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I'm thinking at this point that there must be a new way to meet men.
I won't date friends' friends, as I've had my friends date my friends before, and being the middle man (so to speak), particularly when things don't go so well, is never fun. Mind you, same can be said of when they're going swimmingly...

Bars, colleagues, Salsa: No. So, I decided upon recommendation from a girlfriend who swears by the success of online dating, to give it a go; three week minimum.

Week one was a disaster, it was as I'd expected. It was what gives 'internet dating' a bad name.
Week two improved, I think you learn how to filter out the 'crap' with time.
Week three it actually became kinda fun, I started to actually 'meet' interesting people.

Internet dating is like shopping from a catalogue for men. You get all kinds of specifications that you'd like and you can modify your search criteria from height, body type, to eye colour and even star sign!
Don't pretend you're not doing it if you are. It is what it is... It's amazing what people will discuss with you when you're honest. So many of my people have told me stories since I've told them I am 'online'. In addition - you see people you know online, which means they see you too :)

What I have learnt from it is this, it's just like the real world - people lie.
But pessimism aside... I have learnt that you can tell a lot about a person by the way they communicate electronically (this says a lot coming from a woman who 'blogs - Of Many Men!)
After you exchange emails/chat for a while, next comes the phone calls, and then the first coffee.

NEVER make the mistake of a meal before a coffee... It's hard to cut a meal short. Coffee can be as quick as 20 minutes! Once you've ordered a meal it's pretty hard to leave (not impossible mind you!)
(Always pay for the first coffee - $6 is a surefire way to walk away owing nothing!)
Second date is a clarification on first date impressions.
But... to get past second date, you have to be pretty damn impressive...