img @ onlinedatinganxiety

It’s hard to believe that just 3 months ago, Match.com celebrated its 15th anniversary. 15! That means there very well could be kids in high school and junior high whose parents met via online dating, an industry that even those of us in it feel is still young.

Once you take a deeper look into the online dating world, though, you’ll see that the advancements are monumental. Just like those kids in high school, the industry has matured, learned from its mistakes, and is growing into its most experimental, innovative stage.

Take DatePro’s past posts about “OppositesConnect” and “FlipMe” dating. No matter our personal opinions, it’s refreshing to see companies looking at dating from various approaches. Though mainstream sites like Match and eHarmony are still succeeding with individuals looking to the long-term, there are finally dating sites which, following the larger trend of society, are opening up to the flirting and casual dating crowd.

What was the turning point? Where did online dating go from a almost embarrassing secret to something that nearly 7 million people have used to meet other? We think it has to do with 2 aspects:

1) Becoming more open-minded

Match and eHarmony, as we said before, are massively successful companies with a great message, but we’ve noticed that more and more dating sites are realizing that its not only the “married within a year” crowd that is experiencing online dating these days. Now those looking for casual relationships can get in on the fun too, with sites like MetroDate and OBC, without having to sign up for sites that push undesired future expectations on its members. Catering to all is one of the surest signs of progress, and the online dating industry is a great example.

2) Taking ourselves less seriously

When online dating was new, we had to make big bold statements, promising big results and guaranteed matches and love at first click. Now we realize that dating sites are just virtual coffee shops and bars. We shouldn’t have to make false claims about your compatability with someone. If someone catches your eye at a bar, you don’t feel cheated if you guys don’t hit it off – you’re just two people meeting looking for a chance at fate (or just fun). The only difference in online dating is you get a bit of a head start — a glimpse at another single’s hobbies and personality, so you can avoid disasters.

These two simple items: both more related to taking a step back thank taking a step forward, are reasons that online dating is still steadily growing more and more popular. And as people realize that their nervousness about online dating is unfounded (with the correct safety precautions), we imagine the only place to go is up!

As a child of the 80s, I listened to my mother blast “Opposites Attract” by Paula Abdul at least 14 times a day from her tape deck. At the time I just laughed because “MC Scat Cat” and Paula were dancing together? And also MC Scat Cat was a cartoon cat? I don’t know. Needless to say it took quite a few years before the concept of “opposites attracting” became a actual , non-animated thought, when my first boyfriend and I were actually complete opposites, and madly “in love” (as much as two 16 year olds can be).

Now, that relationship fizzled (as any 16 year old’s would) and I’ve always dated people mostly similar to myself since then. I enjoy laughing at the same jokes, liking the same music, and enjoying generally the same lifestyle. However, one can’t deny that occasionally you meet someone you have nothing in common with, and yet you find yourself oddly attracted to them, like they are forbidden fruit, so to speak. These kinds of attractions are generally solely physical, and most likely aren’t successful as a relationship between two people who actually get along. This didn’t stop Larry Wilson from founding OppositesConnect.com, a dating site that goes pretty against the grain. Check it out here, and tell us what you think!

So to answer the question, do opposites attract? We’d have to say yes, they attract, but to they attach? Probably not…

After learning about a woman named Geri Brin in New York, though, I’ve decided I need to call my folks and thank them repeatedly for not being crazy.

Geri created a website called “Date My Single Kid,” from the parent site FabOverFifty, where women can sign up and create dating profiles for their kids. I can’t even read that sentence without feeling physically ill. Apparently, Geri has been trying to set up her 31-year-old son for so long that she believes she’d gotten it to a science, and set up the site to allow other mothers be overbearing and nosy and controlling, too!

Needless to say, her son Colby says, “I can picture her on her death bed . . . choking out the words, ‘Colby, did you call that girl?’ before fading into darkness.” Just the fact that he is picturing her on her death bed gives me the impression that he doesn’t really enjoy her intrusiveness, but he went on to say that hey, he’s a Jewish guy living in New York, and what can we expect?

How would you feel if your mom set up a profile for you on DateMySingleKid.com?

read more at the NewYorkPost

img @ factoidz

Deciding to take the plunge into online dating can be pretty nerve-racking. You don’t know what to expect, you’re nervous about the prospect of somewhat “blind” dates, and you’ve probably heard horror stories from friends who had disastrous results.

DatePro has been giving advice for months on the best way to online date, common mistakes, and dating faux pas. And although we always say to keep an open mind about your potential dates, there are, in general, a few set rules about who to avoid.

1. Lazy, thrown together profiles

If you’re judging the profile by the photo — and only the photo — because there’s no content, it’s probably not a good start. If they’re only willing to upload the minimum requirements, they probably aren’t really looking for a date. If you’re looking for a fun hook up, head to OBC or AdultFriendFinder. But if you’re on a more serious dating site, steer clear of profiles with no “About Me” or “Who I’d Like to Meet.” Who’s to say they aren’t that lazy in the real world too?

