Scrabble, salsa, sushi - how Parisians use the internet

Dec 10, 2009, 9:52 GMT

Paris - 'That's a tennis racquet, not a fly swatter,' says Jean-Marc with a laugh.

'Watch out, I'm gonna make you run,' replies Delphine, hitting the ball sharply into the corner of the court.

There's a lot of verbal back-and-forth in this tennis match on a cool November morning in Paris. They might tease each other like old friends, but Jean-Marc and Delphine have just met. They are part of a growing community of Parisians who search the internet for people with common interests who can meet on short notice.

The French-language website onvasortir.com is part of the trend. Its motto is 'return to real life' and it has nothing to do with the typical flirt and matchmaking websites commonly found on the internet. The goal is to help people make solid plans to enjoy activities with others who have the same interests.

This applies to all sorts of activities from playing Scrabble to eating sushi and salsa dancing. A women's clothing exchange for sizes 38-40, all styles, is one example. Someone else offers help repairing bicycles. There's a group organizing a Saturday night out at the movies and another setting up Sunday morning roller skating through the park followed by a stop at a cafe.

'The advantage is people are able quickly to find other people who have the same desire to do something at the same time,' said Delphine. It is often difficult to plan an outing such as going to the movie with friends because people's schedules tend to be full. The website is useful for getting to know people who live in the same part of town and have the same interests - tennis partners who play at similar levels, for example.

There's no charge to register on the site, which is funded through advertisements and admission to parties and other events arranged with commercial partners. The site, which Parisians call OVS, has existed for four years, but started to gain a following in just the past 12 months. Currently, there are 80,000 people registered. Most of them in Paris, but people in other French cities also are joining in.

Olivier, an OVS member who recently moved from Marseille to Paris, logged into the site on his first night in Paris and found a group planning to meet for a glass of wine at a particular location in his neighbourhood.

'It is a neat and easy way to meet new people,' he said. Similar to Facebook, the website allows people to set up a profile, including as much detail about their interests and hobbies as they desire. By clicking on the profile of another member users get a colour-coded overview showing which interests they have in common.

'No doubt there are people who want to use it for flirting,' said Virginie. 'But they aren't necessarily going to sign up to attend a Titian exhibit,' she added. She spoke at a cafe after going to the Louvre with three other OVS members.

'If I find someone nice and I want to meet with them again, I can easily contact them on OVS,' Virginie said. 'And if not, then we have at least had a nice evening.'