Online Dating

Curious to find out if that’s really Leo DiCaprio or Hilary Duff using Tinder? Now, you can rest assured that either it’s a fake, or yes – your favorite celebrity is really on Tinder. (And maybe there’s a chance for a mutual swipe right...)

The latest update to Tinder brings with it a much-anticipated feature: verified profiles. But the verification in its current state doesn’t extend to all users. Specifically, Tinder verifies the authenticity of well-known people who are using the service, whom Tinder describes as “notable public figures, celebrities and athletes.” Following in the steps of Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, Tinder will now add the recognizable blue and white checkmark badge to all verified celebrity profiles.

Tinder has been known to have problems with spam bots and fake profiles in its database, which has raised concerns among many in terms of its cybersecurity and the potential for its users to be catfished. One example is the number of fake profiles set up by prostitutes, who offer prices for their services should you swipe right on their profile. Other red flags have been raised when some companies advertising their services began using fake profiles to entice customers, without Tinder's approval.

But the real concern among Tinder management was not the safety and security of every day users – it was the fact that celebrities weren’t getting many matches because nobody believed their profiles were real.

So, the new feature came about not because of complaints or requests from the general population of Tinder users, but at the request of celebrity clients using the service. As Rosette Pambakian, vice president of global communications and branding at Tinder, told The Huffington Post: “Many celebrities were telling us that no one believes it is really them on Tinder, so we launched verified profiles to authentic users who are notable public figures.”

So how does the verified profiles feature work? Celebrities can email verified@tinder.com to be considered for the badge, and Tinder will review requests on a case-by-case basis. If you're not a celebrity don’t try to submit one yourself, because for now, only notable public figures will be considered. But if you’re Heidi Klum or a single politician? That’s a different story.

So what does this mean for the average Tinder user? Not much has changed. While you won’t be able to tell if the average profile you are looking at is a real person or a scam, you will be able to tell if Brittany Spears or Lindsay Lohan shows up as your match. They will be marked verified.

To find out more about this service please read our review of Tinder.

People say “there are plenty of fish in the sea,” but sometimes the online dating sea feels more like a swamp. You encounter creature after creature, stumble through quicksand, and occasionally find a rare flower amongst the moss and mold.

When you do find one of the eligible ones, the pressure's on. What's the best way to break the ice so they don't run away, thinking you're one of the swamp creatures? A study published in Evidence Based Medicine may have the answer.

Scientists from Barts, the London School of Medicine, and The University of North Texas teamed up to uncover the secrets of the perfect online dating profile. They performed a meta-analysis of 86 psychology, sociology, computer, and behavioral studies, and compiled surprisingly specific guidelines for expert online dating.

Conversations beginning with open-ended questions consistently had the highest response rates. Open-ended questions allow the recipient to choose from many possible answers, thereby keeping the conversation flowing. A simple yes or no question, on the other hand, stalls the conversation as soon as it's answered.

Initial exchanges also fared better when response times were quick. That may come as a surprise to those who are worried about appearing over-eager. Speedy replies were not a turn off, so no need to keep a date waiting.

In news that isn't surprising, messages that included spontaneous wit and humor were well received, as were messages that disclosed personal information. The former puts the recipient in a good mood, exerting a powerful influence on the way they imagine they will feel with you in the future. The latter makes them feel closer to you.

Generic messages are not advised, nor is overt flattery. Potential dates want to feel special, so avoid the cut and paste, but we are also not inclined to accept compliments we don't think are credible. Strike a balance somewhere in between.

End every conversation on a positive note. We're hardwired to remember the end of an experience better than the beginning or the middle, so we judge the pleasure of an experience based primarily on its conclusion. That's the best time to reveal positive things about yourself.

Do not wait too long to turn an online chat into a face-to-face meeting. An earlier switch is associated with better outcomes.

First impressions really do count. Keep the first conversation fun and honest, because that's how your match will think of you during future exchanges, and get offline as soon as you feel comfortable.

