Online Dating

Dating apps have provided a great way for people to connect, but along with the positives, the downside to dating apps still looms large - users aren't necessarily safe when they are meeting new people.

Dating app users can become easy targets for sexually predatory behavior. The question of security in online dating has once again entered the news headlines, thanks to the conviction of Stephen Port, a UK man who was accused and found guilty of killing four men he met through gay dating apps.

Port met his victims by catfishing them through various dating apps including Grindr, posting fake profiles and avoiding using any real details about himself, encouraging them to meet in person before drugging their drinks. 

Dating app giant Tinder is trying to maintain its huge lead in the online dating market, and is also looking for new ways to monetize. In late 2016 the company launched Tinder Boost, a new paid feature to help users “skip the line” and be more prominently featured to other users. This comes after the success of the launch of its premium paid service, Tinder Plus.

Tinder Boost provides a unique advantage to its users. The new feature places its users at the top of searches for 30 minutes, giving them up to 10 times more profile views than the standard method. While Tinder Boost is activated, other relevant, potential matches within the area will see your profile before anyone else’s. This could make a huge difference in your chances of connecting, since competing among Tinder’s 50 million users can be quite challenging. It’s easy to be overlooked, especially if users are mindlessly swiping.

Tinder Boost also offers a built-in timer that lets people see how many minutes are remaining, so you can take full advantage of the thirty minutes you get.

Do you typically meet a first date for coffee or drinks, not wanting to commit to anything more until you know you hit it off?

Turns out this might not be the best strategy for finding love. Dating app Coffee Meets Bagel recently surveyed more than 1,000 couples who met through its app to see what made their first date so successful. The company then surveyed more than 6,000 singles to compare their thoughts about first dates, and found they don’t often agree. Here’s what we can learn.

Following are nine findings that increase your chance of first date success:

This New Year's at eHarmony in the United States and Canada free members can message for no cost with their matches. This promotion is available for 5 days and runs from December 28th, 2016 to January 3rd, 2017. No credit card is needed and the sooner you sign up the longer you will be able to communicate with your matches.

The year end holidays is typically the busiest time of year for dating sites and apps with the first Sunday in January being predicted as the most busiest (see Story). If you are thinking of trying out a online dating service, then this time of year is your best chance of finding that special someone. It doesn't matter if your a senior or have just finished finalizing your divorce, online dating at this time of year gives you one of the best chances to find love.

During this event the secure call feature, photos, and skipping the guided communication process are not included with the free trial. For more details about this popular dating service please read our review of eHarmony.

It’s election season, and one thing is certain: there are different attitudes, habits, and priorities among people living in different regions of the United States. But it's not just about politics - some regional differences hold up in other parts of life, including dating habits and preferences.

Online dating service Badoo recently surveyed 1,000 of its users across different regions of the U.S. to compare and contrast their dating habits, taking into consideration age, gender and sexuality.

Some of the findings include:

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Tinder…

It’s officially been four years since Tinder first appeared in app stores (this past October). Today it boasts over 40 million users worldwide and more than a billion daily swipes. It’s used in 196 countries, has been downloaded 100 million times, has made 10 billion total matches, and has launched 1.5 million dates. Tinder is now worth a reported $1.2 billion. It’s the app everyone loves and loves to hate.

In honor of the big birthday, let’s take a stroll down memory lane and remember how Tinder became mobile dating’s flashiest success story.