With every type of niche now being filled by new online dating services, there are many sites appearing that offer online communities and matchmaking services for ethnic groups such as black people, Asians or Hispanics. So what’s the point of these dating services for specific racial groups, and do they offer you anything more than conventional personals sites such as Match.com or eHarmony?

Well it all depends on what expectations you have. These sites are ideal if you are the type of person who knows exactly what you are looking for, and you have a strong preference for meeting people of the same cultural background. This is not such a bad thing – relationship experts have long said that we are drawn to people who are similar to us, and all things being equal, such relationships have a better chance of success than ones of couples from different cultural backgrounds.

Women have been found to have a significantly stronger preference for relationships with men from the same racial background, while men appear to be less fussy about cultural roots. Studies of speed daters found that women were much more likely to ‘turn-down’ men of different racial backgrounds than men of the same race as themselves. This was found to be true for women of various racial backgrounds.

While most dating websites offer some kind filtering system that lets members find other members of a certain ethnic origin, many niche sites have sprung up recently to cater specifically to certain ethnic communities. The larger ethnic sites, such as BlackSingles.com are doing extremely well, and are now among the most visited dating sites in the US.

If you are considering using an “ethnically themed” site it is always best to choose one with a reasonably large membership since the number of members in some of the niche sites can be relatively low.

While most members of such sites are from the same cultural background, it’s worth remembering that such sites usually welcome members of all races and colors.

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When you’re looking for your Romeo or your Juliet, online dating can be a great starting point. But once you’ve met the ‘perfect’ one for you, does this mean that you need to start paying them too?

Just like any online site, trusting in someone else’s identity online can be a tricky thing. Since you really can’t verify that ‘Romeo’ is who he says he is or that ‘Juliet’ really does live where she says she does, online dating sites have become the next place that con artists are popping up. By pulling you in with promises and proclamations of love, you can begin to feel that you have found your perfect mate…and then they want you to wire money to them.

Here’s the thing, yes there are situations in which this person may very well need the money they’re asking for. They might also really want you to help them out, but when it comes to sending a lot of money to someone you don’t know, you are probably just being duped into the latest scam. Though it may not be as obvious as the Nigerian scam, you need to be suspicious of anyone asking you for money.

You also want to be on the lookout for anyone that wants you to cash any checks, hold any goods, etc. While you might really trust the other person, you may also become an unwitting member of a crime – and that’s not what love is for.

If you begin to feel that the person you’re talking to may be a scam artist, let your online dating website know so they can take action. If you still have concerns, you can alway choose one of the dating services that pre-screen members which ensures that they are who they say they are. Take a look at True.com or GE-Dating.com for examples of such sites.

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But not all is happy and cheery in dating land, is it? There are plenty of horror stories that you have heard from your friends and siblings. The woman that picked her nose at the table or the guy that had nose hair that was longer than his moustache – these are people that you might meet. However, there are ways to deal with these hairy situations.

No pun intended.

There are going to be dates that don’t work out for either of you. And chances are good that if you’re uncomfortable, they will be too and realize that you’re lacking in chemistry. But the real question is whether you should cut and run early in the date, or stick it to see if there are some redeeming qualities that you might be missing.

Here are some signs that you should just end the date:

• They insult you and it’s not in a nervous teasing sort of way
• They insult your family or friends
• They have beliefs that you don’t agree with
• They are abusive in any way

And here are some signs that you might want to stick it out:

• They apologize profusely for things that might be perceived as negative
• They are respectful of you
• It’s just their looks that you’re having troubles with

In the end, you might be able to get past the nose hair, so unless there’s something painfully mismatched about your date, why not go the adventurous route and see if you might have found your new spouse?

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