Online Dating

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.

You may not have heard of IAC, but you've definitely heard about what IAC is doing.

Back in 2005, the Internet-focused conglomerate owned a diverse range of businesses that included Expedia, the Home Shopping Network, and Ticketmaster. All were fast-growing businesses, but they failed to work together as a coherent whole.

Over the next three years IAC streamlined, whittling down its assets to 23 businesses and more than 150 Web and media-related brands. Now, in 2012, IAC's ventures total 5.91 billion pages views per month.

IAC will continue to transform, but one thing is certain: the company isn't going away any time soon. Its two main businesses - online dating and Internet search - are thriving and show no signs of doing anything but that for a long time to come. IAC dominates the online dating industry as owner of Match.com and 30 other dating sites, and offers search services through Ask.com and a collection of apps.

Some think of fall as the time for Halloween and Thanksgiving. Others think of fall as time for the celebration of Movember, a tradition run since 2004 by the Movember Foundation.

What is Movember?

Movember is an annual, month-long event that hopes to "change the face of men's health" by raising awareness of prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and other men's health issues. On November 1st, Movember participants - known as Mo Bros - begin the event clean shaven. For the rest of the month, Mo Bros grow and groom their 'staches and raise money for the Movember Foundation by seeking sponsorship for their efforts. At the end of the month, Mo Bros celebrate their achievement by throwing a Movember party or attending one of the official galas held around the world.

This year Zoosk is celebrating the month of Movember by surveying members about their thoughts on facial hair and how it plays out in their relationships. Here's what they found:

Facial hair is becoming more popular in America.

• Only 50% of American men say their father had facial hair.
• But today, 64% of American men report having facial hair.
• "Mustache" may be a French word, but only 40% of French men currently embrace facial hair.

The most common reason for growing facial hair is confidence.

• 44% of men around the world say they feel more confident when they have facial hair.
• Other common reasons for growing facial hair are: to feel more attractive, to feel more sophisticated, and to feel more intelligent.

The majority of women are a-ok with facial hair, and the goatee is their favorite form.

• 80% of American women and 69% of women in the UK and Canada don't mind their men with facial hair.
• But most women in Australia, France, Mexico and Denmark prefer clean-shaven men.
• The goatee is the preferred form of facial hair, as voted by 36% of American women, while the soul patch is the least-liked form.

Participating in Movember might actually increase your chances of finding love.

• 63% of American women say that they would be more open to romance with a man who grew facial hair for a worthy cause.
• Only 27% of French women say they would feel more romantic with a man who grew facial hair for a cause.

Men and women disagree over which celebrity sports the best facial hair.

• More than 50% of women think it's Johnny Depp.
• Men, on the other hand, say Depp's facial hair is second to James Bond himself: Sean Connery.

See the infographic here. To find out more about this dating site you can read our Zoosk review.

It's one of the first questions you answer when joining an online dating site: What's your occupation? It's also one of the first questions you're asked when meeting someone: So what do you do for a living?

We all want to know how our dates pay the bills, and eHarmony knows why.

An eHarmony study looked into how career impacts romance, finding that what you do for a living has - no surprise here - a major impact on what you look for in a partner.

Last year a different study found that the worst careers for romance were personal finance, law enforcement, interactive technology, healthcare, publishing, mental health, optometry, education administration, fitness, aviation, journalism, business ownership, real estate, and law. The trend was clear: the more hours spent at a high-intensity job, the greater negative impact the career has on your love life.

Career addicts striving to achieve work-life balance should look for partners who have very different professions, says the new eHarmony study. Some of the most successful match-ups are:

• Self-employed women with engineers, female business executives with barbers or hair stylists, stay at home moms with dentists, and female doctors with bankers
• Unemployed men with personal trainers, male personal trainers with advertisers, male pilots with beauticians, and soldiers with female business executives

Some professions are willing to communicate with matches from all walks of life, while others are more choosy about who they chat with. The most picky daters are:

• Men who are engineers, analysts, lawyers, web developers, and bankers
• Women who are marketers, business executives, analysts, lawyers, and teachers

The most flexible daters are:

• Men who are soldiers, retired, skilled tradesmen, and students
• Women who are students, skilled tradeswomen, in the food service industry, and in retail sales

The eHarmony study also found that some job combinations are more likely to lead to a date than others. The most successful professional pairings are:

• Male and female business executives dating each other
• Male marketers with female business executives
• Male engineers with female business executives
• Policemen and firemen with female teachers

The least successful professional pairings are:

• Retired men with female administrative assistants
• Male artists with female students
• Male bankers with female administrative assistants
• Male doctors with female students

"When it comes to who's talking to who, most people are looking to talk to someone who does something different than themselves," an eHarmony spokesperson told the Daily Mail.

So I guess that's further proof that office romances aren't the way to go.

To find out more about this online matchmaking site you can check out our eHarmony.com review.

eHarmony Australia is offering a free communication weekend that starts in the morning on Friday November 2nd and ends Monday November 5th at the end of the day.

If you are an Australian single and wish to try a dating site which performs the matching for you, then eHarmony.com.au is a service that offers the features you are looking for. To try it out just create a free members account this weekend and fill out the profile questionnaire. This process will take you about 30 minutes or so and is important because the questions you answer are used to determine what other members will make a quality match for you. Once you have finished with your profile you will receive a number of matches right away. From here you can look at their profiles and pick the ones you feel a connection with. Communication is free with any of your eHarmony matches and no credit card is required.

For more about how this Australian matchmaking site in helps singles, please read our eHarmony review.

From Friday October 19 2012, to Sunday October 21, 2012 members of Chemistry will be able to communicate for free.

Along with communication, this free weekend allows members to create a profile, take the personality test and to receive matches. Once you have decided which matches you wish to contact by viewing their profiles and photos, you can then use Chemistry Starters to initiate communication with that member. Chemistry Starters are fun online activities designed to help you break the ice and get to know your matches better. If you wish to skip the Chemistry Starters, no problem as you can also send emails right away. This 72 hour promotion is completely free and no credit card is required.

It looks like Chemistry had their last free communication weekend in July. To find out more about this dating site which matches members for long-term relationships you can read our Chemistry review.