2. Too many mirror shots

You know the ones I’m talking about. Cell phone or camera, minimal clothing, serious face, in the bathroom… These photos were appropriate back in the days of MySpace, but it’s 2010. We have self-timers and shirts these days, why not put both to use when building your dating profile?

3. Not enough photos. At all.

If each of their photos has part of their face obscured, or is extremely blurred or contrasted beyond recognition, they may be hiding something. And while we’ve said before that looks aren’t everything, you probably don’t want to go into the date completely unaware.

4. A whole spiel about their ex, negative or positive

Getting into the only dating world is about moving forward. Taking dating to the next step and becoming someone new: confident, ready to move on, excited to try new things. If the person’s whole profile is either regaling or reviling their ex, it’s probably a sign that no, they aren’t ready to move on.

5. Cookie cutter language

This one is a bit of a toss up. If their profile lists interests like “walking on the beach,” “cuddling,” or “just about anything,” it probably means they are either opinionless… or just too nervous to be opinionated. If its the former, your date will likely be boring, uneventful, and disheartening. However, there is a possibility that its the first. So send them a message, and say, “what REALLY interests you,” and maybe they’ll open up a bit.

Hopefully this helps you on your path to the world of online dating. Good luck!

img @ impactlab

Erin Meanley, the awesome blogger over at Single-ish, recently attended a panel called “Love 2.0,” where she listened in on some newfacts (and tips!) on how to make dating in this technology-obsessed world easier and more reliable. Here are some of the facts she learned:

13 percent of men on dating sites are married. (ACK!)
Men, more than women, like to control how much information is public about themselves (e.g. they untag their photos on Facebook more often than women).

Make your profile “skimmable” and easy for guys to read, says digital dating coach and eFlirt Expert founder Laurie Davis. Bullet points are good.

Author and psychologist Dr. Robert Epstein talked about the “Click Problem”—if they don’t like one thing about you, they can just go back and click. It’s like pulling up to a bar with 50 million singles at it. Doh—!

India has the lowest divorce rate. 95 percent of their marriages are arranged. (We need to go back to the notion of suitability, which we used to subscribe to centuries ago when our families were involved. Parents are more concerned with, Will you two get along?)

85% of Zooskers say that dating can be fun without spending money.

Interesting, right?! For more info about her experience and to read more great dating advice, check out Single-ish over at the Glamour site.

img @ photobucket

Is your dating life becoming stagnant? Meeting the same people, feeling disappointed with each new person you meet online or in person? Getting a lonely feeling even in a crowd of thousands? You may need to pull yourself out of the dating crowd for a bit and reexamine your dating persona. By taking time to take a hard look at yourself instead of the people around you will help you understand why your dating trials are failing. Here are the first steps you should take when reexamining your dating persona.

1) Take a deep breath…

and slow down. When you’re on a hunt for your “true love,” your internal clock often tell you that you’re running out of time. This causes you to stress out, become maniacal, and very possibly make poor choices in your dating world. Take a yoga class, practice meditation, or spend a few days reading a book and separating yourself from places where you’re inclined to look for love.

2) Reinvent your style

A good change of scenery or wardrobe can give you a fresh outlook on what your looking for. As a singleton, putting on your same favorite “hot outfit” could be the reason you attract the same type of people all the time. Try something new and you may notice you’re now bold enough to talk to different types of people.

3) Try out a new site

If you’ve been seeing the same people on your Match.com haunts for months, you may want to try a new site that you might have never thought to try before, like Metrodate, Lavalife, or OBC. Although they may come off as more casual than you thought you’d want, you’ll avoid the more stuffy, uptight folks you meet on the more mainstream sites.

4) Take a trip

Not only does a quick weekend away calm your nerves and relax you, but grabbing a friend and hitting the town in a new city could give you the spark in romance you’ve been looking for!

5) Get your blood pumping

If hitting the bars and clubs has done nothing but introduce you to lifeless singles, going somewhere athletic and different- a rock climbing gym, a water sports class, or yoga (again!) could introduce you to a type of person who will inspire and intrigue you. The key to examining your dating persona is asking yourself where changes should come, and where you’re searching should be step one.

img @ babble

Second Life is a virtual world that was created back in 2003, similar to the PC game The Sims, that allows users to create avatars and interact with the millions of other users on the site. Eventually, people began virtually dating on the site, and some even met in person to legally bind their Second Life relationship!

Recently, Linden Labs, the group that created Second Life, has been asking people to send it their “Second Life Love Stories” via Facebook and e-mail, and the amount of people who have actually gotten married or are in real life long-term relationships that began in the game is pretty unbelieveable!

While online dating and Second Life are not necessarily interchangeable, these alarming numbers show that people in this era are far more open to meeting people in less than conventional ways… here are a few testimonials that are proof of just that!

“Met my bf on sl almost a year ago..fell head over heels and moved 1200 miles to be with him. best decision ever and ive never been so happy!”

