Activity Pudding

(A review of nmlk.nl)

Yours truly the Pudding Taster is a member of NMLK - "Nieuwe Mensen Leren Kennen" ("Meeting New People").

NMLK is not a dating site - it is an "activity site".

The site contains a list of activities. Members can subscribe to these activities - meaning they agree to go there. Members can also organize activities themselves, and that is how most activities on NMLK start.

How does it differ from Meetup Groups? The Pudding Taster will not be able to judge this until he has joined a Meetup Group; but at first glance, it would seem that Meetup Groups are groups of people who share a particular interest. NMLK, by contrast, has lots of different activities to choose from, catering to a variety of tastes. From a dog walk to a workshop on making chocolates, from skate-dancing to an ordinary drink - there's a lot of events you can join on this site!

NMLK helps you to try out new things - by facilitating the process of introducing yourself.

If you go somewhere by yourself, and want to meet people - you will have to address them. Depending on the situation, this may be awkward. With NMLK, there is always a group of people that you belong to.

NMLK points out that it is a site for meeting people in general, NOT a dating site. According to themselves, it started when 2 young men moved to Amsterdam and realized they didn't know anybody there. So they set up this site to meet other people there.

It has since grown into a site with a large membership.

Not all members are single, but most are, says NMLK - this fits the experience of the Pudding Taster, who has never heard anybody talk about their Significant Other at an NMLK activity.

But being single is not a requirement for joining NMLK, and the Pudding Taster approves of this; it keeps NMLK firmly away from the world of "singles activities", and creates a more relaxed atmosphere. The Pudding Taster believes that, paradoxically, this should make it more conducive to finding love! (Remember the old adage that loves comes when you don't expect it?)

Yet NMLK seems to have taken a cue from dating sites: they try to get an equal number of male and female members, and there is a waiting list for those who want to join.

If NMLK were a pudding....how does Activity Pudding taste?
Activity Pudding has a lot of substance, and a flavor of one's choosing. Although the sweet ingredient of love was not in the pudding that yours truly the Pudding Taster had, he believes that it could well be on the menu.

And now in English:
With NMLK, you actually meet people in real life. You don't have to write to them beforehand - you really meet, then and there (the "substance" of the pudding).

You can join any activity you like, and there are a lot of them (hence, "a flavor of one's choosing").

Not all activities are created equal. Some gather more public than others do.
The group is different for every activity, and some groups are more fun than others are. But that holds true wherever you go.

The best part is - if you don't meet Miss or Mr Right, at least you've been out and socialized with people. You've been doing something fun, and perhaps found an activity that you didn't even know existed.

Pudding Judgment: 8 out of 10

The Pudding Taster finds NMLK the best pudding he's had so far - in fact, the only service he willingly pays for!

Fun with Numbers

Just a quick but interesting finding....

Of the 2.2 million singles in the Netherlands, 3 million are members of Relatieplanet.nl.

Sources:
http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vrijgezel (for the number of 2.2 million singles)
http://www.datingwebsites.nl/vergelijker.php?check_13=1&check_8=1 (for the 3 million members).

Also note that Lexa.nl (which is owned by Match.com) claims 1.6 million members - apparently, every 1 in 10 people over here is a member of Lexa. With such numbers, we don't need to subscribe to Match/Lexa - just address people in real life, there's a 10% chance that they are single & looking!

Who knew mathematics could be so funny?