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Take that, online dating critics!

While some are busy striking fear into the hearts of online daters everywhere, others are busting stereotypes wide open.

Ok, maybe that's an exaggeration, but a new study from the Crime Victims Institute at Sam Houston State University is still worth a look. The report compares the dating safety and victimization rates between traditional relationships and online relationships. Is meeting someone online really more dangerous than meeting someone offline?

The answer, according to Molly Smith, one of the doctoral student researchers involved in the study, is no. Regardless of how people meet, the rate of victimization appears to be very close. All daters should be cautious and keep their wits about them, no matter the scenario.

Maria Koeppel, another doctoral student researcher who worked on the project, worries that daters have let their guard down now that online dating is socially acceptable. Even though it is now mainstream, Koeppel warns, singles should always remember that it's important to think of safety measures when going on a date with someone they met online.

"As society is becoming more technology based," she says, "education about online dating, as well as continued information about traditional dating, needs to be stressed to high school kids and even preteens. She suggests that educators could even consider incorporating a segment on the subject into health classes, teaching students about the potential dangers of online dating.

Koeppel also offers advice for college students: "Just be smart when going into dating situations or trying to find someone to date. Don't put yourself out of your comfort zone. Many dating situations in college tend to be fueled by alcohol or drugs, so be smart."

And here's the real surprise: according to the Crime Victims Institute study, online daters actually tend to have slightly lower rates of victimization than traditional daters. Smith believes online dating can be less dangerous because people pay more attention when dating on the Internet. Online daters are naturally more cautious than those who date offline.

"People who seek out potential partners on the internet seem to exhibit higher levels of caution and utilize more protective measures," Smith explains. Many who use online dating sites also tend to talk to their potential partners "for a longer period of time prior to meeting them in person, thus making them more aware of potential 'red flags' that might arise in a face-to-face situation."

The more tech-savvy among you have no doubt heard the uproar surrounding Facebook's Graph Search. Even the less tech-savvy have probably heard it - the uproar was just that big.

Here's why: Graph Search offers personalized results like those from a search engine, but contextualized and drawn from specific data culled from your social circle. It's even capable of understanding natural speech, instead of relying on keyword searches. Couple that with the "Pay to Message Strangers" feature Facebook also announced, and you've got...a dating site?

That's certainly what the online dating industry feared. Before Graph Search had even launched, industry experts worried that Facebook would be the death of online dating.

Lucky for them, there may have been nothing to worry about. "I used graph search and it showed me people who meet my criteria," said OkCupid and Match CEO Sam Yagan, "but that didn't mean I wanted to date those people." Traditional dating sites use painstakingly crafted algorithms to pair up compatible couples, but Facebook lacks any strategy for determining compatibility. Graph Search can find you users who also love Tom Cruise movies, but it can't actually figure out if you're a good match.

Aaron Schildkrout, co-CEO of HowAboutWe, found the whole idea puzzling. After you find someone you're interested in, then what? Do you friend them? Do you pay a fee to send a stranger a message? It all feels awkward, and decidedly unlikely to lead to real connections.

Sean Suhl, cofounder of Let's Date, agrees with Schildkrout's assessment "I would feel awkward about contacting a stranger or friend of a friend on Facebook for romantic reasons because not everyone on Facebook is there to meet people." On a dating site, you can rest assured that - barring a few exceptions - everyone's there to meet future dates.

But that's not to say Facebook is a completely lost cause when it comes to online dating. It's already one of the most common ways people meet and hook up online. Dan Slater, author of Love in the Time of Algorithms, says "We all know that people have already been using Facebook for dating, and that Facebook is the biggest online dating site in the world, even though it doesn't think of itself as an online dating site."

So what is Facebook, exactly? Is it a place to meet new friends? Is it a tool to keep in touch with old friends? Is it the newest (and maybe the most powerful) dating site to join the fray? Maybe it's all three.

Returning visitors may have notice a change with DatingSitesReviews.com ... we have replaced our old website template with a new one. Improved variations of the old theme has been used for almost 10 years now by us and we thought it was time to change the look of the site and modernize a few things.

Besides the complete new look we have also added social networking tools to make it easier for our users to Facebook like, Plus One and tweet about the reviews, news and information offered.

We are still tweaking things here and there so, if you spot anything that looks out of whack please let us know.

Enjoy!

