It is October and the start of award season for us here at Dating Sites Reviews. To start it off we have released the Single's Choice Award poll for 2012 on October 1st. This signals that our annual Dating Sites Reviews Choice Awards is now under way. These awards recognize the best online dating sites of 2012 in a number of categories. In 2 months it will be 2013 (where did 2012 go!) and these awards are a great signal to our visitors in the coming year on what we and our previous visitors recommend. The Dating Sites Reviews Choice Awards have been given out annually for the last 6 years. To see our past award winners you can visit our Award Winning Dating category.

The Single Choice Award is our most important award since it determined by you. If you would like to voice your opinion then please take the poll below. The poll has 2 questions. The first asks you to choose your top paid dating site from a list of 8 popular dating sites. The second question of the poll then asks what your favorite free dating site is. Once again you will then choose your answer from a list of the top 8 free dating sites. The dating sites listed in the poll was determined by the Editor’s here at Dating Sites Reviews. If you have not already please cast your vote now:

We have added a new review to the Ethnic dating category for the site LatinAmericanCupid.com.

For some reason this dating site has flown under our radar for a few years. This site by far is the largest niche dating service for singles looking for Latino partners. It is at least 3 times larger than its nearest competitor (according to Alexa) in the Latin niche market. Our review team found the site easy to use and not too expensive. LatinAmericanCupid.com offers all of the features needed to make online dating an enjoyable and rewarding experience. The one recommendation we would make to improve the service is to include message boards. This would encourage community interaction between members. If you disagree with our review, you are more than welcome to include your own comment and/or review. This functionality is available on all of our review pages.

To find out more about this popular Latin singles dating site you can read our new LatinAmericanCupid.com review now.

This is my favorite time of the year - the air is turning a little cool in the evenings, new shows are starting to premiere on TV, and the best part - Halloween is around the corner. Fall is a fun time in my opinion, and a good time to actively date.

Fall brings many possibilities for new and different date ideas to help you get over the lingering effects of summer and prepare for the holiday season. So take advantage and go outside your dinner and a movie comfort zone to try some once-a-year activities.

Following are some seasonal ideas to get you started:

Costume shopping - If you want a little creativity and inspiration, ask your date to go shopping for Halloween costumes with you. Instead of renting or buying those pre-fab expensive ones, try local thrift stores and come up with your own designs. It's much more fun, and it shows off your creative side. (Even if you already planned a costume, it can't hurt to look together.)

Haunted things - whether it's a hayride through an old cemetery or a haunted theme park or shopping mall, taking your date to a spooky event can be fun and will definitely give you something to talk about - even if it was kind of lame. You can share a drink afterward and calm your nerves.

Pumpkin carving - Visited a pumpkin farm lately? If not, you might want to take your date along with you. Grab a couple of pumpkins and show off your carving skills, maybe while you're watching some scary movies. Most farms offer some carving tool kits if you want to get detailed about it.

Farmer's markets - I love strolling through these on weekend mornings - the produce changes depending on the time of year. It's a different kind of date - you can gather a few items for a picnic at a nearby park.

Art shows - I'm not sure why this is, but the fall seems to be the best time for catching new art shows that come to town - whether it's a museum or art gallery. Check your local listings and wander through a new exhibit. If you're feeling the chemistry, stick around for a drink or bite to eat nearby.

Host a themed gathering - Even if you live in a small place, it's fun to invite a few people over along with your date to watch scary movies and create some Halloween-inspired drinks and food. Decorating a little helps to set the mood, too. Happy Halloween!

JDate.com is a popular Jewish dating site that has been in business since 1997. We have just finished updating our JDate review with the latest information about what the service offers to its members, and the features it provides which will make your online dating experience not only eventful but exciting. The last major update to this review happened just over 2 years ago. So what has changed since 2010 with JDate.com? Here is a list of the major changes we found:

• JDate now offers a mobile website and iPhone dating app
• For most subscription terms it is now much cheaper to use JDate
• No more audio or video chatting
• Kibitz Corner - Tell members more about yourself and catch someone’s eye with your witty or profound response
• Redesigned member dashboard that allows for easier navigation and searching
• Updated dating profile and color code personality test questions
• Revamped Likes & Interests
• JMag and JBlog are updated much more frequently. A lot more JDate Videos are now available

To find out more about this popular Jewish dating site and the changes please read our updated JDate.com review.

