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Some folks believe that falling in love is a matter of fate -- trusting that if they go about their lives, they'll meet their soul mates. Others approach it with the strategy of a business investment. Ron James, 48, for example, contacted hundreds of women -- sometimes going on three dates in one day(!) -- until he met the right one.

Playing the Numbers
After his divorce in 2006, Ron went on a find-a-new-partner mission. He signed up for JDate, a dating service for Jewish singles. "I'd work at it two to three hours a night," he says, managing his love life like he was a CEO.

In the first 18 months, he emailed 500 to 600 women. "I thought it was a respect thing, so I tried to respond to everybody," says Mr. James. "Even if it was just to say that it didn't appear that we would be a good fit. It also became clear after emailing or talking to some on the phone, that it was not the right fit, so I definitely didn't meet all of them."

From there he whittled it down to meeting/dating about 40 to 50 women, sometimes booking three coffee dates in a day.

Click here to read the rest after the jump.



It may sound extreme, but experts say that casting a wide net is a common approach, especially for guys. "I think men believe in the numbers theory -- the more women they meet, the more likely they are to find the right one for them," says Cherie Burbach, author of "Internet Dating Is Not Like Ordering Pizza."

Men -- who may be more task-oriented than women -- tend to treat online dating like fishing: Cast a wide net and see what happens.

(Click Next to read more about Ron's search for love.)

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