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Stereotypes aren't always true. While prevailing wisdom indicates that older men like to date younger women, it turns out they aren't the only ones interested in dating younger.

A recent study conducted by dating app Are You Interested, which connects members based on their Facebook profiles, found that women were five times more likely to show interest in a man five years younger than one who is five years older. And as it turns out, the men are a little more open to dating older women. While 42% wouldn't consider reaching out to a woman who was older, if these same men were contacted by an older woman, most would entertain the idea of dating. Only 22% of men said they were less likely to respond when an older woman contacted them first.

Are You Interested pulled data from its 68 million downloads and 20 million Facebook profiles of members to see which ones were making successful matches. From this user base, they focused on 35,942 users aged 30 to 49.

Age seems to be a key factor. Members in their twenties were not considered, and there might be more diversity among them.

According to Are You Interested, one of the reasons for the trend of women going for younger men is that they get inundated with messages from older men, so dating older doesn't hold much appeal. There is something else to consider too, which is the fact that young women in general are putting more time and energy into their careers and education, making more money than their young male counterparts. They have little desire to settle down or to date someone older for reasons of financial security.

So what does this mean if you are online dating? Should you make sure that you don't date anyone more than two or three years older? Should you start limiting your search to profiles of younger men?

Most people do have age preferences, but if you are strict about them when you're online dating, you're missing out on opportunities. If you set age limits, you're more likely to set other hard limits too, like only dating men who live within a ten-mile radius, or who are taller, or who have a certain type of career. The choosier we are, the more people we are not getting the privilege of meeting, which is counter-productive in dating. The more you date, and especially the more you date outside your "type," the more you can draw on a vast array of experiences. Then you can make a truly informed decision about what type of person you want, and what kind of relationship you desire.

One thing is certain when it comes to meeting potential dates: we've never had more options than we do right now. Between online dating, mobile dating apps, and video dating, it's easy to communicate with someone new.

And while online dating remains the most popular way to meet, more and more people are gravitating towards their phones for help in dating, so new apps are coming out all the time, each with a different spin.

Chris Harrison, the popular host of the TV show The Bachelor thinks video dating provides a great alternative to going on dozens of coffee dates just to see what someone is like. He recently released a video dating app called At Fist Sight that centers around video profiles. He claims that his app allows daters a deeper look at each other, one that can't be captured through static pictures, emails, or even a traditional online dating profile.

He discovered the power of video while working for the hit reality show, seeing firsthand how casting decisions are made based on the sense you get from each contestant through their video profiles. He reasoned that if he provided this kind of power to other daters out there, they would be able to make more informed choices.

At First Sight is similar to online dating in that it matches people according to an algorithm, based on mutual interests and compatible personalities. And if you're interested specifically in the still-single reality stars from the TV show, Harrison told the L.A. Times there might be Bachelor or Bachelorette contestants becoming members in the near future. He also doesn't rule out casting for future shows based on who signs up for the service.

But At First Sight isn't the only video-friendly dating app. Date.FM bills itself to be the first dating app to include video chat. If you're interested in someone, you can also start chatting (virtually) face-to-face immediately. With Flikdate, you can video chat for up to 90 seconds with people around the world, moving on to the next with a flick of your screen.

At First Sight is available on both Android and iOS devices. While the app doesn't yet have the capability of video chatting, you could still access members via Skype or Google hangout. There are also instant messaging and social features as part of the app.

Right now, At First Sight is free and in the beta stage so if you want to check it out, I encourage you to do so. They are still in the process of building a user base, so it may eventually come with a price tag.

I had a bit of a laugh today when I was reviewing a few senior dating sites. What do these 3 pictures have in common?

Senior FriendFinder

Senior People Meet

Single Seniors Meet

That's right each one uses the exact same photo of a senior couple! Single Seniors Meet and Senior People Meet actual used the photo at the exact same time back in 2010 before they switched to different photos. Also Single Seniors Meet has gone through a few name changes which is a little confusing. They were called Prime Singles at one point and are now called SilverSingles.com. The site is also run by Spark Networks who also owns Christian Mingle.

I was surprised to see Senior FriendFinder join in on the party and use the same photo of the couple (it is at least a 3 year old photo). There is either very few good photos of happy couples in their later years or ... heck I am not sure why they are using it ... 🤔

The Business Insider did an interview with Aaron Schildkrout and Brian Schechter who co-founded the dating site HowAboutWe. The business was launched in Dumbo which is an up-and-coming area for startups in Brooklyn, New York. The dating site launched in April of 2010 with the slogan "Go online to get offline".

To find out more about how this online dating site works you can read our HowAboutWe review.

The Harlem Shake has been sweeping the nation and the world. Everyone from universities to Jimmy Fallon have released a video. So how did these Harlem Shake viral videos become a YouTube craze?

It looks like the first Harlem Shake video was uploaded on Jan. 30, 2013 (see Video). As of today it has over 24 million views. The video that really got the ball rolling and set the format for future videos was this one released on Feb. 2, 2013 by a group of teenagers from Australia calling themselves TheSunnyCoastSkate. Basically a Harlem Shake video is about 30 seconds long with the first 15 seconds of a lone masked person dancing with people around him not paying attention. The video then cuts to the entire group of people doing a crazy dance with most dressed in costumes. During the video samples of the 2011 song "Harlem Shake” released by Baauer are played.

By Feb.11, 2013 approximately 4 thousand Harlem Shake videos where being uploaded to YouTube everyday making 12 thousand total videos with 44 million views. By this time companies had started to take notice and where releasing their own videos. When February 15th rolled around there was a total of 40,000 videos that had been viewed 175 million times. The song “Harlem Shake also reached number 1 on iTunes in America.

Not to be left out a number of dating sites and social networks have also released their own Harlem Shake videos. Here they are:

Match.com does the Harlem Shake

Plenty of Fish does the Harlem Shake

Mate1 does the Harlem Shake

Facebook does the Harlem Shake

For more on the Harlem Shake phenomena you can check out Wikipedia.

Recipient
How About We

The 2012 Editor's choice for the Top Pick - Innovative Award goes to the matchmaking service How About We. From teaming up with American Association of Retired Persons to provide a seniors dating service, to integrating couples profiles into their dating site, 2012 has been a good year for HowAboutWe.com

How About We is an innovative service that approaches matching members in a different way than most other dating sites. Instead of just searching for profiles, members offer date ideas. If you find a date idea interesting you then click “I’m Intrigued”. This will send out a message to the person which then gets the ball rolling for a more serious conversation. You can also “Ask Out” a person and send them your date idea directly and privately. Reposting of your own date ideas or from others is allowed and to get ideas on new dates you can check out Trending Dates, this is a list of the top date ideas. How About We is also one of the few dating sites that allow you to create your own profile questions. This allows you to make your profile stand out and contain any interesting information about you, you want.

This innovative dating site has a unique way of matching members by having them post their date ideas. If you find this intriguing, you should check out How About We. It is free to join and review dating ideas and if you pay to communicate with members, offline dates are guaranteed or your money back.

Read our review of How About We for more information about this online dating service.

This Year's Runner Up for this award is: Match.com