Personally I never approach women in public that I don't know, and never really have.

Same here. I'm married now, but when I was single, I typically met people (including women) through one of those three (social circles, education and work). The only time I cold approached was in night clubs, after a few drinks. That worked in my early 20's and stopped working when I was older than 25.

I think people need to find communities in which they can socialize and meet new people. This could be just to find friends, or maybe romance. This cold approach vs online dating is a horrible choice to make. They both suck.