Online Dating

Were you wondering who the most popular members were on Match.com this past year? Or maybe you were wondering the percentage of blonde to brunette daters, or what music most matches were listening to? Whatever your question, Match.com seems to have answers in their 2015 wrap-up.

If you dwell in New York City, you might be surprised to learn that despite the hectic pace and its legendary status for casual relationships and ambitious and independent singles (thanks to tv shows like Girls and Sex and the City), New York City is the number one place where Match.com members want kids! Commitment and family in New York City is possible and a goal for a lot of daters, so lesson learned here: don’t let the stereotypes rule your life.

If on the other hand, you are looking for the jet set life and want to be with a doctor or lawyer, head to Durham, North Carolina or Washington, D.C. respectively.

It also appears that despite the tech-savvy iPhone users among us, Android users are becoming more likely to try online dating. In 2015, 29% more Android users joined Match.com vs. iPhone users.

This past year marked a big year for the LGBT community, with the Supreme Court ruling that marriage between same-sex couples was legal across the country. Plus, notable celebrity and former Olympic Champion Caitlyn Jenner came out to the world, making transgender rights a topic of discussion. In the online dating world, half a million members of the LGBT community joined Match in 2015.

Following are some additional highlights:

• Since we are in for a long year of political maneuvering in 2016, Match.com decided to see the Hilarys vs. the Donalds who signed up for online dating this past year. As it turns out, there are more Donalds who are members of Match. (We’ll see how this plays out in the elections.)
• Game of Thrones was the most-mentioned TV show on Match this year. (No big surprise – though fans of The Walking Dead will be pleased their show came in second.)
• The most-mentioned celebrities included Drake at #1, Taylor Swift, Beyonce and then the Kardashians.
• The most mentioned trendy words of 2015 were “swag” (coming in at #1), “bae” (because who doesn’t want to find their bae?), and “Netflix and chill” (to which I can relate).
• Most trending newsworthy topics discussed on Match include transgender, Donald Trump, and marijuana. 
• The most popular foods mentioned were sushi (coming in at #1), tacos and ramen. Delicious.
• Two times more brunettes joined than blondes.
• Last but not least, Match revealed its two most popular daters – Leonora from New York, NY and Gabriel from Los Angeles.

To find out more about this dating service you can read our review of Match.com. Happy dating!

Cinderella had to find Prince Charming the hard way. You can find your fairytale romance on a new dating website designed for Disney lovers.

Specialized dating sites are hardly a new phenomenon – there are sites for farmers, vegetarians, even zombies and morticians – but MouseMingle.com has been the talk of the digital town since its recent debut.

"Traditional internet dating sites don't understand the passion people have for all things Disney,” reads the MouseMingle homepage. “But we do."

The site was created by Dave Tavres, a Disney devotee who once worked as a Disneyland Railroad engineer. He says he never flirted while on duty at the resort, but found it difficult to find women who shared his passion for Disney while he wasn't on the clock.

Tavres told Mashable the idea came to him after friends asked why he hadn't experimented with online dating. "I told them I had tried them, but there was no way to narrow down the searches to find women in the right distance and age range who loved Disney,” he said. “That was the inception moment."

MouseMingle celebrates all things Walt. Users identify their “Disney nerd level” and discuss subjects like favorite Disney songs. The profile questionnaire includes queries like “What type of Disney shopper are you?” and “What type of annual pass do you have?” Newly registered members are also prompted to indicate whether they're in the market for a "Park Pal," friendship, dating or marriage.

Scroll through pictures on the site and you'll see countless snaps of people at the park or dressed as their favorite characters. Some Disney employees are also getting in on the action, sharing photos of themselves in their Disney work uniforms.

Users can browse profiles for free, but you'll need a monthly membership to contact another user. The monthly fee is $12.55 – a reference to 1955, the year the original theme park opened. Far away from the magical kingdom? Don't worry, you don't need to live near a Disney park to use the site. MouseMingle members can live anywhere in the world.

"There are countless single Disney fans that live in the spaces between Disney parks,” Tavres explained to Mashable. “Those people often have a greater passion for Disney, as they don't get to visit as often."

What started out as a high-tech solution to Tavres' singlehood problem has reportedly gained thousands of users is its first week. "My hope is that people literally around the world will find the site useful," he said to Mashable.

