Who Or What Is Thinking Bob?

We love connecting with people who contribute something different to the UK dating scene so it was great to catch up with Rebecca Gregory, founder of thinking bob – a unique social club that’s more like a village pub…

How long have you been running the thinking bob site and what was the inspiration behind it?

Thinking bob launched in May 2013 and has been growing rapidly ever since. The story behind it is one of personal experience. I moved to London in 2011 and found it hard to make new friends. I met a lot of random people but I wasn’t forming any connections. I was single and looking to meet someone but in a natural way and had bad experiences with online dating sites. I wanted to create a natural pressure free way to meet others around me doing things I love. It turned out a lot of other people needed it too and it exploded from there.

Could you describe how it works and who it’s for?

Thinking bob is a socialising website centred around innovative events and socials that get you thinking. It’s perfect for people who want more from their social life than just getting drunk. Thinking bob is perfect for those looking to meet that ‘someone’ but want it to happen more naturally. The majority of our members are single and a lot end up dating but after they meet in person at one of our events.

Is thinking bob free to use?

You create a profile on thinking bob and sign up to your first event – its just £1 to join and your first month is free. After which membership is just £12 a month. Once you have been verified at your first event by a member of the team you can get stuck in to the website. The verification process allows us to protect members from fake profiles and unwanted messages. Members are then able to start building a new social circle, create socials and find people they want to date.

How would you define ‘geeky dating’?

A lot of thinking bob members are proud to celebrate their geeky side in some way whether that be science, computers, films or books. We only use geek in the most positive sense of the word though. Think QI, Sherlock, Wine and Book clubs.

Thinking bob is also great for people who aren’t super confident on dates as events really remove any awkwardness. It also allows women to be confident in their intelligence – something which can scare some men off. However you don’t need to have a certain IQ or anything to get in – it’s just people that enjoy challenging themselves and having fun at the same time. Our events include quizzes, street games, debates, pub philosophy etc..

Thinking Bob Event

You’ve compared thinking bob to a London village pub – can you elaborate?

My parents run the village pub and anyone new to the village introduces themselves to them, comes into the pub a few times and easily start to make friends and form relationships within the community. I have created that in London – you join thinking bob, throw yourself into events and meet people in a natural way. If you click with someone, you ask them on a date – simple. You never really know if you have a spark with someone until you meet them, at thinking bob you can meet 30 new people at once rather than endless failed dates. Time is precious in busy London lives. We also attract people with similar personality types – if thinking bob appeals to you then its highly likely you’ll find someone you spark with.

What do you think is the hardest part of dating these days?

I think the hardest part of dating these days is finding other like minded single people without using dating sites. Other than relying on meeting friends of friends – a network which you can quickly exhaust – you have to go online.

Once online there is a lot of unwanted profiles to sift through, inappropriate messages to deal with and its very time consuming. You have no guarantees they look like their profile and you can waste night after night on failed first dates. For men this can be very expensive if they are expected to pay.

What’s your top tip for a successful dating experience?

Meet the person in a relaxed pressure free environment first. Do a lot of the things you love and don’t go out of your way to do something you wouldn’t usually to find a partner – chances are it won’t last.

Don’t date someone you wouldn’t want to be friends with. It sounds silly but if your idea of the perfect partner is very different to you and you’re not actually friends with anyone like that. You might have it wrong.

What would you encourage daters to do more often?

People take dating too seriously. I know its cliché but so many people put pressure on themselves to come across as the perfect partner – no one is perfect, just have fun and enjoy the process.

You’re currently based in London. Any plans of expanding?

Absolutely, we plan to launch in Manchester later this year followed by San Francisco next year – watch this space.

Thanks Rebecca, some great points – we’ll be watching this space intently 🙂

Also check out the blog post Why thinking bob is better than a dating website.

About the Author

Aet Suvari has been reviewing and writing about the world of online dating since 2008 and the launch of Online Dating Help. A stickler for promoting ethical practices within the UK dating industry she champions the sites that get it right while highlighting those holding it back. You can follow her on Google+