Most popular features of dating sites

People have always been looking for love. In 1700, a few years after the invention of the modern newspaper, the first matrimonial service was created. How things have changed since those days... In the 1950s, the internet was created, and in the 90s, the first online dating site came into the scene. The features they have might have been groundbreaking in those days, but today, they seem insufficient. The online dating scene is constantly evolving, and it offers us new and innovative ways of making their site more user friendly while helping them find the right one. Here are some of the most used and appreciated new features that online dating sites offer.

The first thing that comes to mind, is that today, dating sites are specialized in different niches. This is very helpful, as many people are looking for someone in their own area, from the same cultural background, of the same religion, sexual orientation, or social status.

Compatibility tests. Physical attraction just isn’t enough. You have to find out weather you have things in common, like the same things, have the same outlook on life…A good dating site will help you with that, and will provide with a professional compatibility test.

Chat and Videochat. Exchanging emails is fine, for the initial conversations. But after a while you’d like to use a more interactive way of communicating. Here’s where the chat feature comes in handy. An even better way of chatting is videochat. This way you can see the person you write to.

Event boards. This is a feature that provides with an excuse to mingle, and meet new people. Members can post different events, and invite other members to take part. This is a very popular feature, because it reunites people with similar interests.

Forums, or message boards gives members the opportunity to discuss different topics, or just hand out.

New members list. This feature gives you the possibility to find out who is new to the dating service. You can be one of the first people who contact them.

Winks. If you don’t want to risk or put yourself in the position of being rejected, sending a wink is a safe way of letting someone know that you like them. Now the ball is in their court, they can reply with a wink, or write you a letter.

Now, what do we do with people who are too persistent or abusive? We can “Block” them. A good dating site will offer you the option of blocking any attempt to contact you from people you dislike. On the contrary, if you like someone and want to be in contact with them, you can add them to your Favorite list.

Finally, one of the most valued features of a dating site, is the fact that they are transparent, and give you the possibility of knowing : who viewed you profile, when is the last time that a certain member logged in, what their activity is on the site.

Dating services have come a long way, and everyday they come up with more interesting ways of helping us in the dating process. Who knows what we’ll write about the features of dating sites 10 years from now?

Dating for single parents

Life changes once you have children. Someone said that there’s you before children, and there’s you after having children, and they’re completely two different people. A separation is more difficult to bear, when you are responsible not only for yourself, but for your children. It’s not just you that’s in pain, it’s also your children. That’s one of the reasons why parents are reluctant to get back into the dating scene. There are more things at stake now, it’s not just you that might be disappointed.

Dating someone who has a child is a little more challenging then dating someone who hasn’t one. That’s because his or hers son or daughter, have to accept you too. You need to have more patience when dating a parent, you need to like kids and accept the fact that they might one day be your responsibility too. That’s the tricky part. When most of us start dating someone, we don’t think about children and responsibility. Unless you’re on the same page with the parent, and you love children, the relationship might be doomed.

If you’re a single parent and you’re thinking of getting back on the dating scene, there are some things you should consider. As single parents are usually very busy with raising their kids, work and domestic duties, there’s very little time of going out and looking for a date. Here’s where dating sites can be very helpful. The same rules apply though, no matter if you go about the classic way of finding a date, or use a dating site.

Be honest about the fact that you have kids. Not everyone is ok with potentially having to raise someone else’s kids. Some people just want to have fun, and see where things go. The fact that you’re a parent might put extra pressure on them. Tell them from the get-go that you have children. Now, there are two things that have to happen in order to continue a relationship. Your date has to be ok with you having kids, and you have to believe that you date is someone that might be good for your kids.

Meeting the kids. This is a crucial test. Many relationships ended because the kids didn’t accept their parent’s new significant other. No matter their age, kids will not be easily convinced to accept someone else as a potential parent. You have to talk to them. Explain that you and your former spouse chose to date other people, and that that’s ok. Explain how important it is to you to have someone in your life, and that your new boyfriend or girlfriend will not try to take the place of their mom or dad. Don’t force your kids to meet your date, it might all go wrong. Be patient and wait until they’re ok with meeting your date. When the big meeting finally takes place, don’t have high expectations. Accepting and liking your new date, might take time, but with a little effort from both sides, things will work out just fine.

Back on the dating scene

Finding a love that lasts forever is a dream that for most of us, doesn’t become a reality. Unfortunately, we all have been through a break-up at one point of our lives. A divorce, a separation, the death of a loved one, all these mean one thing: being single again. And as if the break-up itself isn’t painful enough, we have to get used to being alone. After years of being in a couple, waking up next to that person everyday, sharing all kinds of experiences, the day comes when you wake up alone. There’s no one to have breakfast with, to read the morning paper, or simply, to talk to. At first this can be difficult to bare, but in time, and with patience, we can learn to snap out of this frustrating period of our life, and get back on the dating scene.

