It's Not What You Know - But Who You Know

Have you ever heard the phrase - "It's not what you know, but who you know?"
This advice has been given to those looking for jobs and now is spilling over into online dating.

Singles join online dating services to find "the one." However, online dating is becoming a networking tool where you can meet friends also. Meeting other singles in your community has it's benefits, you might meet someone that is perfect for a sibling or close friend. Conversations with your online friends may lead to a new job, new hobby and even a new best friend.

If you don't find "the one" instantly when you join an online dating service, don't give up.
Meet new friends and the love connection will take care of itself!

Have fun dating online this season!

Niche Dating Sites Show Most Growth

Niche dating sites are showing the most growth as mainstream dating sites continue to lose market share. It seems to be a natural evolution in the online dating industry as it matures. Mark Brooks of Online Personals Watch shows the following statistics from his internet dating study.

Money and Love

- 95% of men and 87% of women agree that it does not matter if you make more money than the person you are dating

- 87% of men and 80% of women would stay in a relationship where their partner had filed for bankruptcy

- 67% of women and 66% of men never kept financial secrets from someone they are dating

- 64% of men and 63% of women don't tend to argue with their partner about money.

Source -- Internet Dating News

Why Women Are Laughing At You - Online Dating Tips for Men

ProfileHelper has worked with thousands of men and women to create their dating profiles or make over the ones they’ve already got. It seems that no matter what condition their profile is in, they almost always have some problems with their photos. It has become such a big deal that ProfileHelper started offering free photo assessments with their profile writing services.
Both men and women have their own photo problems that can cause a perfectly good match to turn up their nose and go looking for romance elsewhere. However, today let's talk about the guys online!


Here’s five big mistakes that men make with their online dating photos according to ProfileHelper.


1. Keep your shirt on – It doesn’t matter how ripped you are. Women don’t want to see your chest on your profile. It makes you look extremely vain and even if you are really ripped (and most of you aren’t as buff as you think), women look at these photos and laugh… right before they leave your profile and move onto the next.

2. You are not Corey Hart – Do not take pictures of yourself in Sunglasses. Women want to see your eyes. Covering them doesn’t make you look cool, it makes you look like a doofus.

3. You don’t need to be Mr. Popular – Make sure not all of your photos are taken with large groups, or even worse, a woman on your arm. Women want to see you, and just you. This includes cropped photos with the “phantom arm” around your neck.

4. No webcam photos allowed – Let’s face it, webcams take awful pictures. They are always too dark and too grainy. Besides, they give the impression that you live at the computer.

5. Leave your “Player Face” at home – How hard is it to smile? That’s all you need to do. A decent smile can land you a first date without having to break a sweat. Don’t waste your time taking the “Mr. Serious” photo or the “Hey Baby, How you doin” Photo. They just don’t work.

http://blog.profilehelper.com/

Online Dating - Back in Season - With More Features!

Spring brings color back into the landscape, wildlife out to sing and most singles to their feet to meet other singles eager to enjoy the new season. Singles respond to the call of spring differently, some shed their winter coats for flirty skirts and pastel colors. Some fine tune mountain bikes and clean up their boats. Most all singles though, get a butterfly or two in their stomach with excitement to start a new dating season.

A lot of online dating sites are springing into action too, by adding new features and benefits to their sites for a bigger and better online dating season. One that springs out the most is the new and improved Matchlink Dating Website. With more ways to express interest to someone you want to know better - to their Dating Tips and Etiquette Advice, they know how to keep online singles coming back. Their 'Match Wizard' feature is a step-by-step guide to find the ideal love, that so many spend their lives searching for.

A niche online dating site called OutdoorPersonals.com, is one of the fastest growing online dating communities for outdoor enthusiasts. Some of their new features include 3D Chat and 3D City, Match Calculator and Games.

Come to life with online dating and add something fresh to you love life.
Stop back soon for the best online dating tips this Spring - and let us maximize your dating opportunities! The birds and bees are buzzing this season - shouldn't you be?

Top Online Dating UserNames

When it comes to online dating, first impressions are just as important as a first look on a blind date. That first impression of a potential mate comes from your user name.

Making your user name fun and flirty is the best way to guarantee that your profile will get looks. Let's face it; everybody wants to be with someone who is fun. Make your user name exude fun times. User names like "Imfun" or "FunnyGirl" will make that potential suitor look twice. Be outgoing and personable when choosing your user name.

