Lance,

It's not that there is "just a five year" discrepancy in age. That's not the point. The question is why is there a discrepancy? He should have known that this wouldn't sit well with certain females on his list. I don't see the logic in it.

You don't see the point because you're not a 40+ woman. You can't identify with it. I don't expect anyone but women in this age bracket to identify with it. It's about more than the five years. This is something we live with. It's frustrating, to say the least.

I'm not angry about it. My reaction was more of, "Now c'mon. You've gotta be kidding me." He just doesn't get it.

If he would have kept the ages equal, there would have been no room for interpretation or misinterpretation.

Earlier in this thread there was a reference about looking for something to be offended by. I don't look at the world that way. What I can tell you is that my reaction is due to something women have to confront all the time with regard to age. With all things being equal, 45-year-old female entrepreneurs should be given the chance to mingle with 45-year-old male entrepreneurs.

Just for the record, when I was 30, I wasn't interested in dating 45-year-old men. Come to think of it, I've never dated anyone older than 42. LOL. But that's not the point. The point is that we get a little tired of being devalued and overlooked in situations such as these.

(Horny old coot does makes sense. I've found that a lot of men in their forties aren't interested in dating women in their forties.)

That's all I'm trying to say..........

Deb,

I do understand your view and agree it would have made way more sense if the age groups were identical for both men and women. And I can't figure out why that wasn't the case. But as I said, there may be relevant information that I don't have.

My remark about the 5 year discrepancy was in reply to Kyle's horny men comment.

Anyway, it's wierd to hear you describe yourself as a baby boomer. Judging by your avatar picture I would have figured you for somewhere between 30-35 tops.

It would be interesting if someone called Rick on it just to see what his explanation was.

I don't have an issue with the way you feel. I'd just like to think that there is a better explanation than helping some guys feel better about themselves by hanging around with women a little bit younger, etc.

Perhaps I'm being naive, but I'd rather believe that it was a bone-headed yet honest mistake by a good person.

I guess I probably just don't get it. My wife is a little over a year older than I am. I love her for who she is, not because of an arbitrary number.

Didn't mean to cause any trouble. I was just wondering out loud about alternative motives.

Lance,

I started this thread to make people aware of this issue, not to come off as angry because I'm certainly not. I don't think this marketer is a bad guy. I just don't think he gets it.

BUT, as copywriters and marketers, it's good to be aware of these subtle or not-so-subtle messages we deliver. I'm not an angry feminist by any stretch of the imagination. I am, however, AWARE of what's going on around me.

Peace.

Deb

Deb,

You didn't come off that way, and I didn't mean to imply that you did. My apologies if I did. I've probably been guilty myself throughout this thread of not making my point clearly. Sometimes my message gets lost in translation between my brain and the keyboard.

Lance

Age has nothing to do with it. And I never said old.

Perhaps my last post came off as harsh, and I understand the reason for the email... but to think the idea -- especially as presented -- wouldn't get a negative reaction is just naive.

I think the inevitable flaw in all this is creating a product that mixes dating with business. Raddatz followed the same age specifications, unwittingly or not, as dating services. Those services almost always match men up with women a few years younger. That's how I drew my conclusion.

I have zero interest in trying to harangue, persuade, or otherwise lecture anybody about their dating preferences.

However, this type of age specification fails miserably when you attempt to apply it to other kinds of networking.

This is a good example of someone who did not know their target audience well enough.

Agreed. And you add the age discrepancy thing to it and it's all very .

Actually, I did call Rick on this yesterday. It will be interesting to see if he responds.

I've been unsubscribing to a lot of stuff this week because I just don't have time to read it. The fact that I even read this e-mail was a long shot.

People live with perceptions from others, and like it or not it does affect us. Perceptions are crazy and often so "off the mark" that it's ridiculous. I deal with that very issue in my neighborhood and at work, so when I got this e-mail, I just shook my head. I don't feel old or look old, so if I'm considered too old to hang out with a bunch of entrepreneurs, life goes on.

So the hook failed with some of us. I wonder if they'll have more success with hook-ups.

I'd love to hear his response if he ever gets back to you. If you don't mind sharing.