Types (Niche)

Match.com currently offers their dating application on the iPhone (see Story), the Palm Pixi (see Story) and the Palm Pre (see Story), or so I thought! While researching a story about the Google Android OS I see Match.com now offer a dating application for the Blackberry phone. As with the other Match.com smart phone applications you can browse for singles, send and receive emails and wink at members. Blackberry App users can also upload photos and edit their profiles. These smart phone apps for the most part allow you to do everything you can on the website. As far as I can tell the Blackberry Match.com dating application was released sometime late January, 2010.

We also just got news that Match.com is currently working on a dating application for Android phones. Once this app is completed in the coming months Match.com will have almost 90 percent of the world's smart phones covered with their dating application. When you combine this with their current matchMobile service (which has been around for a number of years now for regular cell phones) you can tell Match.com has taken a special interest in mobile dating.

For more on the story read Forbes. To find out more about mobile dating applications on Match.com, read out review of Match.com.

Skout, a mobile phone dating service, recently did a survey of 1000 of its users. The survey participants had an even number of men and women in their 20s. Here are some of the results of the survey:

• 51% have met another single in the real world that they first contacted on their phone.
• 69% of all surveyed are comfortable in meeting up with someone they met online.
• 40% use the Skout service while out at restaurants, bars and clubs.
• 35% have used Skout at work.
• During the holidays 29% would prioritize spending time with their family while 71% would prefer going out on at least one date or hook-up.

It also looks like 20 percent of those surveyed on Skout have a significant other, with half knowing about their partners activities on these social dating sites. I don't know if this is a good statistic to advertise since it means one fifth of all Skout members are cheaters.

For more on the story, read The Washington Post. You can also find other dating sites which offer a mobile phone service here.

In the search for Mr. or Mrs. Right, wouldn’t it be great if you had an advocate who was going to bat for you? That’s what personal matchmakers do. Services like It’s Just Lunch have grown in popularity over the past few years as many people feel more comfortable with people doing the people-matching instead of computers.

As with any type of dating site or service, personal matchmakers have their pros and cons. This type of service won’t be for everyone, but if you review these features and still think they’re right for you: good luck! You’ll be moving forward with a personal dating coach in the world of romance!

Benefits of Personal Matchmakers

What’s not to like about having someone who has met you, knows your quirks and has spoken with you at-length doing the matching for you? Personal matchmakers have the one thing that most online dating sites lack: personal, one-on-one service. They can put people together based on first-hand impressions instead of computer matching algorithms and give some inside scoop on who you’ll be sitting across from on that first meeting instead of a page of pictures and standard questions.

Drawbacks to Personal Matchmakers

There are two significant drawbacks to personal matchmakers: cost and level of service. While an online dating service will cost you anywhere from nothing to fifty or so dollars per month, personal matchmakers often run into the hundreds to many thousands per year. While many personal matchmakers have outstanding reputations among their clients no matter how successful their matches may ultimately be, you have to be able to justify each matchmaker’s services with the price they’re charging. Many will simply interview you and set you up on dates. Others will go the extra few miles and do exit interviews after unsuccessful dates, do periodic check ins and see where your personal life is at and offer to make introductions out of the norm.

Tips for Personal Matchmakers

If you’re considering using a personal matchmaker, ask for a list of references of current or past clients. If they won’t provide one, how do you know they’re any good? It’s their word against your wallet, hopes and dreams at that point. In addition to references, interview multiple matchmakers in your local area first before looking for one outside your geography. Being familiar with your local social scene shouldn’t be underrated. Ask about contracts, payment terms and how they handle complaints or conflicts.

If you are interested in a Personal Matchmaker service, check out our review of It's Just Lunch.

For the first article in this series, read: Types of Online Dating Services: Overview

In a hurry? Tired of coffee dates that seem to go nowhere? Wait no more! In addition to the other matchmaker and classified-type online dating sites, speed dating is on the rise.

Most of these websites have a significant offline component. These are the actual dating event where you meet anywhere from 8 to 15 people over the course of an evening. While both SpeedDate.com and HuryyDate.com have an online component as well with such features as IM and matching, most are online portals to direct you to a live event.

