Trotline Theory

Trotline Theory is a networking philosophy that has surfaced in the last decade, through which the person employing the theory actively engages several people at the same time, hoping that one of the people will date them.
Basics:
"Trotline Theory" as a name comes from the Trotline itself, a method of fishing that employs much less physical effort than other traditional types of fishing to achieve the same result. See Trotline.
When employing Trotline Theory, it is vital to stay in contact with those potential dates on a regular basis. The goal of such contact is to stay on the mind of the person you wish to date. Text messaging is an outstanding way to do this, since it does not require a physical presence, and takes very little time. Through text messaging, it is possible to engage several people in a short amount of time.
Trotline Theory can sometimes be confused with being a "player". While many players employ the theory to a great extent, Trotline Theory purists should stop "fishing" once one of the potential significant others has committed to a second date. The goal of the Trotline isn't to catch all of the fish in the pond, but rather to catch the right fish.
Advantages:
Advantages of the trotline theory are many, but one stands above the rest. Most potential dates seem promising at first, then, through no fault of your own, will lose interest, or begin dating someone else. If trotline theory is employed, the loss of one "fish" is no major loss, since there are other fish on the line ready to be caught. If trotline theory is not employed, and the potential date is the only potential significant other in your life, you are left without other options and must start anew.
Disadvantages:
The biggest disadvantage to Trotline Theory is fairly obvious. You may be seen as a player, or dishonest person while employing the trotline. So long as you aren't physically engaging multiple "fish" at the same time, there is always the out that you are only friends.
Other advice:
Do not employ the trotline on multiple members of the same circle of friends. If two "fish" know each other well enough, the subject of your innocent flirtations will come up, and you will have not one but two that got away. This could very easily turn into an image issue with the entire circle of friends, and your chance with any potential "fish" in a large radius could be ruined.
Do not take your fishing to public social networking utilities. Some "fish" will occasionally try to lay claim to you by marking on your wall/page in a flirtatious manner. While some people react competitively to this, most are driven away. Remember to keep these innocent flirtations private.
History:
The Trotline Theory has most likely been employed under other auspices and through different methods for the entirety of human history. The current form, utilizing modern technology as well as face-to-face interaction has only recently surfaced. The name was likely coined by great philosopher and writer Cole Young, who utilized personal experiences to see the parallel between flirtation and fishing. Ironically, Young is never known to have employed the Theory himself, but rather passed on the philosophy to others who blossomed under his tutelage.

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