Second, flirtatious user names work too, but don't go over board. "Cutie" would work, but "Cutie69" might not have the same impression. "Leggyblonde" would certainly make most men check out your profile.

"Most women error on the side of not being flirty enough in their user names," said Bob Bentz, director of marketing for MatchLink--a leading provider of white label dating sites for radio stations. "They often think that being flirty will encourage men looking for one night stands. The fact is, however, that men associate flirtation with fun and not being an easy score. Most women don't get that."

The worst user names you can use are those that are generic. "Smith78" isn't going to get anybody very excited. Neither is a user name denoting a passive activity; "avidreader" isn't going to get too many people interested. What are they going to do? Come over and read a book with you?

But the absolute worst user names you can have are those that are bragging about yourself. "Toocuteforyou" probably wouldn't work and neither will user names that denote wealth like "BenzDriver".

And, we all know what women think about men who drive Porsches.

Why Online Relationships Work

by Lynn Gerino

You know someone who has met online?

Why are they still together?

If you were to talk to your friends you would probably find someone you or your friends knows has had success meeting online or at a speed dating event. We all hear stories about the couple who met online in a chatroom and chatted for a few months or maybe a year or longer and finally met, fell in love and have been together ever since. Do you ever wonder why a relationship that developed online seems so strong?

There is evidence that suggests that when people meet online tend to communicate with one another better. What have marriage counselors been trying to tell us for years about communicating with our spouses and partners? It is true that communication or rather the lack thereof is the root of many failed romances. It only makes sense that online dating and chatroom romances that start as simple chat among singles or casual friends establishes a good foundation in that it builds communication skills. A relationship based on good communication is more likely to succeed because those months of chatting have built that undeniable thread that is necessary to tie us together at a level that seems to be missing in our busy lifestyles.

In our busy society, relationships that we develop often suffer. Friendships tend to be shallow and superficial. We don't take the time to really learn about one another. Getting to know one another through communication builds a stronger bond between friends and potential lovers. We are genetically wired to behave the way we do. Men are problem solvers. You have a problem they would just as soon break their neck as to talk to someone who may have had the same problem before and had successfully navigated around it.

Ladies, you know exactly what I'm talking about. All you have to do is remember that last road trip you took together. Did he ever stop to ask for directions or did he use a tank of gas driving around looking for that elusive destination? On the other hand ladies we are guilty also. We love to talk, gossip, and talk some more. I don't know about you but I have found myself in certain uncomfortable predicaments before that could have been avoided if I had just stopped to think about what I was going to say before I said it. If you can't always remember to think before speaking you can always count on your significant other to fix any problems that arise.

Attention Online Daters: Post a Photo!

Are you an online dater that has one good looking profile with no photo? A long understood factor in whether or not an online dater starts getting emails is if they include a picture with their profile. Singles who include a picture get a much larger response than those who don’t.

According to “What Makes You Click: An Empirical Analysis of Online Dating”, by Günter J. Hitsch and Ali Hortaçsu of the University of Chicago and Dan Ariely of MIT, is worth examining, women with photos receive more than twice as many emails and men receive about 50% more emails than members who did not post a photo but describe themselves as having “average looks.” This proves that looks play a very important part in online dating, just as they do in traditional dating.

So, whether you're a www.match.com or www.matchlink.com member, show your pearly whites and post a photo today!

Exercise your heart!

Are you single and dreading Valentine's Day this year? Does your stomach drop when you think of making plans on February 14th? While some couples are devouring calorie loaded cakes and candy this Valentine's Day, take a different approach as a single and exercise your heart while meeting another single.

Fitness Singles is a fun, private and secure environment to meet active, health-conscious singles! View profiles and photos of singles looking to work their heart out this holiday. Don’t wait! Search personals of active singles in your area and post your own profile for FREE! Only at http://www.fitness-singles.com/.

Join other singles in racquetball, rock climbing, jogging, boxing, skydiving and
speed your heart up! Get fit and find love.

Winter chills Singles with National Break-Up Season

You thought the temperatures were low enough to cramp your social life - now according to Yahoo! Personals, research shows the period between the startof winter and Valentine's Day is when people are most likely to re-assess their relationships. It's never easy to end a relationship around the holidays. According to recent research, 84% of respondents who were asked if they have ever stayed in a relationship just to have a partner during the season, said no. After a breakup, some take time to sink their energy into work, others are far too upset and find themselves fixated on eating Ben and Jerry's and watching Jerry McGuire. Whether someone, 'had you at hello,' or not, it's time to move on.

