Online Dating

Britain's Got Talent auditions are currently being taped and for one dating site, it's talent for matching was shown. The panel of 4 judges, including Simon Cowell, were joking with a contestant couple who performed with a piano. One judge made a reference to Simon's recent breakup with his finance. The couple then mentioned that they had met on the dating site ChristianCafe.com. The same judge then told Simon he should maybe try out the website.

This Britain's Got Talent episode has been reported to be airing in March of 2012.

For more on this story you can read the Mirror. To find out more about the dating site mentioned in this article you can read our review of ChristianCafe.com.

Most of us are on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or some form of social media. Maybe you even have a blog. Whatever the case, it seems these days we all have an online persona as well as an in-person one. And sometimes, you don't want these worlds to meet - (or at least you don't want your boss to discover you're secretly complaining about your job in 140 characters or less). So how do you manage all of these identities when you're dating?

If you blog or tweet about your awful dates, what happens if you meet someone you like? Do you tell him about your blog or propensity to share these intimate details, wait a few weeks to see if the relationship goes anywhere, or do you erase all links to your real-life self and hope he doesn't stumble across it?

And if you're not so inclined to blog or tweet about your dates, are there some Facebook posts or pictures you'd rather not admit to - like when your friend tagged you one embarrassingly drunken night out? Or when you posted a rant on your ex's wall?

Chances are there are some things you don't want on display for someone you're just meeting. But if you want to keep them private, it may be harder than you think - especially when it comes to dating. With the help of Google, Facebook, and a little sloothing, your date could discover some of your well-hidden secrets. And if they are doing their due diligence, they will.

Before you panic, there are some definite steps you can take to make sure your online persona comes off as swimmingly as your real-life one does when you meet in person:

Adjust your Facebook privacy settings. This is a really easy fix. Don't assume your information is private because you haven't changed any settings recently and Facebook wouldn't dare make your information public. There have been some adjustments on Facebook's part over the last few months to make information more accessible unless you say no, so be sure to check your settings often and make sure you have your privacy settings as high as possible.

Protect your tweets. It is possible to have separate Twitter accounts - one for work and one for your private life. Just make sure you never mix them up! (I had a friend who did this and almost lost her job.) If you want to use your real name, then protect your tweets so only followers can see them. Otherwise, I suggest changing your handle (or name) so that you're more anonymous.

Don't friend or follow anyone you just met. This means don't exchange Facebook names so you can "friend" each other as a way to get in contact. Do you want the new girl you're interested in to see your picture with another girl, or read your fringe political viewpoints? Keep social media out of the picture until you've been dating a few weeks (or months)! Otherwise you could be misunderstood.

Own up to your past. If you have something online that might be a red flag to potential dates, it's best to disclose it upfront. A friend of mine started dating someone only to find out he had a website with another woman - announcing their engagement! Even though the two were broken up by the time he met my friend, she couldn't get past her initial shock that he hadn't mentioned it. So the relationship never got off the ground.

Bottom line? Pay attention to your digital trail, and know how you come across.

For more information on how to use social networks for dating, you can check out our Facebook review and our Twitter review.

POF reported on their blog that it was a good year for the dating site. They said that it nearly double in size (I am assuming here that they mean the number of members in their database) and that they hit a record of 50 thousand signups in a single day earlier this month.

Other big moments in 2011 for POF were:

• POF is now available in multiple languages
• Hired Administrators and a Tech Team
• Created a new POF chat system (designed in house)
• Name changed from Plenty of Fish to POF
• Site Redesigned
• New POF Apps for Mobile

For more information you can check out the POF blog and to find out more about this dating service you can read our POF review.

2012 is upon us, and so is an annual rush to join online dating sites in the new year.

It's known as the Holiday Effect - the 15 to 20 percent increase in online daters from December to February. Every year online dating sites experience a surge in membership over the holiday season, as singles who didn't have someone to kiss under the mistletoe or at midnight on New Year's Eve turn to the Internet for a fresh start in the new year.

There are a number of reasons that January has become such a busy month for online dating. New Years resolutions are on everyone's mind, focusing many people's attention on improving their current relationships or finding a partner if they're single. The idea of making a fresh start for the new year is also a strong motivator that draws traffic to online dating sites, as is the pressure from family and friends to settle down that singles often experience during the holidays.

