their city, and will receive an invitation to attend the event along with ten of their singles friends – all at no charge! In addition, the winner will also receive a free six-month Match.com subscription.

Visit Match.com’s “What Stirs You?” Contest Page at http://promotion.binkd.com/Enter.aspx?id=8793 , now through Tuesday May 28^th, 2013 and tell Match.com what you think would make for the perfect singles event to be entered to win. Entries will be judged based on quality, creativity, uniqueness and geographical relevance.

You know me, I am the #1 fan of free stuff. I’m thiiiiis close to breaking up with my boyfriend just so I can participate. My event would involve kayaking on the Hudson, learning to make and sampling frozen hot chocolate. Okay, okay, I’m kidding. I’m not going to dump my brand-new boyfriend, even if he means missing out on this opportunity. Readers, please enter so I can live vicariously through you! Remember, this is open to anyone in the US, not just New York singles!

This post was sponsored in part by Match.com.