To prevent rocky rebounds, keep your head clear and don’t expect every date to be "the one." Browsing sites like Matchlink.com or Webfriends.com can keep your mind off that dreadful ex and foster new, healthy relationships. Time will heal your broken heart; but in the meantime, don't miss out on meeting someone that could forever keep your winters wonderful.

• Methodology: National Break-Up Season Survey Data is a result of an Opinion Research Corporation CARAVAN survey conductedon behalf of Yahoo! Personals June 28-July 2, 2007 among 2,070 adults 18years and older, and a follow-up survey conducted July 7-July 11, 2007among 1,017 respondents.
  

Internet Dating Companies Look International for Expansion

As far back as the Paleolithic era, there have been matchmakers. Primitive man probably exchanged their daughters for a good spear or loin cloth at some point. In the middle ages, families exchanged their daughters for labor, land, goods, and even status.

Some know them by the Yiddish term "Shadchen." And you probably thought the correct term was "Yenta," but it's not (I admit I did too). A Yenta is simply a gossipy woman. In almost every society, a community member set himself or herself up as the person to set up unions.

Enter the Internet. In the late 1990's, online dating began to take market share from the dominant matchmaking tool of the time--newspaper voice personals. The internet could simply do some things better. After all, physical attraction is a big part of the equation and the internet could show a picture, even if the photo was taken ten years or thirty pounds ago.

Today, there are over one thousand internet dating sites in the USA alone. They vary from the highly publicized brands like eHarmony and Match to niche sites like JDate that cater exclusively to Jewish singles--without the Shadchen. Proprieters vary from large companies to entrepreneurial sites run off of entrepreneur's home office laptops.

The internet dating industry rang up $649 million in sales in 2006, and eclipsed $700 million in 2007, according to Juniper Research. Of the 92 million unmarried adult Americans 18 or older, 16 million have tried online dating, according to the Pew Internet and Social Lifestyle Study. That's a lot of clicks, or people hoping to click.

Internet dating has been around since the late 1990's, but it exploded in 2003 with a 77% growth rate. Growth has slowed to 10% recently partly because of competition from the recent phenomenon known as social networking sites. With sites such as Facebook, you can essentially flirt for free. Just like in the Paleolithic era.

In the face of declining growth, online dating brands such as MatchLink, operated by Spark Network Services, are looking overseas for growth. Expanding internationally, however, comes with some cultural challenges. In Japan, for example, it isn't really necessary to ask for hair color, because there really aren't too many blondes. Then, there's cultures like China and India where it's important to adhere to the local traditions.

International expansion is definitely the way to grow the industry. "We've enhanced our offering to include a more international dating database," said Bob Bentz, director of marketing for Spark. "You really need to think global and act local in today's online dating world."
Like with most products, the real jewel for international expansion appears to be China and India. Sixty million internet users are of marrying age in China, according to iResearch, and that market segment alone will grow to 128 million by 2010. Already, 14 million Chinese use online dating, but only 500,000 pay for the service, thus creating a marketplace where advertiser-sponsored services must be the norm.

In India, where up to 90% of all marriages are arranged, local online dating companies are already racking up some impressive numbers. A local site, Shaadi, already boasts having arranged 800,000 marriages. Online dating revenues in India are growing by 50% per year and hit $30 million in 2006.

The growth in China and India prove that when it comes to online dating, love needs no translation.

The 2nd First Impresson

Before online and mobile dating entered the singles arena, more traditional ways of meeting someone took place at bars, parties, gyms, and even in the workplace. What is it about seeing someone for the first time that makes your heart patter? Whatever it was, it was something that you saw.

Today, first impressions are not about what you first see, but what you learn about a person by reading their profile online, or interacting via text message. How do they spend their free time? What kind of career do they have? Do they have kids? Where did they grow up? Do they like to play or watch sports? What are their political views?

Seeing the person that has captured your interest through online dating is the last thing that happens when people connect nowadays, not the first! It is the polar opposite of what dating used to be. Therefore, if you really think about it, modern technology has provided potential daters with the ever-elusive second chance at a first impression! It’s the first time you actually meet face to face, in the flesh. It’s the Second First Impression.

Relating to this are the color preferences between the sexes. Why? Well, because what’s the first question everyone asks themselves and any friend who will listen when they are looking forward to that first in-the-flesh meeting? What should I wear?

