With the rise of technology and social networking, people are increasingly living through their fingertips. Texting, Facebook messaging, GPS mapping and even real-time, close-to-in-person conversing via webcams and mobile devices have become commonplace. Alice Vysata, a 32-year-old La Jollan, jumped on the social networking bandwagon for an increasingly popular reason — to find love. Working in Las Vegas in the real estate development field and having little time for the bar scene, the self-described workaholic started joining dating websites several years ago, but found online dating to be a “hit or miss process.” “A lot of sites are what many would call meat markets, for lack of a better word,” said Vysata, who moved to La Jolla about three years ago when construction in Vegas took a downward turn. “There are so many people on those sites that people jump around from person to person, and it seems to never last.” Vysata, who has particular interests in piano, classical literature and history, said it was hard to find someone who really enjoys the things she enjoys. So Vysata, looking to embark on a new career, took matters into her own hands and developed a new dating website that launched last month. Instead of matching couples based on physical attributes — height, weight, etc. — the site connects people based on interests, no matter how unique those interests are. Each person who joins the site, www.heartandhobby.com, can join up to 25 interest groups. If a group doesn’t already exist, users can create their own. “Ask any single man or woman. It takes more than a shared ZIP Code and a few keywords to strike up a lasting relationship,” said Vysata. “No questionnaire, algorithm or drop-down list can encompass everything that makes an individual unique.” Heart and Hobby is just starting to become populated with users, mainly in Southern California, and Vysata hopes the site’s popularity will soon spread nationwide. She just shot a TV commercial in La Jolla, which will air on a number of cable channels. The 15- and 30-second productions stage what Vysata describes as a “comical twist on the typical disastrous first date versus a successful date where two people share common interests.” The commercials were filmed just around the corner from Vysata’s office at Aquamoree, located at 1250 Prospect St. The restaurant, which just opened its doors in October, will be working with Vysata in hosting singles gatherings. Zel’s, a restarant in Del Mar, will also be holding such parties. “The owner of Zel’s was telling us that some of his single patrons, women, were saying that there is nowhere to go in the La Jolla-Del Mar area to meet other like-minded singles,” said Vysata. “So we are excited to be starting these kinds of regular singles gatherings in the area for those of us who are not tied down.” Vysata is offering a special promo code for readers of the Village News. The code, “LAJOLLA30,” gets site visitors a 30-day free trial.
