October is Cyber Security Awareness Month, an annual campaign to raise awareness about staying safe online. From gaming, to social media, to online dating, we live in a world that is more connected than ever before. The internet touches almost all aspects of daily life, whether you realize it or not. Most of the time it makes our lives better, but on some unlucky occasions, it does the opposite.

Scammers use digital tools like online dating to lure in unsuspecting victims and their tactics become more sophisticated all the time. If you don’t learn how to protect yourself, you could be putting yourself at risk for emotional, financial, or even physical harm, With Cyber Security Awareness Month just passed, now is the perfect time to talk about prevention.

Dating on its own is difficult, but when you’re an introvert, it can be both frustrating and exhausting.

Introverts aren’t anti-social (contrary to popular opinion), but while they do enjoy being with people, they also need more time alone to recharge. Think of it this way: extroverts get more energy by being around people and excitement, whereas introverts gain energy from taking a time-out.

So what does this mean when it comes to dating?

Some of October’s biggest dating news came courtesy of Hinge. The dating service announced a total overhaul, complete with a rebrand, an updated app, and a new advertising campaign. Two changes in particular made big news: Hinge was ditching the swipe and adding a $7 monthly fee.

The move was inspired by a Vanity Fair article called Tinder and the Dawn of the ‘Dating Apocalypse’. In the article, writer Nancy Jo Sales criticized the current state of the dating landscape, painting it as superficial and sex-crazed, and placing the blame on dating apps like Tinder and Hinge.

Justin McLeod, Hinge’s founder and CEO, was dismayed by the portrayal and resolved to take action. He announced that big changes were coming to Hinge in the fall, ones that realigned the company with its original, relationship-focused intentions. Then came the news about the swipes and the membership fee.

Is your date a stud or a dud? A new mobile app called Stud or Dud hopes to boost safety and transparency in the online dating world.

A 2011 study by the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that approximately 81 percent of dating site users lie about their height, weight, or age in their profiles. On average, the female participants described themselves as 8.5 pounds thinner in their profiles than they really were. Men only subtracted 2 pounds, but they lied by a greater magnitude than women about their height.

Snapchats new logo.

The company behind Snapchat, which recently changed its name to Snap Inc., is now facing a trademark lawsuit over its new moniker. Snap Interactive, a company that operates dating applications for social media websites, filed the suit at the US District Court for the Southern District of New York on Tuesday, October 25.

Snapchat’s rebranding was intended to reflect the company’s expanding goals. "We rebranded our company to Snap Inc. because we are bigger than just one app," chief strategy officer Imran Khan told Adweek. "Snap Inc. is a camera company—we believe that reinventing the camera represents our greatest opportunity to improve the way people live and communicate."

This Thanksgiving weekend eHarmony is offering users in the United States free communication. This offer runs for 5 days and starts Thursday November 23^rd and runs to the end of day Monday November 28^th (ends at 11:59PM PST). You can enjoy free communication on their website at eHarmony.com and the eHarmony dating apps (which you can find on Google Play and iTunes).

If you are interested in trying out eHarmony the first thing you need to do when you visit their website is create a free membership. This includes providing basic information about yourself like your email address, gender, and age. From there you will then be prompted to fill out the profile questionnaire. This takes about 30 minutes (you can pause and come back anytime to complete) and is important because your answers are used to match you with other eHarmony members who live in your area and who have compatible personalities. Once your profile is complete eHarmony will determine your first set of matches and send you them to you. From there you can then start communicating with the matches that peak your interest. Please note this free communication promotion does not include profile photos, secure call (an anonymous phone call service), or skipping the guided communication process to go straight to emailing. Also no credit card is required for this promotion.

For more information about this popular dating service please read our review of eHarmony.