“I met a guy 2 years ago in SL and we now live together in RL and are engaged Love can work through SL ”

“Ditto Susan I met my SL fiance on sl in 2007 and we started dating there around Christmas of that year.We have been together and just celebrated our 2nd anniversary of living together in RL on March 27th this year.We Married on Sl and plan to Marry in RL soon as we can afford to.:-) SL Dreams can become a reality if you are open hearted and true to each other.”

However, there are also comments on the page from Second Life users who believe real life relationships with those you meet on “the grid” are unhealthy and potentially dangerous.

“you don’t want to hear my SecondLife love story. Like so many, it didn’t translate well to real life.”

“the internet (not just SL) opens doors for FAKE people pretending to be someone they are not, just to impress, you can be who or whatever you want to be.”

“It was on CNN last year, a 230 lb women created her avatar as a size 0 princes. Met a dude on Second life then invited him to her house. The man was in shock of her size but it was too late. She had tied him on the chair for two weeks.”

Yikes. It seems as though, as with any online dating application, that being wary and cautious isn’t just a good idea, it’s necessary. Allowing yourself to be vulnerable could have disastrous results. So no matter which site you choose to date on, whether it by Date.com or Second Life, be careful out there!

Russ Ruggles (awesome name) writes for the website onlinedatingmatchmaker.com, and he made a bold statement in a recent article: People should lie in their dating profile.

Boy. that sure goes against everything we’ve ever told you to do, huh? Well, let’s get a little more specific. He’s not saying that you should say you’re a bodybuilder CEO with an affinity for charity cases, but he is saying that stretching the truth a bit on your profile’s stats will increase your chances of getting a date.

This might seem obvious, especially since the stats he says to fib on are men’s heights and women’s weights. The more interesting part of the article is his chart that shows that although people may say they put a lot of emphasis on those two stats, in reality they are far more accepting than they claim to be.

So basically, fibbing a smidge on your height and weight on your Match.com profile will make you show up on far more people’s results list. Huh. Try this tactic and let us know how it goes!

Read the full article @ Jezebel

img @ibspro

People make blanket  assumptions about online dating, claiming that it’s only for losers with no social skills or those who don’t ever go out in the real world. Unfortunately for them, they’ve no idea the crowd that they’re missing out on, awesome, successful people who didn’t have that uncalled-for amount of pride. In case you needed a little nudge, here are even more reasons to date online, with a little help from YourTango.com.

• It’s cheaper than the bar scene

Although signing up for a monthly fee can be a big step, mathematically speaking your money is better spent there than on expensive nights at a bar where you’re chances of meeting a decent mate are, well, quite low.

• It’ll narrow your search

With almost 7 billion people on this earth, thinking about finding your sould mate is pretty daunting. By using dating site search terms, keywords, and preferences, you can narrow your field down to only the people you want to see. Like how looking at cars in a car lot can seems impossible, while browsing online first can help you weed out the wrong make, model, and color, can make it far easier.

• It saves time

Instead of setting aside time in your week to check out the single scene at a bar or club, you can go about your life and check out the dating life online whenever you’re near a computer (which, in this day and age, is at least 5 times a day).

• It’s safe

Instead of getting inebriated and making mistakes or lowing your standards, going online will ensure you meet a person while you’re in your right mind. You’ll know, each time you sign onto your page at InterracialSingles or SingleParentsMingle, that the people you’re encountering are also looking for a relationship. Make sure to follow our safe online dating tips for meeting in person, and you’ll be set to go!

img @ russiangirlssites

With the bevy of beauties on dating sites like Scanna and Anastasia Date, it’s not surprising that many men line up to try and garner the affection of a gorgeous East European lady. These sites are often times some of the most successful places for men to meet women, as the ladies are not only looking for love but a change of scenery, but there is also the very real possibility of getting scammed. It’s easy to get blinded by love, so be sure to follow DatePro’s tips on how not to get scammed by Russian dating sites.

1. Be wary of those asking for money

As with any dating site, asking for money before you meet should be an immediate warning sign that something is not right. Do not agree to send money to them; even if you swear you are in love with them. You are just asking to be taken advantage of.

2. Don’t allow yourself to be pursued

If you’ve received an e-mail from a Russian woman but have not signed up for a dating site, ignore it. You could be the ultimate Don Juan, but women don’t just go hunting men down on the internet. This is often a sign that it’s a scam and is just some person trying to get money out of you.

3. Meet them in their country

It is customary when meeting a woman overseas that you go to meet her in her country. Sending a plane ticket to her is, just like sending money, asking to be scammed.

4. Always check the dating sites’ credentials

This should be done even before you start online dating, you should choose a site and check how long its been running as well as any possible testimonials or reviews you can find. If you notice that there aren’t many reviews or that it’s only been around a short time, it’s probably best to avoid it.

5. Avoid free sites

Just as with most mainstream dating sites, free Russian dating sites are dangerous because they can be accessed by practically anyone. Scammers can upload photos and convince you their someone they’re not. Although a paying site might cost you something out of pocket, it’s far safer than going the cheaper route.