General News

Are you the shy type? Do you feel more comfortable going on a blind date as long as you're also with a couple of other friends? If so, you're not alone.

San Francisco-based Tandem has created an online dating website that offers two-on-two blind dates instead of the traditional one-on-one. (That was so 2011 folks...) The reason? People are more comfortable dating in groups - it takes the pressure and awkwardness out of first dates. It also makes the setting more relaxed and makes people feel safer when they're dating. That's a big plus for ladies who don't feel comfortable handing their number out to strangers or meeting someone at a bar after only a few emails.

It works like this: you can sign up using your Facebook account, which pulls your main Facebook photo into your new Tandem profile. You will then be prompted to add "Wings" - meaning wingmen or wingwomen - friends with whom who you want to double-date. Your wing person can be any gender (and hopefully single), so don't let that stop you if you're best friend is the opposite sex.

You'll then be given a series of questions about height, weight, occupation, and general interests, so you can fill in the blanks about yourself and what the general information on Facebook doesn't cover. Then you can check out other members and friends, and if you want to schedule a "tandem" you can send an invite with location and time details. (Make sure your "Wing" agrees on the time first, otherwise the invitation won't go through.) An email is then sent to all four of you to coordinate - replies go to the group but your emails remain private.

This format is similar to Groupr, who also started a group dating service for those who prefer not to date alone.

Between online dating, dating apps, group dating sites, and the integration of social media with dating, there are multiple dating technologies available to help you meet more people than ever. Even if you're the shy type - you get nervous or have been hesitant to try online dating - there are alternatives for you, thanks to technology. If you have a phone or computer, you can be hooked up for a date. So, no more excuses. Now is a better time than any other to get out there and meet new people.

Tandem is currently available in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Madison, Chicago, New York City and Boston.

Earlier this month eHarmony announced that Thod Nguyen has been appointed the new Chief Technology Officer. With this position his responsibilities will include oversight on all of eHarmony's properties when dealing with global growth, strategic development, and technology innovation. Moving forward he will use data analytics and the engineering team at eHarmony to make sure the dating site continues to maintain their technological competitive advantage.

Thod previous job was the Chief Technology Officer at MyLife.com.

For more on this story you can read the press release and to find out more about this dating site you can read our eHarmony review.

Over the last couple of weeks, the Internet has been bubbling over with discussions of travel and dating. Would you travel to meet a date you met online? Would you use an online dating site to find no-strings-attached fun in a new city while traveling?

It turns out that traveling might be a boost for your love life, if you're looking for something specific in your dates.

For instance...

If you're prefer your dates big and beautiful, HuffPo says these are the best cities to date in:

1. Ogden, Utah
2. Whittier, California
3. Metairie, Louisiana
4. Medford, Oregon
5. Spring, Texas
6. Glendale, Arizona
7. Montgomery, Alabama
8. Carrollton, Texas
9. Concord, California
10. Torrance, California

OurTime.com, a dating site for singles over 50, identified the top 10 cities for plus-sized daters by analyzing the behavioral data of its users to find the location of the site's most popular users who self-identified as "big and beautiful."

If you're looking for interracial dating, try your luck in one of these states: California, Texas, New York, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Illinois, Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, Michigan, Tennessee, Alabama, South Carolina, Louisiana, Missouri, Indiana, Arizona.

The data comes from InterracialDating.com, which surveyed its members to find - surprisingly - that political affiliation is not a good predictor of interest in interracial dating. 10 of the top 20 states for interracial dating have historically voted Republican over the past 5 presidential elections.

If you're gay and searching for a May-December relationship with benefits, SeekingArrangement.com recommends dating in these cities:

1. New York, New York
2. Chicago, Illinois
3. Los Angeles, California
4. Houston, Texas
5. Beverly Hills, California
6. Atlanta, Georgia
7. Dallas Texas
8. Toronto, Canada
9. Las Vegas, Nevada
10. San Francisco, California

The SeekingArrangement.com study found that the average gay sugar daddy is now 39 years old, has an annual income of approximately $215,482.39, and has a net worth of over $6 million.

SeekingArrangement also identified the most promiscuous cities in Europe, for tourists who are interested in a little more than sightseeing during their travels. The cities in which tourists are least likely to get busy with the locals are Edinburgh (Scotland), Naples (Italy), Paris (France), Madrid (Spain), and Hanover (Germany).