Studies suggest that everyone likes blue. It is the color that receives the most votes across the board, regardless of age or gender. Purple however, is the second most favorite among women, whereas it is the overall least favorite of men. Green gets 14% of the votes for both men and women. Orange is equally low among both sexes, as is brown, yellow and white.

These are important statistics to know in this cyber world for several reasons, beyond knowing what to wear on the Second First Impression date.

For example, what does your social networking page look like? If you are a woman, trying to attract men, by all means, do not make purple your dominant design color. Remember, men do not like it, and may click right past your page.

Then there’s your font color. Are you a girl who likes to send text messages in Dark Cyan or Bright Magenta? A Dark Blue or Dark Green will be much better received!

Third, and most obvious, is The Outfit. Among both sexes, orange is the color that people tend to associate with being cheap and inexpensive. Blue is appealing to most, and seems to have a calming and relaxing affect. With black getting only a 1% vote for least favorite among men and white getting 3% for least favorite color among women, you can use these color preferences to put together an appealing, Second First Impression outfit with no problem at all!

Source: Color Assignment by Joe Hallock, @ www.joehallock.com/edu

Dating Tips for singles that don’t want to waste another minute!

Minute by minute, day by day, we’re all aging. Time sets the course for all our lives. Being single can make your clock tick a little louder, a little faster. Most singles want to find a companion to share life’s moments with. However, it seems like it’s not as easy as it used to be to find your soul mate.

Common grunts and comments from singles across America are:

“All the ‘girls next door’ are taken!"

“I’m not wasting money on more bland, blind dates!”

"There are no good guys left!"

"He didn't even pick up the tab!"

"I spent all this money online - and still have no matches!"

Are you tired of your single girlfriends complaining that there are no guys left out there? Or, hearing your guy friends saying they can’t find a ‘looker’ who is also a sports buff? The truth is there are plenty of singles out there - close to 100 million! Problem is, singles aren’t looking in the right place, or have been defeated time after time by the wrong match!

Beat the clock and conquer the search for your better half with the help of Matchlink.com.

Matchlink.com is home to millions of singles searching for a mate that is best suitable for their relationship check list. Like a lot of other dating sites, you can do many things for free before being charged. However, what makes this site so unique is the rich database of singles from around the country, its patented matchmaking technology and easy to use platform.

Stop wasting your free Saturday nights home alone on the couch watching reality shows like “Keeping Up with the Kardashians!” Get online and get moving – the clock is ticking!

Liar, Liar

With over 96 million singles in America, you’d think dating would be a piece of cake.
However, the competition among singles in the dating arena can become fierce when it comes to finding “the one.” The appetite of some singles is so great; they’ll do anything to get a bite of the action, even lie!

Country Singer, Brad Paisley hit the nail on the head in his new country song “Online,” where the chorus shouts: “I’m so much cooler online.” Meaning, so many singles talk themselves up online and describe themselves as looking like Cindy Crawford or Matthew McConaughey. Everyone knows dating online will eventually be taken offline – where you meet your cyber match in person, so why not tell the truth from the beginning?

Dating honestly is important, and to attain your best possible match, you have to apply truth to your profile, photos and conversation with other singles. The consequences of lying to your matches will only result in missing out on meeting someone that you could have spent the rest of your life with.

A service online called LoveDetect caters to those singles that are in search for true love with truthful singles! With LoveDetect, Voice Analysis Technology reveals how your date or lover feels about you. LoveDetect, http://www.lovedetect.com/, is for initiating a first date proposal or deciding whether to continue with someone after the first or second date. After those initial dates, you shouldn’t need the LoveDetect to tell you what the score is. Voice patterns reflect the internal thought-process, or "brain activity", as it takes place during general conversation or direct questioning. Because of the extreme complexity of the vocal mechanism, our brain monitors it very closely. As our thoughts change our voice patterns change. LoveDetect actually measures and categorizes these patterns. Being yourself does pay off, painting a better picture of yourself, will only prolong your search for someone real, someone who appreciates the real you.

A helpful honest hint would be to slow down when filling out your online dating profile, take your time and complete all areas of the enrollment page which will give you a great reflection of yourself. Your dating profile is your tool to create a lasting impression in the online dating world. Post real photos of you and create a profile that highlights your qualities. Everyone has imperfections, so anyone who says they don’t, is lying.

At the end of the day the Golden Rule seems to be deeply rooted into even dating:
‘Treat others as you want to be treated.’