It’s no big secret that I think most of the advice about women on the Internet is useless crap - and I’m right. In fact, in a future column I’ll put up a top-list of my favorite pieces of stupid, pointless advice that will hurt you with women, not help you.

One of my favorite pet peeves isn’t a piece of advice; rather, it is an idea. It’s the notion that real men don’t have women friends; a woman is for fucking, dating long enough to cheat on with all her friends, and that’s about it. (Barring the occasional late-night booty call when nothing else is around to screw.) Many Internet advisors even warn you that you should stop your pretty girlfriend from having guy friends; they all just want to nail her. In short, these guys are idiots and if you don’t have women friends, you’re an idiot, too.

I have more female friends than male. In fact, the numbers aren’t even close. By far, I have more women friends. Tonight I’m taking one to see Blue Man Group with some free passes I got from my editor. I’m not friends with these women because I have ulterior motives of any sort; but, I get lots of perks, just the same:
1 - I’m inside a lot of their conversations, so I get to hear what they think and why. This constantly adds to my knowledge and success when it comes to dating and relationships.
2 - I flirt with them a lot. This keeps my flirting and innuendo skills honed and sharp.
3 - They draw other women to me.

When you’re out at the bar, who meets more women? You with your guy friends or the guy hanging out with his female friends? Exactly.

Last Spring, I had a bunch of women who wanted to play volleyball but not enough guys to fill a roster. So, I put a team together of six women and myself. We signed up for a coed league. It’s five women and me on the court at all times (incidentally, we finished first out of fifteen teams). Do you have any idea how easy it is for me to meet women on other teams, especially since the women on my own are hot? The team situation is intriguing to them, in turn making me intriguing. When I’m interested in a woman on another team, I flirt and joke with her from across the net as we play. After the match, I simply ask her out. I’ve hardly spoken to her but she knows a lot about me already: I play a sport she plays (we have that in common), women like me (I’m the only guy on the team and she doesn’t know whether I put the team together or if the women asked me to play), and I’m bold and fun (from flirting and joking around during the match). Why not go out with me?

This past summer, I was sitting in a beer garden, having a drink with a pretty blonde friend. A woman sitting several tables away caught my eye. She was stunning and her body could only be described as “curvolicious.” Her rollerblades rested against her chair. I had to meet her; however, she was wedged between four other women and a guy. As we got ready to go, I wrote my email on a napkin (a clean one, in case you’re stupid), but my printing is pretty bad, so my friend actually re-wrote it for me. I walked over to the woman’s table, interrupted the conversation, and simply told her, “I’ve been sitting over there with my friend, wanting to come over here and meet you, but I didn’t want to leave her all alone. You rollerblade, I take it?”
“Yes.”
“Play any sports?”
“Tennis.”
“Really? Tennis? I would definitely like to talk to you more. I love tennis; it’s a great workout. Here’s my email, if you want to get in touch. I’m Ian, by the way.”
She took my email and to my surprise replied, “You got guts. Guts will get you everywhere.”

And they did get me everywhere... and back, a couple times. Truthfully, had I been out with a guy, it never would have worked. Being with a pretty woman was key to getting her to contact me without us exchanging more than a few words. I can go on endlessly with similar stories.

So you go ahead, most of you Internet dating ”experts” and don’t have women friends. I envy your coolness, your suave attitude, and have to admit, yes, you are quite the player and stud. Me? Well, I prefer to keep getting everywhere... and back, a couple times.

Pick up a copy of Ian’s bestselling book (not only because it’s full of good stuff, but also because I’m not paying him), God is a Woman: Dating Disasters.

And find excerpts and Ian's other columns here.