Looking for your happily ever after? Join MouseMingle and some day your prince (or princess) might come.

It’s that time of year – the decorations and lights are up, people are rushing around to catch the sales, and extra glasses of bubbly are being poured in festive cheer. Not to mention all the happy couples, who seem to be everywhere and doing romantic things like ice skating and warming up together by a nice fire.

Instead of running in the other direction or shutting yourself off from social events this holiday season because you don’t have someone to go with, it’s time to pull out that pair of red heels and start meeting new people. And having some fun.

The holidays are the best time to socialize, especially if you’re single. Between happy hours, office holiday parties, and friends inviting you to their holiday festivities, there’s much more of a chance to meet someone new. (Bonus: you don’t have to use Tinder, either.)

Following are 5 tips for a fun holiday season – and to meeting more people:

Accept all invitations. Even to that boring networking mixer or Aunt Sally’s potluck dinner. During the holiday season, more people attend social events than at other times of the year, so those invitations you try to avoid might actually be more fun than you think. You never know who might show up.

Invite your friends (if you can). Maybe your best pal is not romantically your type, but you have fun hanging out together. This is a good time of year to make plans and bring him to parties with you. This expands both of your social circles, and therefore both of your options of meeting more people.

If not, be brave and go solo. It might seem intimidating to go to a party alone, especially if you think it will be filled with couples. Instead of avoiding dinner parties and other couple-ly events, dress up and put yourself out there. You never know who your friends might have invited, or who they could set you up with in the future. There’s nothing more attractive than a woman or man confidently walking up to strangers to strike up conversation.

Do something you enjoy, just because. Do you like to make hot chocolate with a shot of whiskey for your friends? Do you like decorating a Christmas tree, volunteering your time to a local food bank, or binge watching your favorite TV series while you bake cookies? Do it. There’s no time like the present. It will also put you in a good frame of mind for all the holiday stress ahead.

Spend time with the people you love – and like. The holidays are about being thankful for the people in your life who bring you happiness, joy, or even a good shoulder to cry on. These are the people to hang with this holiday season. It’s really about having fun and sharing experiences with the people you love, romantic or not. It puts you in a great frame of mind for when you do happen to be out and meet someone who catches your attention.

Online dating services like eHarmony and Chemistry.com have long emphasized their ability to find “quality” matches based on matchmaking algorithms. Even dating app Tinder, known as more of a hook-up app than a true matchmaking service, is getting in on the long-term love strategy. The company just released a new version, with updated algorithms that Tinder CEO Sean Rad maintains will lead to “more meaningful matches.”

Matching algorithms work like this: If you craft a profile with your interests, hobbies, income, and other descriptors, and you identify the qualities you are looking for in a match, then voila – the online dating site will find those candidates best suited for you. In other words, they will find people with similar preferences, interests, and backgrounds and match you together.

Which means that there’s a higher likelihood of the two of you falling in love and living happily ever after, right?

Not necessarily. Some writers point to research that says otherwise. As The Washington Post shared in a recent article: “Dating site algorithms are meaningless. They really don’t do anything. In fact, the research suggests that so-called ‘matching algorithms’ are only negligibly better at matching people than random chance.”

The reasons behind this conclusion are varied, but the basic idea is that chemistry between two people is highly variable. Just because you might match up well in theory, (and online), doesn’t mean that the spark will exist in real life. But the dating sites want you to believe otherwise.

There is an argument to be made that people who are considered “compatible” or who have the same background, communication style, or any number of factors in common might make better matches. And they might – or they might not. According to one very prominent study from 2012 conducted by Northwestern University’s Eli Finkel on the matching algorithms used by online dating sites, there was just as good a chance that someone you meet at random could end up being the love of your life.

According to Finkel’s study, relationship success depends on three things. First, individual characteristics, like whether you’re smart, funny, consider yourself beautiful, or avoid commitment at all costs. Second, the quality of interaction between two people - specifically how you hit it off in-person, not through text messages back and forth. And third, your surrounding circumstances, like your career, ethnicity, financial security, and health.

As we know from online dating sites, we aren’t always accurate or truthful when we are describing ourselves, so it’s likely we aren’t as compatible as we think. Another problem is that compatibility isn’t the marker of a good relationship. It really comes down to that elusive thing called chemistry and how you interact together in person.

