General News

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?

Meetic announced on December 21st, 2012 that they had acquired Massive Media. Massive Media owns Twoo a popular social discovery service and the social network Netlog. Twoo.com was launched in April of 2011 and in under 2 years now receives 9.6 million unique visitors a month. Twoo's main competition in Europe according to information available is Badoo.

Meetic purchased Massive Media for $25 million USD (18.9 Euros) and interestingly enough is mostly owned themselves by IAC, which owns Match.com.

To find out more about this story you can read the press release.

Few can call themselves one of the world's foremost experts on online dating, but Markus Frind is definitely one of them. As Founder and CEO of POF.com - formerly PlentyOfFish.com - Frind has been given a unique perspective on finding love online and what it takes to be a successful online dater.

He recently shared a few insights with Rheba Estante for Examiner.com. Here's what he had to say...

On why you should ditch dating at the bar:

Meeting someone in a bar isn't difficult...it's meeting the right person that's the hard part. Online dating means no distractions like loud music and spilled drinks, which places the emphasis on deeper interactions and real connections. Plus you know some of the most important stuff right away - like core values and interests - instead of several dates down the line.

On how POF streamlines the dating process:

Like any dating site, POF matches users based on what they say they want in a partner. But it also factors in user activity on the site to create a more accurate picture of what a user is looking for. "For instance," Frind explains, "if you say you are looking for a relationship but you're constantly contacting users who are looking for something casual, you're going to start seeing more of the latter coming up in your matches."

On why online dating might have the edge on traditional dating:

We use the Internet for just about everything these days, so it's only logical that dating would be included in that. "Online dating exposes you to people that you otherwise would never meet offline," says Frind. "In today's fast paced world it's getting increasingly difficult to meet people between our jobs and our small social circles, so POF provides a fun and efficient tool to meet people you want to interact with on the other side of the computer (and mobile) screen.

On the reasons some connections fizzle out:

Not every spark online will lead to a face-to-face meeting, and that's ok. Every number exchange at a bar or art gallery won't lead to a date either. Sometimes busy schedules are the culprit. Sometimes two people are looking for different things. Sometimes a lack of attraction is to blame. Sometimes one person feels the connection more strongly than the other.

On what to do if you find yourself with a dud:

Air on the side of politeness. A thoughtful "Thank you" is always appreciated, though it's unlikely you'll be able to respond to everyone. Focus on what's most important: finding someone you see a future with.

The holidays are behind us, and we've entered a period of new beginnings. Many of us have put together New Year's resolutions. Maybe we intend to exercise more, eat healthier, get a new job, or take that art class we've wanted to try.

It turns out that many people also make a pledge around this time to go on more dates. According to eHarmony, the peak sign-up time for online dating is between Christmas and mid-February (around Valentine's day of course). So if you've been hesitant about joining a new online dating site, this is a great time to do so.

Match.com reports that 64% of singles' 2013 New Year's resolutions are about finding love this year. At this time last year, the company also reported a 55% increase in registration.

If you have sworn off online dating in the past, you might want to rethink your strategy. With so many people registering right now across all the sites, you're more likely to meet someone special, or at least go on more dates. Online dating is a way to meet people, but much easier than approaching someone at a bar. (Although I like to say keep all your options open, because you never know where you could meet someone special.)

Following are some tips to help you find the right website (and the right frame of mind) for online dating:

Identify what you want. Are you looking for a specific type of man/woman - whether it's someone who shares the same faith, the same interests, or the same ethnicity? You might want to consider a niche dating site instead of one of the bigger mainstream sites. If you are serious in your quest for the right person, I suggest sites with a membership fee, longer sign-up process, and questionnaire like Chemistry.com. If you're looking for something a little more organic, there are sites that connect through your Facebook circles, like CoffeeMeetsBagel, or sites that let you choose people according to their interests instead of their profiles, like HowAboutWe.

Be positive. Maybe you've had a bad experience in the past, or you're embarrassed to join an online dating site. But a majority of singles have tried online dating, so you'd be missing out if your fear was holding you back. There's no reason to be embarrassed, or to think that all online dating sites are the same. Keeping a positive attitude and letting go of your fears is the first step, and will lead to a better experience overall.

According to Comscore tracking for November 2012 Plenty of Fish mobile visitors accounted for 50 percent of all mobile dating traffic. POF mobile visitors “Average Minutes per Visitor” is also a lot higher than other dating sites Comscore tracks. This means they make up 67.5 percent of the time ALL mobile visitors used when visiting dating sites. I believe the Comscore data of mobile traffic includes web browsing and dating apps for smartphones.

POF also reports that every day their members exchange up to 30 million messages. In the past year to help fix the technology problems this causes all servers (web and database) have been replaced along with their networking equipment to keep up with the demand. To help with their matching and Chemistry Predictor POF will also be building soon a monster CUDA cluster which will have 147,0000 GPU cores. Wow!

To find out more about these statistics you can read the Plenty of fish blog. Hmmm... Markus Frind's blog use to be called the Paradigm Shift ... I wonder when the name changed? You can also find out more about the dating service here and how it works and stacks up against other services.

Plenty of Fish recently announced a wedding contest for previous members of their dating site who were successful in finding love. The winning entry will receive $100,000 USD.

If you are a couple who met on Plenty of Fish all you need to do is upload 4 photos and the story on how you met and fell in love. To enter the contest you can visit this page on POF.com. The contest runs from Dec. 27, 2012 to Jan. 14, 2013 and is open to all members who are living in the US (excl. New York and Florida) and Canada (excl. Quebec).

After the submission portion of the contest closes Plentyoffish Media Inc. will select the entries for the first round of voting by other POF members. Entries will be selected based on originality and creativity. Voting for round 1 will start on Jan. 17,2013 and finishes up on Jan. 23, 2013. The top 6 couples from voting done in round 1 will move on to round 2. The winner of round 2 will be the couple with the highest number of votes. They will win the $100,000 cash prize. Round 2 voting starts on Jan. 28, 2013 and ends on Feb. 7, 2013. Only POF members from Canada, United States, United Kingdom and Australia will be able to vote for their favorite couple. These members must also have belonged to Plenty of Fish before December 20, 2012.

This contest is a great lead up to Valentine’s Day for Plenty of Fish and by the looks of it to jumpstart their new couple’s profiles. On the contest submission page along with your love story and couple questions you are asked to enter information about you and your partner. These details are then used to create a POF Couple’s Profile.

Dating sites have been looking for a way to keep members coming back to visit their service. The problem is once the online dater has met someone they have little need to return. That is until now when sites like Zoosk and Facebook launched their couple profiles which allows them to track the major milestones of their relationships. It is not a large step for POF to do the same so I think we will see a lot more about their couple profiles in the near future.

To find out more about this popular free dating site you can read our [staticpage:PlentyOfFish.com] review.