Many people, after a divorce or a separation, feel lost, anxious and overwhelmed. They feel like it’s a lot more difficult to find someone new than before, and think that all the good men/women are taken. This isn’t always true. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are 14,6 million women living alone, and 10,3 million men. So, don’t despair, there are plenty of fish in the sea…

If you want to start dating again, you have to let go of the past. Turn over a new leaf, don’t dwell on your ex. To do that, it’s a good idea not to have things around your house that remind you of your ex. After years of living together, you must have gathered lots of things that belong to both of you, and so, they keep the memory alive. Change everything! Redecorate your house, and especially, your bedroom. Put away his or her clothes. Be sure that when you come home, nothing look or feels like before.

Keep yourself busy. Don’t allow yourself the time to cry over the past. Sure, it’s healthy to grieve for a while, to get it out of your system. But don’t do it for too long. You need to think about your future, and clinging on to the past will not help. You should find a new hobby. Take some cooking lessons, learn some French, go to a dancing class, try writing a novel, buy a pet, start collecting shells. There are so many new thing you can do, to keep you mind occupied. These are also opportunities to meet someone new…

Don’t be in a hurry to find a date. Rebound relationships aren’t always a good idea. Don’t expect to find a replacement for your ex very soon after the break-up. You should take some time to be alone, and enjoy being single. Think things over, analyze there things went wrong. We all dream of meeting that special someone in a very romantic and spontaneous way, maybe we bump into each other while coming out of a library, or while walking our dog on a beach. This might not happen, but don’t worry, life always find a way to surprise us. You just need to be patient, and think that what has to happen, will happen.

How to write the perfect profile

First impressions count! That’s not available only for face to face first encounters. If you meet on a dating site, the same principles apply. It’s a proven fact that people who have better profiles, get more visits, and more interest. That’s why it is crucial to make a good first impression. Your profile is like a business card, it has to represent you the best way possible. Here are some tips that will help you create the perfect profile.

First, be honest. Lying won’t get you very far. At one point, the persons you lie to, will realize that you’ve been deceiving them, and will turn their back on you. Sure, point out your best qualities, and things that you are proud of, but try to exaggerate with the positives. Nobody is perfect. Add a recent picture that presents you how you normally look. It’s a good idea to add a close up and a full length photo, so that people will see exactly how you look. Most dating websites will ask you standard questions, like age, height, weight, appearance. Be honest about those things. People should like you for who you really are, not who you’d like to be.


Be creative! After the standard questions, you have the possibility to say “More about you”. This is the time when you have to impress. Again, honesty is the best policy. That doesn’t mean you have to be too modest. If you find it difficult to talk about yourself, ask some friends or family members to give you their opinion about you. They know you the best, so they can be of great help. It’s a good idea to talk about things you like to do on a regular basis. This can be good conversation starter for someone who enjoys the same things. Some dating websites, like www.anotherfriend.com give you the opportunity to record your video profile. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video is worth a lot more than a picture! Don’t be shy, this is a great way of getting yourself out there. All you need is a web cam and a microphone, and you can get started. Write down some things that you want to talk about, and you don’t pause a lot, but don’t read them. Try to be natural, like you would record a video for a good friend that hasn’t seen you in a long time.

Be clear about what you are looking for. After you talk about yourself, it’s time to describe the person you’d like to date. This is very important, as people who will read your profile will know if you might be interested in them. This avoids awkward situations. Start with things that are very important to you, and your date needs to know about. What are you deal breakers? What are turn ons? What is your type? Don’t set your standards too high. Think of something in the lines of your ex-girlfriend/boyfriend.

I think if you keep in mind these tips, you’ll have a perfect profile, and in now time you will start meeting new, interesting people.

Paid dating sites versus Free dating sites

This is a tricky question… Free usually outranks paid. So there should be no contest here, right? Not always. We all like freebies, but when it comes to things that are important to us, like finding love, we shouldn’t be cheap. Let’s go through the advantages and disadvantages of both free dating sites and paid ones.

Let’s start with the free dating sites. Well, they are free, so that’s good. Anyone can join, so you get more diversity of users. That’s pretty much where the advantages end. I can think of nothing more that would convince me to use a free dating site.

Now, let’s talk about disadvantages. First of all, they are free. Yes, that’s right, this can be a bad thing. Let me tell you why. You are not being charged, so there’s no money from you going into the owner’s pocket. This means he will not have the same budget as the paid sites. This usually translates into cheap looking web design, less functions, less interest in your safety. Another problem is the quality of users of free dating sites. Paying for a membership isn’t expensive, it’s about 1$ per day. Someone who isn’t willing to “invest” that sum of money in their search for a date, either isn’t that serious about it, or can’t afford it ( and that should give you something to think about ). Free dating sites are for everybody. This means both good and bad people.