I've read dating advice from just about every source imaginable, and the truth is that it gets real old, real fast. Half of the "experts" doling out advice haven't even tried online dating themselves...what good does that do? What I want is real, relatable dating advice from someone who has actually been in the trenches and experienced the (all's fair in love and) war first-hand.

This month, I'm in luck. A. Chertorofsky, a "single widowed man age 49 who has met some personable, attractive women on Match.com," has written a guide for women about how to find the right man on Match.com. Finally - real advice from a real person!

"I want to be honest about what works and what doesn't from a guy who genuinely likes women," writes Chertorofsky. "Not just the sex part. The whole Venus and Mars planetary divide part. Take it for what's it worth -- free advice from one on the other end."

Here are his top 6 tips from the other side:

1. Ignore men who aren't polite, genuine, and thoughtful. If a man introduces himself by sending you a "Wink," don't dignify his overture with a response. "That's just some lazy slob who probably can't write or has decided you are not worth the time to write," Chertorofsky says.
2. Your photos really do matter, so choose wisely. Like it or not, online dating is a bit like choosing real estate - you're going to go with whatever property looks best in the pictures. If you can't find at least 3 photos of yourself that you like, it's time to crack out the camera. Do: smile. Don't: take a selfie in the bathroom mirror.
3. You're only as good as your worst picture. This is my new favorite online dating motto (Thanks, Chertorofsky!). You could put up 9 great pictures and 1 disastrous picture, but it's the disastrous shot that's going to be remembered. Don't post photos that aren't an accurate representation of what you really look like, but do take the time to choose your most flattering shots.
4. Be congruent. If you're a sex kitten in your photos and talk about how much you want a serious relationship in your profile, what message are you sending? A confusing one, that's what. Decide what you're looking for and stick with it, or you risking attracting men who aren't actually right for you.
5. Do not write "I am a sexually confident woman." It's not that you can't be a sexually confident woman (you should be!)...but writing it is likely to attract the attention of suitors you don't want. If sex isn't your goal, don't make it the focus of your profile.
6. Be honest. Write what you want to write, about who you really are. Don't write the profile that you think men will be attracted to. If it's not true, it doesn't belong in your profile.

To find out more about the dating site Chertorofsky had success with you can read our Match.com review.

When online dating first came along, everyone was horrified. "Meeting someone? Online? Sounds like a service for freaks and losers and axe murderers."

Then we all warmed up to the idea. "Online dating? It's awesome. You can meet people from all over the world without leaving your couch and you don't have to spend every Saturday night deflecting losers at the bar."

Now online dating seems almost...old-fashioned. Dating algorithms and static profiles nearly feel like a thing of the past, while low-key social networking is all the rage.

Zoosk, from day one, has managed to take the best of online dating and merge it with social networking, creating a site that's always ahead of the curve and stands a real chance of becoming the future of modern romance. Shayan Zadeh, co-founder and co-CEO of Zoosk, recently had a chat with The Washington Times about where online dating is heading and what Zoosk is doing to stay on top of the game.

Zoosk's strategy is about one thing and one thing only: staying competitive. Zoosk began on the Facebook platform in 2007, then expanded into a website and mobile dating as the market changed. "We've focused on bringing together the best aspects of social networking (like news feed, live chat and video conversations) to the world of online romance," said Zadeh, ensuring that Zoosk is always relevant.

Now the market is changing again, and Zoosk is adapting to keep up. The question Zadeh and Zoosk are currently working to answer is "How could we keep Zoosk members engaged with the site, even after they found love?

Their solution - Couple Profiles - was launched in April. Couple Profiles give couples - whether or not they originally met on Zoosk - a "dedicated place to celebrate their relationship online" where they can "share photos and relationship milestones, like anniversaries, vacations and special events, with family and friends." Zoosk is aiming to turn itself into a "romantic social network," not just a dating site.

"We really see social networking for couples as being the next evolution of modern romance," explained Zadeh. A survey found that 77% of Zoosk members use technology to connect with their partners throughout the day (the majority interacted with their significant others 3 or more times each day). That's a massive market that Zoosk intends to conquer, with the new Couple Profiles feature and its mobile services.

The days of romantic social networking may have just begun, but I like the idea already. Can't wait to see where it goes.

To find out more about this popular dating site you can read our Zoosk.com review.