There have been a lot of breakthroughs recently for the LGBTQ community. The Supreme Court ruled on the legality of gay marriage across America, overriding state laws that made it illegal. Caitlyn Jenner disclosed her transition from male to female in an interview with Diane Sawyer, and later showed off her new body in Vanity Fair to a public that embraced her. Celebrities like Ruby Rose and Miley Cyrus have recently stated that they identify as “gender-fluid,” or as both male and female, bringing gender identity conversations into the spotlight.

It only makes sense that in this moment of time where people feel more free than ever to live their truth – there is also a dating app that helps you find that special someone, no matter how you identify. At least, that is what OneGoodCrush aims to do.

Launched this week, OneGoodCrush aims to help people in the LGBTQ community find long-term relationships. But they aren’t limiting their potential user base. Founder Frank Mastronuzzi wants everyone to feel they can find someone special using the app, including those who identify as heterosexual, or who do not define themselves as male or female.

"We wanted to be inclusive of everyone -- even heterosexual people can use our app," he told USA Today. "Letters on LGBTQ keep adding over time, but wherever you fall on this spectrum, you have a place on this app."

OneGoodCrush connects users through their Facebook and Instagram accounts to pull photos and profile information. The app works like Tinder and other dating apps, where each user is presented with photos and profiles, allowing them to swipe left and right to reject or accept a match. But while other dating apps like Tinder and Grindr offer same-sex dating options, they are limited when it comes to allowing users to communicate their own gender identity. The big difference between OneGoodCrush and other dating apps is that its members can claim their own gender identity -- man, woman, transgender man, transgender woman, or queer -- and then choose the gender(s) they are seeking.

According to the company’s records, the app has so far attracted about 100,000 users since its soft launch three months ago. Of the users that have signed onto the app, 57% identify as gay, 37% identify as lesbian, 4% have identify as transgender, 1% identify as queer, and less than 1% identify as straight.

Having the ability to identify as a transgender seems obvious in online dating, but it hasn’t been the case. As Trish McDermott, Strategic Advisor for OneGoodCrush states: "It seems online dating is one of the last bastions separating people, and that is kind of mind blowing. I think the industry has a responsibility to invite everyone."

Life's short. Have an affair. Get hacked.

It's not Ashley Madison's new slogan, but it could be.

The biggest story in the online dating world right now is the news that the infamous dating site for adulterers has been attacked by hackers. A group calling themselves The Impact Team claims to have complete access to Ashley Madison’s database of more than 37 million members. They say they're in possession of financial records, addresses, and other personal information, and are threatening to publish it online unless the site closes.

In addition to Ashley Madison, the same group has compromised two other dating sites, Cougar Life and Established Men. All three are owned by the same parent company, Avid Life Media (ALM).

The hackers said in a statement: “Avid Life Media has been instructed to take Ashley Madison and Established Men offline permanently in all forms, or we will release all customer records, including profiles with all the customers’ secret sexual fantasies and matching credit card transactions, real names and addresses, and employee documents and emails. The other websites may stay online.”

The issue that prompted the attack appears to be the leavers’ fee that Ashley Madison charges users. Should a member choose to leave the service permanently, Ashley Madison offers a “full delete” of their profile and all associated data for a $19 fee.

However, The Impact Team claims no data is ever deleted. "Full Delete netted [Avid Life Media] $1.7 million in revenue in 2014. It's also a complete lie," the hackers said in their statement. "Users almost always pay with credit card; their purchase details are not removed as promised, and include real names and address, which is of course the most important information the users want removed."

So far Avid Life Media has defended the service and offered to stop charging for it in the future. Their own statement says: “We apologise for this unprovoked and criminal intrusion into our customers’ information. The current business world has proven to be one in which no company’s online assets are safe from cyber-vandalism, with Avid Life Media being only the latest among many companies to have been attacked, despite investing in the latest privacy and security technologies.”

For now, ALM has positive words for concerned users. “At this time,” reads the statement, “we have been able to secure our sites, and close the unauthorised access points.” The company is working with law enforcement agencies to investigate the hack and plans to prosecute all parties responsible for what they're calling “an act of cyber-terrorism.”

For more on this developing story you can check out CNN.