Now, the paid dating sites. The inconvenience is that you have to pay for a membership. Like I said, anyone would prefer to get service for free than to pay for it. But once you get over the idea of paying 1$ per day, you can enjoy the benefits paid sites offer.

One of the most important thing that differentiates paid sites from free ones, is the number of users. Paid dating sites always have lots of members. They have the financial means to invest in marketing and promotion of their site.
The quality of users. People who join paid dating sites are usually more successful and have a better financial situation, and are more educated.
Paid dating sites have lots of functions that free ones can’t offer you. From video chat to voice dating, to your daily horoscope and events, paid dating sites always offer you the best.

Paid dating sites are safer. Unfortunately on the internet you can find shady people. On free dating sites, no one is monitoring their activity. If one reports abuse to the site’s owner, there is no possibility of tracking down that person. No real name, no credit card number, no address. On a paid dating site, everyone has to provide such information, so the possibility of finding a dishonest person there, decreases significantly.

The bottom line is, you get what you pay for. If you are looking for a quality service, you have to pay for it. Finding that special someone is worth 1$ per day, don’t you think?

Dating over 50

Love has no age. You can meet you other half at any point in your life. Don’t despair if years go by, and you still haven’t met someone to fall head over heals for. It’s never too late.

Being in you 50s doesn’t mean you can’t be flirty. Go out there and take a chance on love. And where can you choose from millions of mature people just like you, if not on a dating website? Looking for love is a beautiful, exciting experience, but it can also be very stressful. People over 50 can be a little skeptical when it comes to getting back into the dating scene. Don’t be afraid! Discover the positives in dating over 50, and enjoy the ride.

Take it slow! If you are over 50, it doesn’t mean you’re running out of time. On the contrary, the pressures that weigh on young peoples shoulders are not there for mature people. You don’t have to worry about getting married by a certain age, or about your biological clock. By 50 you probably have been married and had kids. You have been through all the beautiful and difficult things that define married life and raising children. You’ve been there, done that. Now it’s time to focus on you!

The best part of being on the dating scene over 50, is that you have plenty of experience, and you know exactly what you are looking for. You probably made mistakes when you were younger, like all of us do. But you learned from them, and now you can choose better. Most mature people simply want to find someone special to have a good time with, to share and enjoy life together. The dating frame of mind is very different for mature people. They will not be as influenced in good looks and financial well being, as younger people would. People over 50 are usually more financially secure, already established and enjoyed a career. The primary focus for them is now enjoying life next to someone nice and loving. It’s not the time for one night stands or adventure. Dating over 50 is deeper than that. People don’t have the time or desire to play games anymore.

If you understand that dating online isn’t only for young people and you decide to give it a try, you will can be in for a very exciting new experience. From now on, the same rules apply as for young people.

Be honest when writing your profile. Add a nice picture of yourself and be clear about what you are looking for.

Be safe. Don’t disclose your personal information to people you just met.

Be thoughtful. Give everyone a chance, you never know who you’ll end up liking after to get to know them better. Answer to everyone that writes you, if only to tell them you are not interested.

Be open minded. You are on a dating site to find love but you might end up making interesting new friends.

Dating over 50 can be as much fun as dating in your 20s. Be positive and enjoy the ride. It’s never too late to fall in love!

10 reasons why you should consider online dating

Finding love takes time. Sometimes it feels like meeting the right person is a waiting game. You need to arm yourselves with patience and try alternative ways to meet new people. If you’ve already been on blind dates that your friends set you up, went to clubs or single bars, but you haven’t met Mr. or Mrs. Right, you should consider trying an online dating service. There are considerable advantages that online dating could bring you. Let’s go through some of the most obvious good parts of online dating.

1. First, the number of people you can meet online is incredible. There are over 40 million people that use online dating sites. How many people have you met in your entire life? Not even close to this number I’m sure. The chances of meeting someone online are way better than meeting them on the local scene. \

2. Niche dating sites. Today’s dating sites offer you the possibility of choosing a certain category of dating, depending on your country, religion, or interests. You have dating for Christians or for Muslims, dating for single parents, senior dating, Irish dating, Asian dating, Eastern European dating. There is something for everyone.

3. Dating online is very convenient, and a lot less time consuming than the classic way of finding a date. You need only a computer and you can start searching for a date, from the privacy of your own home.

4. Online dating is a lot less expensive than other ways of meeting people. You just pay a fee of about 1 $ per day, and you can try your luck with as many people you want. You don’t have to spend money on dinner, flowers and chocolate. You just turn on your webcam and start the date.

5. Anonymity. You don’t have worry about nosy co-workers or friends meddling in your business, or about persistent admirers that harass you. All your conversations are private. You can use an alias, and give your real name only to people that you choose.

6. The functions that online dating offer, make choosing a suitable partner a lot easier. You can send a wink to the ones you like, you can webchat with them, or you can block or report the people that are abusive.