Are most women looking for tall, dark and handsome when it comes to finding a husband? Or are they looking for incredible chemistry over friendship? Not according to the mental health professionals surveyed by dating website YourTango. Participants were asked a series of questions on how their clients felt about what makes a man good husband material.

The vast majority of survey respondents agreed that among their clients, a man's ability to communicate was the number one quality to make him a good contender for a husband. This makes sense with mental health professionals - most of the time they are coaching their clients on how to communicate needs and desires without alienating or attacking each other. This is very important to creating a lasting and happy marriage. (For those of us who've experienced relationships lacking good communication skills, this is definitely a must!)

Two other traits that women wanted most in a husband were close behind: reliability and honesty. So, were looks or career success anywhere in the picture?

The respondents claimed their clients were least interested in a man's height, his religion/ethnicity, or his job. This data was surprising, considering how many female online daters complain about not wanting to date shorter men, or men who make less money than they do. This survey shows that in finding a good partner, these traits or practices matter least. Women are much more interested in connecting and communicating well with a potential husband.

Other findings include:

A majority of respondents said that women cannot tell everything they need to know about a man by how he treats his own mother. "Not even close" 65% of respondents claimed. So don't discount a potential love just because he's not close with his mother. (Although I will add if he treats women with disrespect, especially family members, this is a red flag!)

A majority of respondents (55%) disagreed with the assumption that if a man is over 40 and never been married, he's afraid of commitment and not husband material. They encourage women to give these men a chance, because likely they are independent and were looking to get further along in their careers before settling down.

Fifty-eight percent of respondents agree that single dads can make great husbands. But the verdict is split on whether divorced men make good husbands: About 50% say they do.

Bad boys can redeem themselves. Ninety-six percent of respondents agree that good husbands are made, not born, and 85% think a man with a checkered past can evolve into a great partner over time.

It's hardly an exaggeration to say that it seems like everyone is online dating. Until I finally broke down and joined, I was in the minority amongst my friends for not having an online dating profile.

But what seems commonplace here, in America, isn't nearly as common elsewhere. My travels around the world have revealed vastly different attitudes towards relationships and online dating.

In France, for example, a nation famous for being home to one of the most romantic cities in the world, singles take a more spontaneous approach to dating. American and British dating companies have struggled to crack the international market in countries like France, where local attitudes aren't as compatible with the online approach.

Around the world, dating looks very different:

• In Australia... Dating is a relaxed affair. Singles don't ask each other out on formal dates or make romantic gestures. Some Australians find it difficult to date, due to the lack of a formal dating culture. Some even say it's hard to tell when you're out with friends and when you're out with a romantic prospect!
• In Taiwan... The dating culture is much more conservative. Dates meet through friends and typically stick to finding romance within their social circles. Flirting with strangers in bars and clubs is considered odd.
• In China... Tradition is extremely important. Dating isn't about romance and love - it's about practicality. Marriage is expected, and standards are high. Singles' clubs set dates up based on requirements like height, income, and property ownership. Parents gather in parks to pair up their unwed children. Women who aren't married before reaching their late twenties are considered sheng nu - "leftover women." Arranged marriages are banned, but matchmaking is still popular.

To respond to the needs of different countries, online dating sites must tailor their services to the unique customs of each nation. Doing so is no easy task. Significant research is required to determine exactly what appeals to daters of different nationalities. In the U.S., for instance, singles value having similar levels of spirituality as their partners. In Brazil, passion is valued more than religious faith.

As the online dating industry continues to expand its borders, dating sites are forced to keep evolving. The future may be in the work of researchers like Dr. Helen Fisher, an anthropology professor at Rutgers University. Fisher's studies examine the ways testosterone, dopamine, estrogen, and serotonin influence attraction, with the goal of matching compatible partners based on similar or complementary brain chemistry.

And best of all...the work of researchers like Dr. Fisher is applicable anywhere in the world, making dating sites more effective no matter where you go.

When you want to travel, you turn to TripAdvisor for reviews of hotels, flights, and vacation rentals. When you're looking for a new book to take poolside this summer, you read Amazon's reader reviews. When you want a romantic restaurant for a date or a good movie to see with your family, you ask the users of Yelp or Rotten Tomatoes for their advice.

It was only a matter of time before someone started asking: "Why should dating be any different?"

A new crop of apps and websites is popping up to close the gap between online dating and your favorite review sites. Why take your chances with date, when you could read the thoughts of other "users" first? Just think of all the trouble you could save!