Have you been to a music festival like Coachella or Firefly and wondered who that hot guy was standing ten feet away, singing along to every word of your favorite band’s favorite song? Maybe you chose not to go up and introduce yourself. But perhaps you pulled out your Tinder app and swiped left through a bunch of potential matches trying to locate his photo.

If you felt frustrated at not being able to hook up, or your nerves got the best of you, don’t worry. A Dutch-based company has created an event-based dating app for the festival-attendee market – so you can meet those people you spotted in person but didn’t actually get a chance to chat with.

Glance is the latest gimmick-driven dating app to hit the test market, and is currently in beta only in the Netherlands. However, the company has its sights set on worldwide release.

Glance allows you not only to locate people you might be attracted to at festivals, but if you plan on going, it can hook you up over the app in advance, so you can arrange to meet and hang out in person when you get there.

Hendrik van Benthem, founder of Glance, calls this “event­-driven dating.” In a statement he explains: “We live in a society in which users of products and services demand relevance. Why would you adjust your plans to a date that will probably turn into nothing, if your date can also come the place where you’ll be anyway, surrounded by people you feel comfortable with?”

Glance is not just for festival-goers. The app aims to get people introduced who plan to be at the same night club at the same time, too.

Glance launched in May 2015 in Amsterdam together with “leading partners from the event and entertainment industry.” The entrepreneurs behind Glance did not have any start-up investors, and are funding the company themselves. Says van Benthem: “We talked to different VC’s from the States and the Netherlands. Really cool to talk with those people. They operate on a different level and we learned a lot. The best experience was a meeting in the private jet of Dan Bilzerian. Crazy. But there never was a match...”

Glance is available in the App store for iOS and Play Store for Android, and information is available on its website. It is currently only available for events in the Netherlands but the company plans to launch internationally shortly.

Did you know crafty ladies love Houston, men in Seattle seek outdoor adventure, and intellectual singles flock to Washington, DC?

It's hard to put much stock in the interests section on online dating profiles. Occasionally you may connect with something, but mostly it's a lot of boring clichés (“I like traveling and hanging out with my friends”). All most of us use the interests section for is scanning for red flags and looking for microscopic signs of compatibility.

Well, it turns out those interests may serve a more important purpose. Using an interest-based algorithm, PlentyOfFish examined the dating profiles of more than 10 million singles over the age of 21 to group them into personality types. The results were released as a new research study called PlentyOfPersonality.

The research identified the top 20 personality archetypes, based on corresponding interests, of singles in 11 major American cities. The data was then broken down by city and gender to asses how differences and similarities in the personality types might impact dating habits.

The 20 personality types are: Artist, Bar Game Buff, Cultured Urbanite, Curious George, Eternal Optimist, Family First, Fast and Furious, Happy-Go-Lucky, Health Buff, Intellectual, Live Event Fan, Mainly Mainstream, Pinteresters, Romantic, Salt of the Earth, Social Butterfly, Sports Fanatic, Weekend Warrior, Well-Rounded, and Outdoor Adventurer.

Scanning the data, it's clear that some cities have greater potential for compatibility than others. Men and women in Detroit, for example, sync up on three of the four top personality types: Weekend Warriors, Eternal Optimists, and Bar Game Buffs.

On the other hand, singles in Boston may have a hard time finding their matches. Female residents are Cultured Urbanites, but most men are partying Weekend Warriors. A similar split is seen in Seattle, where men are Weekend Warriors and Outdoor Adventurers, but women fit into the quieter and more creative categories of Pinteresters and Artists.

So what we can we learn from POF's personality study?

First, don't skip over the interests section. You may be tempted to say “I dunno,” “Ask me,” “Too many to list here,” or leave it blank, but you're missing a valuable opportunity.

When you do fill it out, consider your answers carefully. Discerning visitors are using your interests, consciously or subconsciously, to construct a portrait of your personality. Make sure it's an accurate representation of who you are and make sure the statement it's making is positive.

If all else fails, perhaps it's time to pack up and move. Love could be waiting across state lines. For more on the dating service which conducted the study, you can read our Plenty of Fish review.