"For as long as romantic relationships have existed," says the new survey from the Pew Internet & American Life Project, "people have sought assistance in meeting potential partners using whatever options were at their disposal."

And for as long as scientific studies have existed, say I, researchers have been trying to explain love via facts, figures, and other data.

The latest in that long line of relationship research is the 2013 Online Dating & Relationships study conducted by Pew. "The rise of tech-enabled dating help has been one of the most striking developments of the digital era," continues the study, "and these alternative ways of meeting and mating have arisen at a time of fundamental change in the structure of marriage and divorce in America."

The number of Americans getting married is steadily declining and today it is at a record low of 51%, down from the 72% of adults who were married in 1960. Americans are also postponing marriage until later in life, and are often choosing other options - including cohabitation and single person households - instead. But fear not - the institution is not yet dead. Around 61% of men and women who have never married say that tying the knot is in their plans someday.

While there are few left who disagree that online dating is a good way to meet potential partners, some have claimed it actually produces more successful relationships than traditional offline dating. Research is so far inconclusive on that matter, but what it has proven is that online dating and offline dating offer noticeably different experiences.

The perks of online dating include:

• The ability to draw from a deep pool of potential partners that goes well outside of one's existing social networks
• The ability to communicate online or via email prior to arranging a face-to-face meeting
• Matching algorithms that help users to filter potential partners based on pre-existing criteria
• More opportunities for members of niche communities who have limited options for meeting people in real life

On the other hand, online dating nay-sayers believe that the rise of online dating is contributing to the downfall of committed relationships. Young adults are not motivated to choose marriage, they argue, because online dating provides an endless stream of romantic and sexual options that lowers their interest in long-term relationships.

Much has changed, not just our approaches to marriage and commitment, since Pew last conducted a survey like this. 2005 saw the Pew Research Center's last foray into the Internet's impact on dating and relationships. In the intervening years, mobile phone usage has exploded (the iPhone hadn't even been born yet!) and social networking sites have taken over the Web. The ways in which people seek out, research, meet, and interact with potential partners will never be the same.

eHarmony is having it's last free communication weekend (FCW) for 2013 soon. It is starting December 26th and runs for 7 days and ends on New Years Day of 2014 (January 1). This event is happening on the eHarmony dating sites in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

The busiest time for online dating is the first 2 weeks after Christmas. This makes this particular FCW extra popular as everyone is home for the holidays and has some extra time on their hands. If you are single and looking for a long-term relationship then eHarmony with their detailed profiles and complex matching algorithm is an ideal service for you to try. No credit card is required and you are able to try most features of the site which includes sending emails. The only features not included during these free weekends is profile photos, secure call and, skip to email.

If you are interested in taking eHarmony on the go then you can also signup using the Android or iOS app which can be found in their respective market place.

The last free eHarmony communication weekend happened a month ago in November (see Story). For more details about this popular service you can take a look at our review of eHarmony.

In online dating, the user name you choose is essentially your name. It’s one of the first things a potential match will see, and it’s how they’ll remember you, think of you. It’s all part of the first impression package - so let’s make sure you’re sending all the signals you intend to, and none that you don’t.

First, it’s good to have a user name that is somewhat memorable - to others as well as yourself. Sure, your first name and the year you were born might seem simple and fitting to someone who knows you, but here you’re telling potential matches that all you have to say about yourself is the year you were born (which might be a touchy subject to begin with). Similarly, you might want to avoid any names that paint you as lovelorn, like “waiting for Cupid” or “holding out for a pince/princess.” For one thing, it’s something of a cliche; for another, it’s redundant. After all, everyone is waiting for Cupid - how would that make you memorable?

Instead, think about your interests, or something that’s easily identifiable. For instance, if you have curly hair, you could use a play on that, or combine it with an interest. You could also just pick words that are interesting, memorable, and sound good together. If a potential match somehow loses your profile and wants to find you again, they’ll have a much easier time with a more unique name than wading through variations of names and numbers.

At the same time, you want to make sure your name doesn’t reveal anything you don’t want it to. Don’t use a name you tend to use elsewhere; you might have mentioned details about where you live, or work, and that’s not ideal when it comes to safety. You might have mentioned past relationships, or other personal details, and that’s not ideal when it comes to privacy and embarrassment. Either way, it’s best that your dating name is kept separate.

Finally, don’t forget to make use of a search engine and make sure your name isn’t taken by anyone or anything you wouldn’t want to be associated with. In this day and age, it’s hard to be completely unique, but if your user name is clearly held by, say, a company or a famous figure or someone spewing hate all over the internet, it’s worth tweaking it.

Choosing a user name doesn’t have to be stressful, but it shouldn’t be an afterthought, either. With just a few simple tips, you can come up with a name that’s more personalized and memorable - just another way to stand out from the crowd.

Christmas can be a lonely time for singles. With the focus of the holiday season on love, family and relationships, it's easy for singles to feel left out. Even if your parents and siblings are happy to have you for Christmas dinner, it just isn't quite the same as celebrating with a family of your own.... and that's just Christmas itself. In the lead-up to the Holiday Season, there's office parties to get through without a date, endless conversations about where and with whom you will be celebrating and the nagging question whether you will still be single come the new year.

