Group dating for adults?

Is it so terrifying to go out on a first date? Even a blind first date? Apparently, it is. Even for adults.

For those who need moral support before, during and after their dating adventures, entrepreneurs have created an alternative to solo dating sites like Match.com. Today's USA Today profiles two such businesses - TeamDating.com and eTwine.com. The gimmick these sites offer is that it is dating for groups. For instance, if you and your best friend are both looking for love, you can find complementary duos, trios or quartets.

The obvious downside of this approach is that you need to recruit friends to form a dating "team". Furthermore, this means that your friends will have intimate knowledge of your dating activities (and you'll have intimate knowledge of theirs, too!). It can also make for an interesting end-of-the-evening moment, when one member of the team makes a connection, and the other member(s) do not.

It can be hard enough to set up a first date when two people have busy schedules. It is exponentially more difficult, when there are four or more people involved. Of course, for the socially leery or for those looking for an orgy, this approach could be perfect.