Got him by the... Linx Dating, a Bay Area matchmaking service, isn't pimping anyone per se. They claim to connect San Francisco women with Silicon Valley guys. Why is this legal but being a madam of an outcall service isn't? Your explanations welcome in the comments. The pitch, below:

Hi Melissa,
We represent matchmaker Amy Andersen, founder of Palo Alto-based Linx Dating. Linx is an exclusive, by-invite-only, Bay area based dating service created for the 'marriage minded', targeting Silicon Valley men and San Francisco women. Founded in December 2003, Linx offers a unique dating service that combines old-world matchmaking with professional networking events and "concierge" services, including restaurant reservations, sedan bookings and flower delivery. Linx offers their clients complete 'image makeovers' from hair & make-up, to personal fitness training and strategic date coaching. Linx will take the Silicon Valley engineers from geek to chic, revamping wardrobes and grooming regimens to boost their confidence and their chances of impressing their dates.

The idea came to Amy in 2001, when she herself was dating a man who had friends who were single bachelors sporting Ivy League degrees and high-powered careers, but few romantic prospects. Some 30 miles away in San Francisco, Amy's girlfriends, who had similar Junior League pedigrees and Pilates-sculpted bodies, complained they couldn't meet any mates with marriage potential, thus came the idea to bridge the gap between the Silicon Valley man and the San Francisco woman, creating new possibilities that they might not have otherwise.

Andersen herself offers her best testimonial. She found happiness with a Silicon Valley geek of her own! They plan to marry in June!

On Thursday, May 1st, Linx will be hosting its first exclusive VIP event featuring two of their most eligible bachelors and inviting 25 women to meet them and have a mini-date.
I think an interview with Amy on her unique dating company, Linx, would make an interesting feature for Valleywag!

I look forward to hearing from you!

Best wishes,

Simin

Simin Adam

4:40 PM on Wed Apr 23 2008
By Melissa Gira Grant
2,973 views
24 comments

Comments

BartKela at 04:53 PM on 04/23/08
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The SF Chronicle covered this service in a Valentine's Day article last year. link
giddieup at 05:05 PM on 04/23/08
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this just sounds like a ripoff of the millionaire's club.
Bornean at 05:06 PM on 04/23/08
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The funny part of this is the Amy Anderson lady. Seen after reading the comments of this post:

[www.radaronline.com]

"For starters, Linx memberships START at 5K, so please, for yourself, your readers, etc, post accurate info. It's annoying ....." Get your facts straight.

I also would like to offer my props to VW for giving Linx a chance. However, I don't understand the idea of a matchmaking service with such strict requirements wanting to be placed in front of masses of normal people. You have to pick out these people by hand, after all.
jackparsons at 05:08 PM on 04/23/08
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Does anyone know this Amy chick? I'd like to get a copy of her client list so I can personally call up every single one of them and laugh at them.
johnnypotatoes at 05:11 PM on 04/23/08
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Assuming you're serious about wanting an explanation as to why this isn't like prostitution -- I think you might get a good answer if you simply walk up to one of the women who use the service and call her a whore. Let us know how that goes.
pdave at 05:11 PM on 04/23/08
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How about a dating service for the *not* so marriage-minded? Comparing the traffic between w4m and m4w vs. cas on craigslist would imply a much greater potential customer base, plus you'd get a lot more repeat business.
Ted Dziuba at 05:12 PM on 04/23/08
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Really? Posting some shit from a PR flack? I thought Valleywag was cooler than that.
johnnypotatoes at 05:13 PM on 04/23/08
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Assuming you are serious in asking that question about how this is different from prostitution, why not just walk up to one of the women who use the service and call her a whore? Let us know how that goes.
johnnypotatoes at 05:14 PM on 04/23/08
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Uh, this system ate my first attempt to comment, and now it's there.
westphalia at 05:48 PM on 04/23/08
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Being a madam of "marriage-minded" singles?
ianloic at 06:03 PM on 04/23/08
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So they're giving the geeks new clothes and better hair cuts. Why aren't they teaching these women how to program in Python and kill trolls in World of Warcraft? It's a two way street!
BobDope at 06:18 PM on 04/23/08
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All this dating crap is just going to drag you Valley ubermenschen down. Just stick to the prostitutes and you won't have to make the family or job decision and get fired by whatsisname from Mahalo. You can leave the money on the table or wherever and then slink back to yr hole for another 22 hours of codin greatness.
giddieup at 06:40 PM on 04/23/08
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@ianloic: because its faster to do an haircut to a nerd than it is to teach hashes to a blonde...

it is all about how fast they can do things so they can get more customers and make more money.
giddieup at 06:41 PM on 04/23/08
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say whos the chick in the pic.. she looks hot.

Is she available :)
Swifter at 07:09 PM on 04/23/08
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Can they get me a date with Julia Allison?
Rock tha Hizzee at 08:07 PM on 04/23/08
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@ianloic: +1
matto at 10:18 PM on 04/23/08
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I think reading these comments made me just a little bit more stupid.
sample032 at 11:06 PM on 04/23/08
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I stopped reading after "invite only."
Rachel Marsden at 04:27 AM on 04/24/08
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What a waste of money. I tapped a nerd for free. I didn't need no "service".
googoobaby at 06:55 AM on 04/24/08
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@Rachel Marsden: A nerd parasite isn't the same as a nerd.
tawni at 07:09 AM on 04/24/08
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@ianloic: I already know python and can kill trolls very well with my epic geared lvl 70 night elf priest. So I guess I don't need to spend the 5k I just need to find a guy geek.
ResearchZilla at 08:59 AM on 04/24/08
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what's a "date?" i keep seeing this word used on the interweb...
bugz321 at 09:04 AM on 04/24/08
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@sample032: I got a little farther. I mafe it to "...junior league pedigrees" before I threw up in my mouth a little bit.
As to why it's not illegal, here's an old joke:
A man meets a woman at a party and asks her if she'd have sex with him for a million dollars. She says, "sure". Then he asks if she'd have sex with him for $100. She slaps him and says, "what do you think I am"? To which he replies, "We've already determined what you are, now we're just haggling over the price".
doll-shaped-engine at 01:51 PM on 04/24/08
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-Hey, you got your jazzercizing, precariously-ovulating gold digger all over my frail, robotic, fluorescent-lit popular mechanics subscriber!...

-Hey, YOU got YOUR frail, robotic, fluorescent-lit popular mechanics subscriber all over MY jazzercizing, precariously-ovulating gold digger!...

...Waitaminute, this biological coupling is delicious! And eligible for multiple tax exemptions.

All joking aside though, God bless those compsci eunuchs and their barren-wombed betrotheds.

I wonder if they've picked out the nationality of their first nanny yet?