Thanks for the feedback. I think of this less as a "dating site", but more of a filter to help bring together like-minded people who are interested in accomplishing the same or similar goals. Similar to how gdgt brings people together based on the gadgets they own/want, I'd like to bring people together based on ideas they have. Things like the speed-dating stuff would just be ways to accelerate some of those connections that would have eventually happened organically.

And yes, Ning is not ideal. But for now, I want to put the maximum effort on having great conversations and getting the right people together rather than having the best technological solution. Depending on the feedback I get and the needs of the users, moving off Ning could definitely be a future move.