Advice

It has often been said that the Internet would be nothing without funny pictures of cats.

It sounds ridiculous, but as far as I'm concerned, it isn't far from the truth (or should I say "teh truth?"). Cats have become such an integral part of the World Wide Web experience that they can now determine your next date.

Yep, that's right...lolcats, and your other favorite Internet phenomena, can now be responsible for the future of your love life. Allow me to introduce you to your new favorite dating sites, all of which base your dates on your favorite subreddits and taste in Internet humor.

Reddit has spawned a wealth of redditor-created dating sites, like LaughMatch.com and 4.EverAlone.com. On LaughMatch, users watch a series of funny videos upon registering. After giving their reviews of humorous clips like a bad lip read of Twilight, the site matches members with dates based on where they placed the slider to rate the videos. A similar sense of humor is a solid foundation for any relationship, right?

4.everalone promises to match users based on their favorite subreddits. All new members provide an e-mail address, their reddit login info, and a list of their 5 favorite subreddits. The site's creator then searches the database to find another redditor with the same subreddit interests.

Another great idea came from yet another redditor, though the site is now no more. TalkOverTea eliminated one of online dating's biggest problems by implementing a very simple solution. The dating profile formula means that we all judge our dates long before we've ever even spoken to them - often solely by their pictures, because we never make it to the text.

TalkOverTea eradicated harmful and unfair prejudgments by turning the typical online dating process on its head. Instead of viewing a profile first and messaging later, TalkOverTea members began communicating first. The site engaged two users in conversation and then, over time, revealed tidbits of their profiles as the conversation continued. It's a refreshing approach to online dating that I wish had stuck around...perhaps one day it will return.

So far, it seems that the giant online dating sites are winning the battle for Web dominance, but I still hold out hope for the smaller, niche sites. In some ways they do a better job of replicating the way we connect in real life, since we often meet new people in locations or during activities based around a specific, shared interest.

What has your experience been? Have you had more success on small sites like these, or big sites like Match?

I think I speak for all of us when I say that the good old days of the OkTrends blog are sorely missed. We all looked forward to a new post from Christian Rudder on something button-pushing and scandalous, like race or attractivenesss. Like many who mourn the loss of the infamous blog, James Taranto, a writer for WSJ.com, returned to a 2009 OkTrends post to illuminate a present conundrum.

The conundrum in question was the WSJ's Valentine's Day survey on attraction and the sexes. The OkTrends post offered this bit of obvious advice: an attractive photo is essential to a successful online dating profile. To figure out exactly how much of an edge beautiful people had, OkCupid asked users to rate the attractiveness of members of the opposite sex on a six-point scale (with 0 as the lowest).

A chart shows that the distribution of female attractiveness as rated by men is close to the normal distribution known as the bell curve (or, as Taranto calls it, the "belle curve"). In other words, the average woman's looks are rated "medium," and an equal number of women are rated on either side of that with the numbers declining relatively evenly until they approach zero.

When you’re first starting out in online dating, the sheer amount of choice can be a bit overwhelming. Before you even start to think about a profile, you’re confronted with a myriad of online dating sites - and they can be as different from one another as any other place you might meet someone new. How to choose? Well, with a little self-reflection, the decision might become a little easier.

First, dream up a potential match. Then take notes. Is there any defining characteristic that absolutely takes priority above all others? For example, is sharing the same religion a must? How about the same political perspective? If something like that is an absolute must, it might be a good idea to examine niche sites. In a niche site geared to your interest, there’s no need to filter out the ones who don’t fit your priorities; they wouldn’t have joined the site if you didn’t already have that in common. One of the base ways to finding a dating site like this is to use our search tool. You can search for dating sites by specifying your own personal attributes and what type of match you are looking for. From here our site will return the top dating sites that match your criteria.

On the other hand, if you’re looking to step outside your personal box, maybe date someone completely different from your past relationships, or are just open to love in whatever form it happens to take, you’ll want to think broader. A more generalized dating site offers the best of both worlds. You can limit your options using a custom search, but you can also throw expectation to the wind and peruse the profiles of people you might not otherwise meet.

Whether or not you choose a niche site or one simply geared toward meeting your match, it’s probably a good idea to try one that is as popular as possible. The more popular the site, the larger the pool of prospects. Plus, many people have accounts at more than one site, so it’s entirely possible that everyone you would meet on a tiny site is already at one of the big ones - along with many more who aren’t on the smaller site. Many people keep an account at a large, general site and a smaller niche site with minimal overlap, just to keep all their bases covered.

The best way to find the site that works for you is to just give it a shot. Many sites offer free trials, or allow you to skim the site without an account. Some are free altogether. Remember: the goal is to find a site that is the best fit for you. Your friends and family may have had different experiences, but the match you’re looking for is for you, not them. By jumping in and finding the site that is the best fit for you, you’ll be even more comfortable and confident in your decisions as you move to the next step - finding someone with whom you’re compatible.

Let's take a journey to the lighter side of online dating.

Dating sites can be surprisingly serious places. Everyone is stressed about picking the right photo, answering the right questions, figuring out how to get their profiles noticed, weeding out the princes from the frogs from the axe murderers...it's enough to make you a complete basket case.

We all know the best way to get through stressful situations: laugh at them.

And that's just what many people are doing.

Take Antidates, an Instagram account that celebrates the best of the worst of online dating. The tagline is "Actual responses to dating ads. They never had a chance." Antidates is not for the faint of heart - prepare yourself for lots of gratuitous ab shots, faux gangster poses, sexually explicit conversations, and the occasional mime - but it's definitely good for a giggle.

