The banner of Yes I Am Single website.Single? Shy? An Australian dating website is offering wallflowers looking for love a subtle way to declare their intentions: identification badges.

Single? Shy? An Australian dating website is offering wallflowers looking for love a subtle way to declare their intentions: identification badges.

The badges are the invention of IT professional and Yes I Am Single website (www.yis.com.au) founder¹ Evan Diacopolous, who says it's a way to revive old-fashioned dating.

"It's a conversation starter, a prompt. It helps people who lack the confidence," he told reporters of the small silver discs that bear the website's address.

"Many people now are into online dating, but once upon a time people looking for a partner actually talked to each other in person, rather than going online. This is going back to meeting people the old-fashioned way."

To get the badge, as well as gain access to the website's forums², members pay A$23 Australian ($16.5).

Diacopolous, who is single himself, started the website nearly a month ago after he and many of his friends became disillusioned³ by online dating.

"People spend a lot of money and send a lot of emails, there's a lot of expectations that aren't met and I thought there's got to be an easier way to meet people," he said.

So far, the site has 50 members and Diacopolous advised those looking of love to do so in "everyday settings."

"You can wear your badge at the supermarket, on the train to work or anywhere you go. You never know who you might meet," the 35-year-old said.

单身？又很害羞？澳大利亚一家婚恋网站正在给“壁花”提供一种含蓄表达心意的方式：身份徽章。

这种徽章由IT专家、Yes I Am Single婚恋网(www.yis.com.au)创建者埃文•迪亚可普洛斯发明，他称这是让旧式约会重焕生机的一种方式。

他告诉记者说：“它是开启两人谈话的一个引子，是一个激励因素。它能帮助那些缺乏信心的人。” 这种徽章由小银片制成，上面标有Yes I Am Single网站的网址。

“现在很多人对网上约会很感兴趣，但在过去，人们找对象时往往都是面对面地交谈，而不是在网上交流。佩戴徽章是旧式约会方式的回归。”

网站会员只须支付23澳元（合16.5美元），即可获得徽章并登陆网上论坛。

身为单身汉的迪亚可普洛斯于近一个月前创建该网站，因为他和他的很多朋友对网上约会的方式都比较失望。

他说：“人们花了很多钱，发了很多邮件，但很多期望并没有实现。所以我想会有一种更简单的方式来遇见合适的人。”

目前该网站共有50名会员，迪亚可普洛斯建议正在寻找爱情的人们在“日常环境”中也可以试试。

现年35岁的迪亚可普洛斯说：“在超市、在上班的地铁上或者你去任何地方都可以佩戴徽章。你永远不知道你会遇见谁。”

Vocabulary:

wallflower:one who does not participate in the activity at a social event because of shyness or unpopularity. （壁花：在社交场合因羞涩或受人冷落而不参加某一活动之人）