Online Dating

Santa Monica City Council is preparing to lift a ban from 1954 that prohibits:

... personal introductory service, marriage bureau, lonely hearts club, or other business of a like nature from operating within the city limits ...

This means online dating websites can now operate along with matchmaking services, but escort services would still not be allowed in Santa Monica. The newly allowed businesses would still require a police permit and criminal background checks though.

AshleyMadison.com has now opened their affair website to married men and women in the United Kingdom. For those of you who haven't heard of this site before it is described as a traditional dating site but for people who are already married. For UK members it costs £49 for 100 credits. With these credits members can email someone for 5 credits, chat in real-time for another 30 credits and send a virtual gift from 20 to 50 credits.

Apparently there are plans to spend upwards of £10million in advertising if Ashley Madison can get their ads approved by the Advertising Standards Authority. With this type of marketing budget Ashley Madison expects to have 1 million UK members in 3 months.

For more on this story read TNT Magazine.

A recent post from Markus, the owner of PlentyofFish.com, over on his blog commented on Mark Brooks view that free dating sites are going to kill off paid dating sites. It looks like Markus doesn't see that happening (which I agree) since he mentions the fact that the rankings for dating sites over the last few years have remained relatively stable.

What he did say is Facebook has been taking traffic from all dating sites. According to Markus, his Google Analytics account shows that page views per user (a free dating sites bread and butter since they make money on displaying ads) have declined 30 percent in the last 2 years. He also reported that PlentyOfFish.com's traffic increased by 15 percent on September 23 when Facebook went offline for 4 hours.

I was actually surprised to see Markus refute Mark Brooks in public like that since he was a client of Marks dating consulting business for a while a year or two ago. It looks like their working relationship may not have ended on a high note.

For more information on the online dating site mentioned in this article, read our review of PlentyofFish.com.

In mid August eHarmony released their iPhone Dating App. On September 28 a eHarmony Dating App for Android phones was released. As with the iPhone version, users can view their list of matches, look at members profiles, and communicate with them. Communication includes using the guided communication process, sending ice breakers and eHarmony Mail. Some parts of your profile can also be updated through the app as well like your photos (by using the camera built into your phone).

To take this new Dating App for a test drive, visit the Android Pit on your phone to download. To find out more about this online dating service, check out our eHarmony.com review.

Online dating is popular. If you haven't done it yourself you probably know people who have. While you've heard stories of things going wrong when people meet, know that good stories are also out there. It's important to always put safety first, no matter how much you think you trust someone. This article talks about 3 ways you can be a better online dater.

1. Know your requirements

Before you even start filling out profiles online and meeting people, you need to know what it is you're looking for. Are you willing to date someone who lives far away? How far is too far? Does your potential date need to be employed? Educated? Are you willing to date someone who is divorced? Has Children? It's important to think about these possible situations because while you are online dating, you'll run into all kinds of people with all kinds of history. Do not worry about being too picky. You should be picky when choosing someone to date.

2. Fill out that profile

Profiles are there for a reason, but as you'll soon notice, many people fail to fill them out or they are so basic they sound like ten other people. So when you fill out your profile, be honest and answer all the questions. You do not have to write essays, you can stick to point form answers as long as they explain who you are and how you differ from other people. Don't forget to add a photo! It's not that looks matter but people have preferences. You wouldn't want to be talking to someone for a while and then finally see them only to discover you're not attracted to them.

3. Online is just the beginning

Online dating is a bit of a confusing term. You probably know someone who has been dating someone online for years. It really happens. Usually it's due to distance. But online shouldn't be where you should keep your relationship. You are probably going online to meet someone to date in real life. If that's your intention, make sure you let the people you meet know you're not willing to carry on a relationship over the computer for more than a certain amount of time. Let's face it, being in a relationship is easy. You don't have to go out, get yourself dressed up or spend money. But that's not a relationship. You could find that same connection with a thousand people online.

Online dating can be tricky. It's not an easy task to find someone you connect with on and offline, so patience is required. Enjoy the process of meeting people. Even if it takes a while to find someone you are compatible with, you'll make new friends in the process.

eLove is quickly growing into a large matchmaking service with 50 offices located across the United States. The have recently acquired Cupid's Coach which is a matchmaking company based in Los Angeles. This acquisition will add two new locations to eLove, one in Los Angles and one in Westlake Village.

Julie Ferman will still stay on at Cupid's Coach as the principle matchmaker. She has more than 20 years experience in the industry and has been responsible for over 1100 marriages. She also has been on national TV and was recently awarded "Matchmaker of the Year Award" at iDate.

To find other similar services, check out our Matchmaking Services category.