There's also A(n)nals of Online Dating, which offers the following mission statement: "Online dating is the worst. Submit the horrific messages you get, and we will collectively laugh at them." Points are assigned based on "lack of basic spelling and punctuation skills; bad sexual innuendo; reliance on cliche; terrible taste in books, music or movies; use of twelve-year-old-girl text-slang; and creep factor." The higher the total point value, the more comically awful the message. Where else are you going to find the phrase "poop ice cream?"

(Please don't answer that.)

On the Tumblr front, there's It's Not Ok, OkCupid. The theme is the same: share the funniest, worst messages you've received on OkCupid so everyone else can enjoy them for the entertainment factor. It includes gems like "Wishing you were older and fatter, then I think we could last" and offers of "discrete pleasure" in the park. That last one might be a turn on for math nerds, but probably not for anyone else.

Online Dating Is Terrifying brings joy in the form of misogynist come-ons like "No woman can be super hot and keep a decent job at the same time," people who list their favorite movies as porn and Disney films, and tests on important subjects like "Finding out if you can survive if you have sex with me."

On Why They're Single, the name speaks for itself. Upload funny emails, awkward photos, and scraping-the-bottom-of-the-barrel profiles from the dating underworld.

And there's plenty more where that came from. ItsNotAMatch.com, ABadCaseOfTheDates.com, BadOnlineDates.com, WorstOnlineDate.com, BuzzFeed's "26 Completely Unexplainable Dating Site Pictures"...the list is endless.

Sure, it's not so nice to make fun of others, but at least it boosts our confidence in an area that many of us lack it. Besides, when you get right down to it, who's really a suave online dater anyway?

Say what you want about Google (and believe me, I have), but I can think of no one better to gather the biggest stories of the past 12 months and determine exactly what defined the year 2012.

And they did. It's called Zeitgeist, and it's an annual tradition that analyzes over one trillion search queries in almost 150 languages to showcase what the world searched for. Using data from multiple sources, including Google Trends and other internal data tools, Google has turned the year's searches into a report that reflects 2012.

The report is divided into two sections: Trending and Most Searched. The "trending" queries are the searches that had the highest amount of traffic over a sustained period in 2012 as compared to 2011. The "most searched" queries are the most popular terms for 2012, ranked in order of the queries with the largest volume of searches.

Here's what Zeitgeist has to say about the most searched dating services of 2012:

1. PlentyOfFish: POF - the site formerly known as PlentyOfFish - is one of the most popular free dating services on the Web. Since its launch in 2003, POF has appeared in music videos, launched mobile apps, and conducted a contest with Lady Gaga. For a review of this service see our Plenty of Fish page.
2. Match: Match.com may be the most famous dating site in the world. Match has helped millions of singles look for love in 24 countries and redefined the way modern singles meet. Most recently, the company announced Stir, local events by Match.com. For a review of this service see our Match.com page.
3. OkCupid: OkCupid is famous for its lighthearted and affordable approach to online dating. The site is free to use, and features fun quizzes and multiple-choice questions designed to bring out users' personalities and encourage community interaction. For a review of this service see our OkCupid page.
4. eHarmony: eHarmony is where it's at for singles looking for long-term relationships. Its famous matching questionnaire, developed by eHarmony Labs, takes a scientific approach to love that promises to find a deeper level of compatibility. For a review of this service see our eHarmony page.
5. DateHookup: Online daters really like free stuff. DateHookup is another no-cost service for singles that made it into the Zeitgeist top 10. This year it hit the big times after being bought by Match.com and OKCupid owner, IAC/InterActiveCorp. For a review of this service see our DateHookup.com page.
6. Zoosk: Zoosk distinguishes itself from traditional dating sites by putting the focus on its social networking capabilities. It's currently available in 25 languages and more than 70 countries, and shows no signs of stopping in 2013. For a review of this service see our Zoosk page.
7. ChristianMingle: "Find God's Match For You," says ChristianMingle, a faith-based site created to bring Christian singles together for friendship, dating, and marriage. With over 8 million members, the largest and fastest growing online Christian community. For a review of this service see our ChristianMingle.com page.
8. AdultFriendFinder: AdultFriendFinder is an online sex and swinger personals site that helps members meet new friends and sex partners. What started as a small niche site quickly grew in popularity - it even debuted the music video for Flo Rida's "Touch Me."
9. JDate: JDate is one of a number of demographically focused online match-making websites operated by Spark Networks. JDate offers both free and premium plans to Jewish singles looking to date within their faith. For a review of this service see our JDate page.
10. SinglesNet: SinglesNet offers singles a feature-rich environment with free online dating tools like online chat, personals, and dating forums. IAC added the site to its ever-expanding dating services roster back in 2010. For a review of this service see our Singlesnet.com page.

So what do you think...did the Zeitgeist report accurately capture the spirit of online dating in 2012?

As much as we all wish it would go away (this is 2012, after all!), online dating still hasn't managed to break free from the last, lingering vestiges of social stigma. Most of us are fully onboard the online dating boat, but for those stick-in-the-muds who are still holding out, the Internet has provided other options.

Yes, you can date online without actually dating online.

The secret is social media. Your Facebook page, your Twitter stream, your Pinterest account...each one is an opportunity to date on the World Wide Web without actually joining an online dating site. Barbara Maldonado recently spoke with the Huffington Post about her experience of foregoing traditional online dating in favor of a more social strategy.

Maldonado met her fiancé, Russell Roering, during a "Tweetup," a real-life meetup event organized via Twitter. "It was a book signing by Chris Brogan, who wrote this social media book, 'Trust Agent,'" she told HuffPo. "So we had that in common."