Benefits of Speed Dating

If you haven’t had success with one-on-one encounters that have the potential to drag on or you’re just too nice a person to say “no, thank you,” then speed dating might be something to try. Your “dates” last anywhere from five to eight minutes, after which you move on to the next candidate. There’s not really an opportunity for awkward silence and whether you fancy them of not, five to eight minutes isn’t really enough time to say anything you might regret!

Drawbacks to Speed Dating

If you’re more comfortable getting to know someone over a more anonymous forum prior to meeting, then speed dating probably won’t be your ideal fit. Since these are primarily live events, you’ll probably enjoy the online dating sites like Match.com or JDate.com more as they protect your privacy and let you prepare for face-to-face meetings at your own speed.

Tips for Speed Dating

Since your dates go by so quickly, have a few questions you’d like to ask your dates in the bag. Otherwise, try to have fun! Make it less of an interview and more of a conversation and your date across the table will be able to let loose and show you a little glimpse of themselves. If you drill ‘em, you’re going to see less “them” and more “defensive them.” Go easy on that guy or gal, as they’re just as interested in making a quality connection as you are.

If you are interested in a dating site which offers this service, you should read our review of HurryDate.

For the first article in this series, read: Types of Online Dating Services: Overview

Perhaps the most popular in the online dating world, online matchmaking sites are the ones you’ve heard the most about. Match.com, eHarmony, Chemistry.com – they are all designed to make recommendations about other users who might be a good fit for you. While many of these sites allow you to search on your own, some take the reins and handle the matchmaking process for you 100%.

If you’re a hand-on type person, sites like eHarmony and Chemistry.com may not be the best option for you as they have the strongest control on the matchmaking process. They’ll send you members to review (sometimes only a certain number per week), and then you can choose whether or not to initiate contact with them. However, if you’re looking for a little more help in the online dating department, this type of site might be ideal since they minimize your search time and bring results directly to your inbox.

Sites like Match.com, Date.com and others allow you to take control of the search process and will email you updates of users you might like to review. However, they don’t control your access to other members’ profiles and let you pretty much look at whomever you’d like. If you’re that hands-on type of person, sites like these are ideal since they allow you to remain in control of the “seek and ye shall find” process. If you’re easily overwhelmed by reading profiles and filtering results, you may want to stick with one of the pure matchmaking sites we mentioned above.

One of the benefits of the online matchmaking sites are that you can set up customizable searches to make the process simpler. They will email you results from your searches and help draw attention to new members who have recently joined who meet your search criteria. The custom search features are an excellent way to focus your time and save yourself from wading through profiles that are not going to deliver the type of person you dream about spending time with.

For more information on the dating sites mentioned in this article, read our Match.com review and our eHarmony review.

For the first article in this series, read: Types of Online Dating Services: Overview

When we say “online personal ad sites,” we’re talking about those sites that are really no more than a listing. An advertisement of you, who you are and what you’re looking for. For that matter, really anything you do or don’t want to share. While these sites usually require a username and password to set up your profile or ad, many are free or only have minimal membership fees.

Unlike the online matchmaker types of sites like Match.com and eHarmony, online personal ad sites are static in nature. You likely won’t receive emails from the site with updates or members you might be interested in and the website’s functionality will likely be minimal. Making contact with other members will be left strictly up to you.

If you’re the type of person that doesn’t want all the bells and whistles of a full-on online matchmaking dating site, then the online personal ad realm might be the ticket. Sites like Yahoo! Personals and SinglesNet.com both offer bare-bones online personal ad options. While with Yahoo! Personals, you can opt to dig deeper into a wider range of services, the site began as purely an online personal ad portal. On sites like these, you can search at-will for other members and not be bogged down with any “meddling” in your affairs.

If you happen to be more comfortable on a site where you get highly in-depth information about other members and prefer to have matches brought to your doorstep, online personal ad sites probably won’t be your best bet. Profiles on these sites are usually less intensive than on the online matchmaker sites. Most won’t have mobile options for your smart phone, either.

If you’re trying to decide if an online personal ad site is your cup of tea, sign up for a free trial and take a tour. Create a profile in two different types of sites and see what happens. You’ll know quickly if you’re going to be overwhelmed by the site’s many options or completely underwhelmed by the lack thereof.

For more information on the dating sites mentioned in this article, read our Match.com review and our eHarmony review.

For the first article in this series, read: Types of Online Dating Services: Overview