With this information, it’s to every dater’s benefit to accept more invitations and matches, even those who don’t seem to be suited for you. Because the truth is, until you meet, you just don’t know.

How will technology change the way we date over the next 25 years? Virtual reality, DNA testing and wearable technology could all be part of the picture.

A recent report from Imperial College Business School in the United Kingdom, commissioned by eHarmony, explores how we'll date in the future. The report analyzed over 100 years’ worth of trend data and interviews with experts in multiple fields to predict how dating and relationships could change by 2040.

"By 2040 we estimate that 70 percent of couples will get together online, with technology revolutionising the way we find love and build our relationships," said Romain Bertrand, eHarmony UK manager, to The Telegraph.

Here are some of the report's key conjectures:

• Full Sensory Virtual Reality: In just 25 years, data could be shared so quickly that all five human senses could be digitally simulated instantaneously, creating a full-sensory virtual reality. A virtual date would be just like a real one – you could smell your date's fragrance or hold their hand – but all from the comfort of your own home.
• DNA Matching: As DNA testing becomes increasingly affordable, it could also become part of the matching process. By 2040, scientists may have a clear understanding of the role DNA plays in attraction and have developed ways to use DNA to pair compatible partners.
• Behavioral Tracking: Wearable technology and hyperconnected devices could eliminate the need for daters to describe themselves. Instead, high-tech gadgets could do the hard work for them. For instance, “Smart Contact Lenses could track the type of people you look at most frequently when your body produces the signs of attraction,” says the report.
• Deep Learning: Big data gets a bad rap, but it could be useful for singles of the future. Improved connectivity and artificial intelligence could allow for greater 'deep learning' as vast amounts of complex data are processed. Singles could receive real-time feedback and use it to improve their romantic decision making.

It's not just the single and ready to mingle who could benefit from these new technologies. Couples could use this data to improve their relationships in multiple ways, such as identifying issues and creating resolutions. Perhaps it could even be used to calculate the optimal time for major life milestones, like having children.

Bertrand is excited about the possibilities the future holds. He told The Telegraph: "From making matches between singles even more accurate based on deep learning of our behaviour, to streamlining the dating process so it’s less time consuming, and even helping couples to enhance their relationships with artificial intelligence, finding the right person will be easier than ever.”

Lone Star Introductions, a matchmaking service operating in the state of Texas to help singles find love, was forced to cease operations and pay restitution to its former customers. According to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office, the judgment came from a lawsuit against the Massachusetts based company ‘for violating the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act and Texas Internet Dating Safety Act.’

A state district court issued an injunction that calls on the dating service and affiliated dating sites, including eLove Matchmaking, International Dating Ventures and International Introductions, to cease operations in the state. Lone Star Introductions was using multiple company names to pursue its aggressive tactics, and was informed by the state of Texas two years ago that they were being investigated.

The attorney general says the company uses lead generating companies to mine online dating services for customer contacts, then uses the information to make cold calls in Texas, without registering as a telemarketer. They would pressure prospective clients to meet in the Lone Star Introductions offices to sign expensive contracts for dating services which they would then not provide.

According to website Courthouse News, Lone Star Introductions was particularly ruthless when it came to getting money from vulnerable clients. According to court documents, once Lone Star would get a phone number, they "use high pressure and coercive tactics" to try to get targets to sign up, including "incessant phone calls," coercion and manipulation. "Defendants charge consumers between $7,995 and $12,995 for prospective dating introductions," the state says.

Lone Star calls its telemarketers "counselors,” but according to Paxton’s office were little more than aggressive telemarketers.

Courthouse News goes on to note the following from the lawsuit: "Consumers who complained to defendants and requested to cancel their contracts are harassed and threatened by defendants with financial ruin and criminal prosecution. One consumer alleges that an eLove representative 'yelled four-letter curse words at [him], threatened to destroy [his] credit, prosecute [him] for a felony, and report [him] to the Texas Attorney General's Office' when the consumer attempted to cancel his contract."

According to Paxton’s office this type of harassment and threat to consumers violates debt collection regulations. Also, the “Counselors” at Lone Star Introductions failed to comply with the Texas Internet Dating Safety Act, which includes advising customers of safe dating practices.

The final judgment ordered the defendant to pay $500,000 in civil penalties and pay $20,000 in restitution to customers.