Zoosk

Zoosk was made aware recently that possibly some of their members passwords were found on a third-party website. Zoosk takes security seriously and has launched an investigation:

So far, we have not found evidence of our network being compromised. Additionally we have not received reports of unauthorized access to members’ accounts...

To err on the side of caution Zoosk has required some members to reset their passwords.

Zoosk is smart to get on top of this potential security threat right away. Hopefully it is a false alarm but it is always best to take steps to ensure everyone’s information is safe. A number of dating sites have been targeted over the last few years including Plenty of fish which was hacked in February of 2011.

For more information on this potential security issue you can read the Zoosk blog.

Recipient of Gold
Match.com

Recipient of Silver
eHarmony

Recipient of Bronze
Zoosk

The 2012 Dating Sites Reviews Single's Choice Award poll was closed on January 1st, 2012. It ran for 3 months and received just over 650 votes. The first question of this poll asked which paid dating site would you recommend for our Single’s Choice Award. This post takes a look at the results. In our opinion this award is our most important award and this is why it is the last one we give out. This award is voted on by our visitors which collectively spend much more time on dating sites and run into many more situations than we do. We deal with online dating sites everyday here at DSR but our visitors experiences make them the true experts.

For 2012 we listed the top online dating sites for you to vote on. There was eight in the list in which three will receive an award, Gold for first, Silver for second and Bronze for the third most votes.

The recipient of the Gold 2012 Single's Choice Award is Match.com. They received 30.5 percent of the vote which works out to 199 votes. 5 of the dating sites received under 10 percent of the vote which shows Match.com has a huge lead in popularity. Match.com also received our Editor's Top Pick - Overall award earlier this year.

The recipient of the Silver 2012 Single's Choice Award is eHarmony. This matchmaking site received 23 percent of the vote which is a half percent more than last year. eHarmony also received an award for Editor's Top Pick - Match System which is no surprise. This is eHarmony’s 5th year in a row winning this award.

The recipient of the Bronze 2012 Single's Choice Award is Zoosk. Zoosk has been around since 2007 and has won this award once before in 2010. This year Zoosk received 78 votes which is 12 percent of the total vote.

Here are this year's standings for the Single's Choice award for all dating sites in the poll.

1. Match.com
2. eHarmony
3. Zoosk
4. Chemistry
5. Lavalife
6. Badoo
7. PerfectMatch.com
8. Date.com

We here at Dating Sites Reviews (DSR) would like to thank everyone who voted for the 2012 Single's Choice Award. The results of the poll help our visitors in 2013 to figure out which service is best for them. It also helps us tailor the needs of our users and better report on the sites and services that interest them.

Say what you want about Google (and believe me, I have), but I can think of no one better to gather the biggest stories of the past 12 months and determine exactly what defined the year 2012.

And they did. It's called Zeitgeist, and it's an annual tradition that analyzes over one trillion search queries in almost 150 languages to showcase what the world searched for. Using data from multiple sources, including Google Trends and other internal data tools, Google has turned the year's searches into a report that reflects 2012.

The report is divided into two sections: Trending and Most Searched. The "trending" queries are the searches that had the highest amount of traffic over a sustained period in 2012 as compared to 2011. The "most searched" queries are the most popular terms for 2012, ranked in order of the queries with the largest volume of searches.

Here's what Zeitgeist has to say about the most searched dating services of 2012:

