and niether does dating in all cases.
dating does not mean the establishment of a boyfriend/girlfriend thing
all dating in essence is meeting people..
now if we are talking about serious relationships ..whether physical or not, and hookups thats a diff thing
so just like you are evaluating a person when you are introduced by someone and meeting at community events or family events, similarly if you are meeting someone on your own and evaluating, from an emotional attachment and investment there is no real difference.