7. The feeling of being part of a community. All the best dating sites have a chat or a forum where you can connect with other people, and make new friends. A new feature dating sites have is the Event Board, where you can plan and organize events for you and your new friends.

8. The online dating scene is safe. There is always the option to Report abuse or contact the administrator of the site if things go wrong, or start a topic on the chat page and discuss problems with other members.

9. When using an online dating service, you can take your time getting to know someone before actually meeting. We all have had the experience of a date gone wrong, when you don’t know what excuses to come up with, just to get out of it. You don’t have to worry about that anymore. You can exchange letters, chat or use a web cam to get to know the person you are interested in. After a few conversations you might discover that person in not for you.

10. Finally, the reason that got me to use online dating sites is that they have no geographical barriers. You can meet people from different cultures and backgrounds, from any part of the world. You never know in what corner of the world you can find your “other half”.

How safe is Online Dating ?

I get asked that question a lot. I have used online dating services for a while, and never worried about my security. I mean, what’s the difference between meeting someone in the park while walking your dog, and meeting them online?

In fact its probably a lot safer to use a dating site as you will have time to exchange messages / phone/ chat with in the chat rooms with the other person over a couple of weeks or longer before you decide to meet them, if there’s something you don’t like about the person you can move onto the next profile. Can you say the same about meeting someone in a bar ? You may have only spoken to the person (who may or may not be drunk) for ten or 15 minutes before organising a date.

Why should I be worried about using the internet in finding a date, when there are so many dangers in real life? To be honest, I feel a lot safer chatting with someone on a dating site, than meeting them for the first time in a restaurant. Here are some of the things I did to protect myself when using dating sites. Better to be safe than sorry…

Use a dating site with credibility. Use your common sense when choosing it. If it seems like it was put together by a guy in a basement, don’t think twice : Move on! It may be tempting to use a free online dating site, right? Not for me. Been there, done that. There are way too many dubious people out there. Using a paid service gives me a sense of security simply because people pay with credit cards, so it’s easy for the dating site to track down any trouble makers. Also people who use free dating sites have nothing to lose, so you’ll find a lot of people joking around on it. Whereas on paid dating site, you know they are serious as they’ve already paid a monthly fee to find that someone special.

It may sound a little paranoid, but I always google the name of the person I met online. Most people use the same username so by doing a search you may find what that person is into.

Make sure the person you’re talking to is the one in the photos. Better yet, use a web cam. People tend to use their best photos on their profile, so you can be deceived by it. Some go even further and use pictures taken years ago. Others use only head shots. Ask for a photo where you can distinctly see their entire body. I also prefer to videochat, AnotherFriend.com have a anonymous video chat system for their members

Who uses dating websites ?

If you think that dating sites are only for people who are unable to find someone in real life, you don’t know what you could be missing out on. There is this misconception that people who are successful, good looking and charming, will most definitely find a date in real life. So that leaves the unsuccessful, unattractive and boring people to look for love on the internet? Wrong. I had friends telling me : “Why can’t you look for love like normal people do?” Well, here’s why. Let’s start with the reasons someone might consider using a dating website, as opposed to trying to find a date in real life.

First of all, lack of time. Many people with good, demanding jobs, work long hours. They start work at 9 and finish at 6. They have errands to run, groceries to buy, things to do around the house, family to meet. When are they supposed to look for Mr. or Ms. Right? Here’s where a dating website comes in handy. You create an attractive profile, submit your photos, and select your preferences. From now on, the dating site will send you profiles of people that might interest you, and do most of the work for you. This way you can get acquainted with hundreds if not thousands of interesting new people.

Fear of rejection is another reason that people will chose to meet someone online. Imagine you are in a club, or a bar, and you see a beautiful girl. You can flirt from a distance, but at one point you will have to go up to her and say “Hello”. Here’s when it gets tricky. You don’t know what her reaction will be. You don’t want to make a fool of yourself or be humiliated in front of people you know. On a dating site, you don’t have this concern. You can browse through the profiles that the dating site suggested, or you can search for yourself. Again, you find a beautiful girl. You can send her a wink, and see if she’s interested, send her a message, or contact her in chat. Worst case scenario, she doesn’t answer. That’s not so bad. Your reputation isn’t damaged, you are not embarrassed, and best of all, no one knows about it.

On a dating website, you have the chance to meet people from different cities or even other countries. If you live in a small city, you have most probably been on the dating scene, and know what it has to offer. On a dating site, you can look for people in your area, or anywhere else.

In my experience, the “normal” way of finding a date, has given me limited possibilities to finding someone interesting. There comes a point when going to bars or clubs to find love, gets old. Online dating gives you countless new ways to meet someone. There are thousands of single people using dating sites, looking for the same things as you. One of them, might be just the one for you.