Instead, travelers who are hoping to get lucky should add Carlisle (United Kingdom), Prague (Czech Republic), Vienna (Austria), Mykonos (Greece), Barcelona (Spain), Amsterdam (Netherlands), Monaco (France), Paris (France), Dublin (Ireland), and Stockholm (Sweden) to their itineraries.

To find out more about the dating sites which offered these insights, you can read the OurTime review and the Seeking Arrangement review.

About a month ago eHarmony updated their homepage with a new look and feel. Gone is the rich dark blue background and the picture of couples as seen here on the top right. eHarmony has used this general layout and colors with a number of different couple pictures for about 2 years now and has decided to make a change right before the holidays. I think this is a good thing since a number of other popular dating sites are using very similar background colors which I found tended to blend all the sites together and didn't make any one in particular stand out. I find most sites (not just dating) tend to make a fairly major change to their layout once every 2 or 3 years.

In its place as you can see in the screen capture on the bottom right of this article you will find a warmer color scheme that contains lighter blues, yellows and browns. The picture of the person on screen is also larger and appears more down to earth. As you scroll down on the eHarmony website the background changes color abruptly but I think this works as it makes each part of the homepage standout. Along with this homepage makeover eHarmony has also updated their advertising with the same look and feel.

Update: Dec. 4. 2012

It looks like I wrote this article a week to soon. 😊 eHarmony has just updated their homepage again on the US site a few days ago (Canada is still using the older one). The color scheme is very similar to the last update but the message has changed slightly. The title of the page now reads "From single to soul mate" and it then mentions eHarmony's 29 Dimensions of matching. Since Dr. Neil Clark Warren is in charge once again at eHarmony it looks like they want to get back to the core of what eHarmony was founded on. Also instead of one single photo of a person, the homepage now includes 8 to 14 photos arrange like an album with actual eHarmony members. If you put your mouse cursor over the photo a card slides up and includes details of who the person is matched with along with a quote. It looks really good and I think the simpler look will help eHarmony attract more members.

For more information on this popular dating site known for its in-depth matchmaking, you can read our eHarmony review.

Man Cave Daily says Craigslist is "The Internet's Dating Dungeon." Ok... it's not exactly eHarmony or Match.com...but does it really deserve "dungeon?" Those are pretty harsh words for a site that most of us use in one way or another and would probably be lost without.

Why such a negative take on such a popular site?

Well, for starters, Man Cave Daily thinks Craigslist is only for people who fit this description: "impoverished underachiever with little-to-no self discipline." As a Craigslist user who lives in Manhattan (and therefore isn't impoverished), and whose sole career is freelancing (and therefore isn't lacking in self-discipline), and who regularly travels the world with the living she makes from freelancing (and therefore isn't an underachiever), I object!

Online dating is going strong, but another digital avenue people are using to meet others includes something a little more - public.

Many singles are turning to social networks - Facebook, Twitter, and even Yelp to find love. While online dating sites still remain a popular way to connect romantically, people are starting to think outside the box. But what exactly does this mean?

We spend a lot of time online, and especially on social networks. We go to Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and the like to connect with others multiple times a day - to see what's going on in the world, and to talk about things that interest us. It's only natural to look through friends of friends for potential dates, or to check out the comments people make, to see if there might be a digital connection.

The Huffington Post even talked about Yelp being a place where romantic connections are made, simply because people connected to someone else's writing or the kind of critiques and praises they gave to certain restaurants, bars or coffee shops in their areas.

The idea behind using social networks to meet others, even romantically is this: when you can talk about a shared interest, it's easy to start a casual conversation, flirt, and eventually meet in person. It takes the stress out of dating by - well, taking the dating out of it - like the profiles and awkward emails explaining what you're looking for in a partner.

So what exactly does this mean? Just because someone is on Facebook or Twitter doesn't mean they're single - so are people just taking more chances and asking someone out anyway? Or is it a more relaxed and easier way to start talking and eventually meet up? Is there more risk to reaching out through these social networks, that you might not get someone who's truly interested, or looking, or even honest?

It's true that many people lie in their online dating profiles. But social networking sites don't always accurately reflect information either - like whether or not someone's already married or in a relationship. It's good to find out in person how available they are before you get too involved online.

While social networks make it easier for people to meet, so do dating sites. I think the more avenues you have to meet people, the more opportunities you have to meet the right person. Matching algorithms don't always mean love, but neither does liking the same bands. Sometimes, it's intangible - what attracts two people. So shouldn't you keep an open mind and look at the many ways you can meet, online and offline? Love is all about taking chances.

To find out how different social networks like Facebook and Meetup stack up when someone is searching for love, you can check out our Social Networks review category.