Badoo is a rapidly growing social dating site. Badoo originated in Russia in 2006 as a social networking site, and it floundered for several years, gaining a little popularity in France, Italy, Spain and Latin America. But, in recent months, Badoo has taken off.

Badoo is free to users but members can pay “micropayments” to boost their profiles in rankings and for other little niceties. So far it has worked quite well, as their membership levels are reported to be over 140 million right now and they are planning to IPO for about $2 billion.

Just a couple of weeks ago, Badoo’s application for Facebook was Facebook’s fastest growing, with more than 3 million daily users.

If you haven’t tried Badoo, now might be the time to get on board. The design is somewhat like a chat room, making it easy to meet people. And, with the record number of people joining Badoo each week, you’re sure to find someone to talk to. Badoo seems to have promise to be one of the most widely used sites for making friends and finding dates over the next few months. So, if you’re looking for a new dating site, hop on over to Badoo.

Reviews Badoo, Facebook, Social Networking

If you think of online dating as being just for young people, think again. According to a report by Smart Money, baby boomers account for at least 20 percent of all online daters. And, that number is growing. From February 2010 to February 2011, the number of online daters over the age of 50 jumped by 8%, while the overall jump in online dating was just 4%.

This significant level of acceptance by the over age 50 community is just another sign of how mainstream online dating has become. I met my husband online 11 years ago, when it was still considered a “little creepy”. I was hesitant to tell people how we met for quite a while. Today, however, meeting your new love interest online is “old hat”. The fact that an older generation of daters finds it to be mainstream gives the niche even more credibility.

The higher divorce rate among older people has also contributed to the increase in online dating by this demographic. Divorce rates, on the whole, have decreased in the last 20 years, but they have nearly doubled in the “over 50″ age range. This increase in divorce rates combined with an increase in internet usage in this age range makes online dating the perfect combination.

There are a fairly large number of dating sites catering to this particular demographic, too, including Senior Friend Finder and Senior People Meet. So, if you’re over fifty and looking for love, the internet is waiting. And, you can be sure that you’ll have plenty of company.

News & Views Baby Boomers, SeniorFriendFinder.com, Seniors

18-year-old Lauren Astley’s body was found in the edge of a marsh over the July 4 holiday weekend. She had been strangled and had a wound to the neck. Her ex-boyfriend of three years has been arrested and charged with her murder. Prosecutors call the case one of teen dating violence.

Our condolences are with Lauren Astley’s family, who had no knowledge that anyone had been bothering their daughter. They did, however, know that she had recently broken up with Nate Fujita, who has been charged in her death. Fujita has said he did see Astley just before her death, but that they only talked.

It’s important to remember that dating violence can be especially prevalent among teens. As parents, we must be vigilant in watching for signs of dating violence, especially during the time of breakups or squabbles.

According to the group “Choose Respect”, the following statistics are true about teen dating violence:

• One in five high school girls have been physically or sexually abused by a dating partner.
• Nearly 80% of girls who have been victims of physical abuse in a dating relationship continue to date their abuser.
• One in three teens report knowing a friend or peer who has been physically hurt by his or her partner through violent actions which included hitting, punching, kicking, slapping, and/or choking.

You can read more about Lauren Astley’s death at The Boston Channel.

News & Views Abuse, Violence