If you are determined to ring in 2014 with a new partner, we have put together a list of tips for you. These top 3 seasonal tips will help singles find love during the holiday season.

1. Find love during the holiday season by getting into party mode

You may resent the endless parade of holiday parties, but there's no better way to meet new people - and at least some of them are bound to be feeling the single Christmas blues, just like you! In addition to the usual party atmosphere, there should be mistletoe on hand to break the ice if you come across a particularly kissable pair of single lips!

2. Find love during the holiday season by being full of Christmas cheer

Happy singles are attractive singles, so don't let the loneliness get you down. Instead, get into the Christmas spirit, decorate your home, buy a silly sweater and do everything you can to turn yourself into a person absolutely everyone will want to be around.

3. Find love during the holiday season by online dating

Did you know that December is one of the busiest months of the year for online dating websites? You aren't the only one who wants to find love before the year is up, so there's no better time to get active and see who's registered recently, looking for a Christmas romance. If you don't get lucky during the holiday season, you'll already be ahead of the curve in January, when online dating peaks in a flurry of new year's resolutions and turkey hangovers!

Some of us are busy decking the halls with boughs of holly. Some of us are lighting the menorah. Some are getting trampled by sale-obsessed shoppers at Walmart and Best Buy. Some are still trying to recover from their Thanksgiving food comas. And many of us are wondering whether we'll have a midnight kiss on New Year's Eve.

Singles are always curious about whether there is an ideal time to try online dating. The best answer is "No, the perfect time for online dating is whenever you're ready for it." Online dating requires a significant investment of time, attention, and emotions, so don't dive into it before you're prepared. But if you are ready, why waste time looking for the "right" moment? The right moment is right now.

That being said, there is one time of year it might be just a little bit more right than any other: the week between Christmas and New Year's, all the way through to Valentine's Day.

In December 2011, Match.com's relationship expert Whitney Casey said that "From December 26 to February 14 is our busiest season. New Year's Eve is such a big deal because it's a new beginning." Match is far from the only site to notice a jump in usage during that time. PlentyOfFish also reported a 15% spike in sign-ups, as well as a 20% boost in activity from current users during the same period.

Rachel Seliger, Community Manager for JDate.com, attributes the holiday spike to a renewed excitement about meeting new people. "This is definitely one of our busiest times of the year," she says, "and that's simply because the festive fun of the holiday season often reminds singles there is nothing better than being around those we love - that romantic relationships! Plus, we often see a big bump in membership numbers with so many people adding 'find love' to their New Year's resolutions!"

This year, along with working out, reading more, volunteering, getting organized, and spending more time with friends and family, put 'Try online dating' on your New Year's resolutions list. Like any resolution, staying on track won't always be easy, but setting the goal is the first step. Take advantage of the improved odds and maybe that midnight kiss will turn from far-off fantasy into reality.

Just please don't put up a profile picture taken in that hideous holiday sweater knitted by your grandmother. There's not enough eggnog in the world to make that pic a good choice.

Two is hardly enough to call it a trend, but if online dating sites collaborating with relationship experts does become a thing, I am fully in support of it.

Earlier this fall, one of America's longest-serving advice columnists, E. Jean Carroll, began a new partnership between HowAboutWe and Elle magazine. The arrangement, called Elle dating, is part of HowAboutWe's media partners program. Joining forces with a fashion magazine may not seem like the natural course of action for a dating site, but HowAboutWe believes the alliance could go a long way towards helping people who might otherwise object to finding love on the Web warm up to the idea.

Carroll's Elle column has long been an important fixture for the magazine. A membership to HowAboutWe through Elle will cost $30 per month, and for $500 an Elle reader can get a one-on-one telephone consultation with Carroll and the services of Tawkify, the small matchmaking firm she founded two years ago. Carroll hopes that her influence will bring a sense of serendipity to HowAboutWe that can be lost in other online dating services.

Are You Interested is also jumping on the expert bandwagon. AYI.com recently announced that author and relationship expert Laurel House will join the site as its resident dating coach. Laurel has appeared on numerous television shows, including E! News, Weekend TODAY, and most recently MTV, where she was the ultimate "It Girl" dating and confidence-boosting coach for an episode of the channel's MADE show. She is also the author of QuickieChick's Cheat Sheet to Life, Love, Food, Fitness, Fashion and Finance on a Less than Fabulous Budget and the upcoming book No-Games Guide to Love.

For her collaboration with AYI, House will post written and video content to the site's blog to help guide singles through the online dating experience. She will be available via AYI.com's social platforms to offer personalized dating tips to members, and will act as a face of the AYI brand in media interviews.

SNAP's Chief Executive Officer Clifford Lerner commented, "We believe Laurel's depth of experience and professional expertise is unmatched and will greatly help singles looking to connect online. She is aware of what single men and women are looking for in the online dating experience and her ability to guide them in their search for love will only better the AYI.com experience."

My favorite collaboration between an expert and a dating site remains the inimitable Dr. Helen Fisher, who serves as leading expert on the biology of love and attraction for Chemistry.com, but I'm excited to see more professionals in various dating and relationships fields lend their support to the online dating movement.