1. PlentyOfFish: POF - the site formerly known as PlentyOfFish - is one of the most popular free dating services on the Web. Since its launch in 2003, POF has appeared in music videos, launched mobile apps, and conducted a contest with Lady Gaga. For a review of this service see our Plenty of Fish page.
2. Match: Match.com may be the most famous dating site in the world. Match has helped millions of singles look for love in 24 countries and redefined the way modern singles meet. Most recently, the company announced Stir, local events by Match.com. For a review of this service see our Match.com page.
3. OkCupid: OkCupid is famous for its lighthearted and affordable approach to online dating. The site is free to use, and features fun quizzes and multiple-choice questions designed to bring out users' personalities and encourage community interaction. For a review of this service see our OkCupid page.
4. eHarmony: eHarmony is where it's at for singles looking for long-term relationships. Its famous matching questionnaire, developed by eHarmony Labs, takes a scientific approach to love that promises to find a deeper level of compatibility. For a review of this service see our eHarmony page.
5. DateHookup: Online daters really like free stuff. DateHookup is another no-cost service for singles that made it into the Zeitgeist top 10. This year it hit the big times after being bought by Match.com and OKCupid owner, IAC/InterActiveCorp. For a review of this service see our DateHookup.com page.
6. Zoosk: Zoosk distinguishes itself from traditional dating sites by putting the focus on its social networking capabilities. It's currently available in 25 languages and more than 70 countries, and shows no signs of stopping in 2013. For a review of this service see our Zoosk page.
7. ChristianMingle: "Find God's Match For You," says ChristianMingle, a faith-based site created to bring Christian singles together for friendship, dating, and marriage. With over 8 million members, the largest and fastest growing online Christian community. For a review of this service see our ChristianMingle.com page.
8. AdultFriendFinder: AdultFriendFinder is an online sex and swinger personals site that helps members meet new friends and sex partners. What started as a small niche site quickly grew in popularity - it even debuted the music video for Flo Rida's "Touch Me."
9. JDate: JDate is one of a number of demographically focused online match-making websites operated by Spark Networks. JDate offers both free and premium plans to Jewish singles looking to date within their faith. For a review of this service see our JDate page.
10. SinglesNet: SinglesNet offers singles a feature-rich environment with free online dating tools like online chat, personals, and dating forums. IAC added the site to its ever-expanding dating services roster back in 2010. For a review of this service see our Singlesnet.com page.

So what do you think...did the Zeitgeist report accurately capture the spirit of online dating in 2012?

We have lots of online dating statistics for you today. Most of them have been compiled by comScore which is a company that measures internet traffic worldwide. This will make a nice wrap-up for the year 2012.

To start things, off did you know for the month of September 1 in 10 users on the internet visited a dating site? Well they did. For users of smartphones this statistic doubled to 2 visitors in every 10. Interestingly in quarter 2 of 2010 only 2 percent of every e-Commerce dollar was spent via a mobile device. In 2 short years this has risen to 10 percent which is 1 in every 10 dollars. I would bet that the online dating segment breaks down in a similar fashion since most dating sites have dating apps now.

Anyways, did you know visitors of online dating sites are not a fickle bunch? 26 percent of them visited more than one in a given month. Personal computers still win for quality time though with on average a user spending 80 minutes using online dating sites. This compares to mobile phone users who spent only 70 minutes. Facebook is a target rich environment for the dating site marking machine. 38 percent of all dating site ads are on Facebook. These ads reach almost half (47%) of their target users.

So what are the top ten dating site companies worldwide at the end of 2012 from comScore? Well compared to last year of the top 50 dating sites, 28 percent are new to the list! That is a lot for any industry.

• 1 - Match.com Sites
• 2 - Plenty of Fish Sites
• 3 - Zoosk.com
• 4 - Xpress.com
• 5 - Spark Networks
• 6 - eHarmony
• 7 - SpeedDate.com
• 8 - DateHookup.com
• 9 - Mate1.com
• 10 - Ashley Madison

So how do our English speaking friends overseas feel about online dating? In September of this year 5.7 million people in the United Kingdom (which has a total population of almost 63 million) visited an online dating site. This is a staggering 22 percent increase over the same time period last year. The 55 plus age group demographic led the charge with a 39 percent increase in visitors which topped 1 million unique visitors. The most active age group visiting dating sites was the 25 to 34 year olds with 1.3 million users which works out to 23 percent of all visitors. What was the most popular dating site in the UK? Why Plenty of Fish of course with almost 1.5 million visitors who spent on average for the entire month 115 minutes on POF.com.

A subject related to online dating is social networking. Worldwide for the month of November in 2012, on average a visitor spent 5.2 hours on one or more social network (excludes mobile phones). Over the past 3 months according to Alexa, Facebook came out on top followed by Twitter and then LinkedIn. In the top ten country list (see this) Argentina came out on top with an average of 9.8 hours in a month. Second went to Brazil with 9.7 hours and third was Russia with 9.6 hours. Canada came in 6th with 7.9 hours and the United States was nowhere on the list. This means in the U.S. visitors spent under 7.5 hours a month on social networking sites.

