Colonoscopies. Stepping on a Lego. Accidentally drinking spoiled orange juice.

A lot of things are more fun than being rejected. When you muster up the courage to ask someone on a date and they turn you down, it hurts. You laid it all on the line, got told no, and at least for a second wanted to swear off dating forever.

Take a deep breath. Rejection will never be a cakewalk, but there are healthy ways to react when you hear “no” that keep your dignity, and your friendship, intact.

• Keep calm and carry on. Don't get angry or lash out, in the moment or afterwards, no matter how much you want to. It's not someone's fault if they're not interested in you, and it's not your fault if you have feelings for them. In both cases, it's just the way it is and no one owes anyone anything. Take time to yourself if need be, then come back to the friendship when you're ready to accept the situation.
• Avoid “over it” overkill. Friendship is a shaky thing after rejection. You don't want to act like you're still into them, but you also don't want to go out of your way to show how “over it” you are. Acting like you're better off is childish, potentially hurtful, and may come off as intentionally trying to provoke jealousy. Take the high road.
• Address the awkwardness. There's no way to avoid it – being around someone when you both know how you feel is uncomfortable. The best way to make that awkwardness disappear is to acknowledge it. It's ok to say things are still a little weird. You'll probably both agree, have a giggle about it, and release some of the tension. Remember: we mostly take cues from each other, so if you act awkward around someone, they're more likely to act awkward around you.
• Actually be a friend. Yes, the best way to keep a friendship intact is to keep being a friend. That means no holding onto false hope, no rudeness when they start seeing someone new, no constant reminders of your feelings, and no schemes to get them to fall in love with you. You are just friends – act accordingly.

One of the best ways to handle rejection is to go into it with the right mindset. Before asking someone on a date, set appropriate expectations. Keep your hopes and emotions to a reasonable level. Remember that rejection is almost never a reflection on who you are. And at the end of the day, you still have a friendship worth cherishing.

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."

Introverts are a complex mix of emotions – and usually “still waters run deep” is an apt way to describe their reluctance to engaging fully in social situations. It’s not that they are boring, or that they don’t care – but social situations give many introverts some anxiety. Most prefer quiet evenings, just the two of you, or maybe a small dinner with a couple of friends.

But what if you like to be social – to say yes to all the parties in your circle of friends, even those where you only know one or two people? Or what if you hate being the center of attention and rely on others to carry the conversation – including your equally introverted date? It could make for a lot of indecision and some long, uncomfortable pauses in conversation.

If you’re dating an introvert, it can be a difficult process to get to know him, but it can also be rewarding. Introverts might need some extra down time after a party, or they might need a few days by themselves instead of going on dates or dinners with friends. It is part of how they recharge. If you are an extrovert, you often recharge by being around other people – it is what energizes you. With introverts, they need solitude, quiet, and contemplation to recharge. Success with dating an introvert depends entirely on what each of you can balance to make sure you meet each other’s needs.

Here are a few tips:

Don’t feel bad about going out by yourself. Introverts don’t want to hold anyone back – they simply like time on their own to recharge. If you feel the need to socialize a few times a week, let your date know that she doesn’t have to feel obligated to join you. It will give both of you more energy when you reconnect.

Let your date know how you feel. Sometimes extroverts (and introverts) have difficulty sharing their feelings in a relationship. It’s good to remind yourself to acknowledge how you feel to your date – that she makes you happy, that she is smart, funny, or kind, that she is beautiful. This will help your date to open up more to you, as many introverts have a guard up when it comes to love.

Check in with her. You might think things are going so well when you have fun at a party or dinner with friends, but perhaps he spent most of the evening in a corner feeling awkward or depressed about how it’s more difficult for him. Or maybe he thinks you weren’t paying any attention to him. Instead of getting defensive, check in along the way at parties or when you’re in a group of people. You might think things are fine, but an introvert likes to know that you are paying attention.

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.

If only all breakups ended as well as this one.

IAC/InterActiveCorp announced recently that Match.com, Tinder, OkCupid, and other dating services would become part of their own spinoff unit. The subsidiary will be called The Match Group and will be a publically traded company. Following the news, shares of IAC rose over 5%.

According to the announcement, The Match Group is likely to issue less than 20% of its common stock. The IPO is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of this year, after which investors will be able to buy stock in the company. So far, the ticker symbol (the three-or-four letter identifications that represent companies on stock exchanges) is unknown.

The Match Group is starting out on top. IAC/InteractiveCorp is a $6 billion media conglomerate, and revenue of the new Match Group accounted for nearly one third of IAC's total revenue in the most recent quarter.

Last quarter, The Match Group reported revenues of $239.2 million, marking an increase of 13% on a year-over-year basis. Reports say Match Group’s revenues are expected to increase 18% in 2015, bringing the number to $1.24 billion.

The hope with separating the Match Group, and combining more established businesses (like Match and Meetic) with earlier stage businesses (like Tinder), is that the move will lead to significant cash flow generation and meaningful growth potential.

Or, as Chariman and Senior Executive Barry Diller colorfully put it, “I'm not a believer in simply agglomerating assets in perpetuity. I've long felt that as entities grow into size and maturity it's healthy to give them separation and independence from a mother church."

It's an exciting time for the industry, but dating services haven't always done well on Wall Street. AshleyMadison forfeited an IPO in 2011. Zoosk filed for an IPO in April 2014, but withdrew the application in May 2015. Hinge, on the other hand, skipped the IPO entirely, instead relying on raising capital from venture capitalists. In 2014, Hinge had raised $12 million.

The Match Group will also face stiff competition from other key listed players like Spark Networks and Jiayuan.com. Still, IAC believes this IPO can give new life to the Group. Estimated EBITDA for The Match Group in 2015 is $264.9 million – and that's excluding the $75 million EBITDA anticipated from Tinder alone.

A well-received IPO could not only put IAC significantly ahead of its competitors, but also serve as a litmus test for the entire dating industry.