"There is also the anticipated Valentines Day event which many single people dread more than any other day of the year," says Penny Russell, a spokesperson for a single parent dating site, "and this often spurs them into action and a determination to seek out a new partner before that day arrives."

Doree Lewak, author of The Panic Years: A Guide to Surviving Smug Married Friends, Bad Taffeta and Life on the Wrong Side of 25 Without a Ring, believes that the pressure to be attached during this time of year is especially strong on women. "Women still feel huge pressure around the holidays," she told USA Today, "and certainly exacerbated by New Year's - to have a date. I don't think that moment has passed."

Dating sites all across the Web experience the Holiday Effect from both men and women, from Match.com who say that their busiest season is December 26 to February 14, to PlentyOfFish.com who report a 15% spike in sign ups and a 20% increase in activity from current users during that period.

And it's not just the dating sites themselves that benefit from the Holiday Effect. As more and more members join the sites, the pool of potential dates increases dramatically, improving everyone's chance of finding love in the new year. Many dating sites respond to this trend by offering special rates around the holiday season, so if you're in the market for a membership take advantage of their holiday gift and start the new year off right.

If you are interested in finding a service to join this year, you should take a look at our list of reviewed dating sites or try our dating site search tool.

Ten years ago, if you told someone you had enrolled in an online dating service, you may have gotten a weird or pitying look. Today, hectic schedules have made it difficult to meet new people even once a week, much less several times. Like everything else in our lives, we’re starting to depend more on computers and the internet to make tasks easier. Using an online dating site, such as HaveWeMet.com, has become similar to using a matchmaker that finds dozens of women according to your specifications. This can be a fun process, but some people find it frustrating. Here are some things you need to know before plunging into the online dating pool.

Obviously, you will first be drawn to a profile by the picture that accompanies it. It is an old trick to put a younger picture on a profile, but now people are starting to use photo manipulation programs like Photoshop to make themselves look better. One piece of advice is to find the worst online picture of the person you are interested in, and assume that is the closest to their real looks. Keep in mind that people tell little white lies all the time in real life, and are more likely to do so online. Just like you, she is looking to put the best image of herself out there. Pictures are a good starting point, but remember that they may not be totally accurate. When you think about it, there really is no reason to lie about yourself online since you are hoping to meet the person in real life, but there are still a few people who are new to that concept.

If she tells you she is interested in animals, rock climbing, or art museums, see if she has pictures posted that show her involved in these activities. This adds credibility to her persona. If these pictures are not readily available on her profile, post one of yourself doing the same thing and she will most likely reciprocate by sending a picture back.

Next, readers have told us that nice girls wait for the guy to make the first move. You do not want to ignore women who contact you first, but women with desirable qualities are usually getting enough emails each day that they do not need to go out and find someone on their own. It is also important to carefully read a profile before you contact the person. The most interesting women are going to have attention-grabbing profiles that do not have the same information as everyone else. Guys tend to write the same types of profiles. Your profile, and her profile, should be fun to read and give you an insight into the personality rather than the generalities. In order to encompass all their qualities, people tend to summarize themselves until their information becomes generic.

When you respond to a profile, make the correspondence short and light. You will want to end with a question in order to encourage a response. Your conversation will begin online, so you must both move the conversation forward for communication to occur. With your first message, you are still a stranger, so avoid going on and on about how beautiful she is or how many interests you have in common as this can make her uncomfortable. Focus on one or two things you both like to do in the beginning, and move on from there.

Once you have established good communication and find that you have an online spark, you can begin discussing your first in-person meeting.

Between Christmas and the New Year last month Mamboo.com users on average viewed 40 percent more pages. New subscriptions are also up by 38 percent and members are also sending 30 percent more online gifts. The most important statistic is probably that the number of messages members sent, doubled during this time period. This all points to a very active dating service.

Mamboo also sees a busy January this year. They forecast a 60 percent increase in traffic in the first two weeks alone this month. Between Christmas and Valentine’s Day is the peak season for dating services so most sites will see an increase in traffic.

For more information about this story you can read the press release.