To find out more about the state of online dating in 2012 you can check out this page and view a presentation here. For more information about online dating and dating sites you can read our Statistics and Facts page.

Some think of fall as the time for Halloween and Thanksgiving. Others think of fall as time for the celebration of Movember, a tradition run since 2004 by the Movember Foundation.

What is Movember?

Movember is an annual, month-long event that hopes to "change the face of men's health" by raising awareness of prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and other men's health issues. On November 1st, Movember participants - known as Mo Bros - begin the event clean shaven. For the rest of the month, Mo Bros grow and groom their 'staches and raise money for the Movember Foundation by seeking sponsorship for their efforts. At the end of the month, Mo Bros celebrate their achievement by throwing a Movember party or attending one of the official galas held around the world.

This year Zoosk is celebrating the month of Movember by surveying members about their thoughts on facial hair and how it plays out in their relationships. Here's what they found:

Facial hair is becoming more popular in America.

• Only 50% of American men say their father had facial hair.
• But today, 64% of American men report having facial hair.
• "Mustache" may be a French word, but only 40% of French men currently embrace facial hair.

The most common reason for growing facial hair is confidence.

• 44% of men around the world say they feel more confident when they have facial hair.
• Other common reasons for growing facial hair are: to feel more attractive, to feel more sophisticated, and to feel more intelligent.

The majority of women are a-ok with facial hair, and the goatee is their favorite form.

• 80% of American women and 69% of women in the UK and Canada don't mind their men with facial hair.
• But most women in Australia, France, Mexico and Denmark prefer clean-shaven men.
• The goatee is the preferred form of facial hair, as voted by 36% of American women, while the soul patch is the least-liked form.

Participating in Movember might actually increase your chances of finding love.

• 63% of American women say that they would be more open to romance with a man who grew facial hair for a worthy cause.
• Only 27% of French women say they would feel more romantic with a man who grew facial hair for a cause.

Men and women disagree over which celebrity sports the best facial hair.

• More than 50% of women think it's Johnny Depp.
• Men, on the other hand, say Depp's facial hair is second to James Bond himself: Sean Connery.

See the infographic here. To find out more about this dating site you can read our Zoosk review.

When online dating first came along, everyone was horrified. "Meeting someone? Online? Sounds like a service for freaks and losers and axe murderers."

Then we all warmed up to the idea. "Online dating? It's awesome. You can meet people from all over the world without leaving your couch and you don't have to spend every Saturday night deflecting losers at the bar."

Now online dating seems almost...old-fashioned. Dating algorithms and static profiles nearly feel like a thing of the past, while low-key social networking is all the rage.

Zoosk, from day one, has managed to take the best of online dating and merge it with social networking, creating a site that's always ahead of the curve and stands a real chance of becoming the future of modern romance. Shayan Zadeh, co-founder and co-CEO of Zoosk, recently had a chat with The Washington Times about where online dating is heading and what Zoosk is doing to stay on top of the game.

Zoosk's strategy is about one thing and one thing only: staying competitive. Zoosk began on the Facebook platform in 2007, then expanded into a website and mobile dating as the market changed. "We've focused on bringing together the best aspects of social networking (like news feed, live chat and video conversations) to the world of online romance," said Zadeh, ensuring that Zoosk is always relevant.

Now the market is changing again, and Zoosk is adapting to keep up. The question Zadeh and Zoosk are currently working to answer is "How could we keep Zoosk members engaged with the site, even after they found love?

Their solution - Couple Profiles - was launched in April. Couple Profiles give couples - whether or not they originally met on Zoosk - a "dedicated place to celebrate their relationship online" where they can "share photos and relationship milestones, like anniversaries, vacations and special events, with family and friends." Zoosk is aiming to turn itself into a "romantic social network," not just a dating site.

"We really see social networking for couples as being the next evolution of modern romance," explained Zadeh. A survey found that 77% of Zoosk members use technology to connect with their partners throughout the day (the majority interacted with their significant others 3 or more times each day). That's a massive market that Zoosk intends to conquer, with the new Couple Profiles feature and its mobile services.

The days of romantic social networking may have just begun, but I like the idea already. Can't wait to see where it goes.

To find out more about this popular dating site you can read our Zoosk.com review.