One of the main reasons people avoid online dating is because it seems to be an unsafe method of meeting that special someone.  You don’t get to see anything more than their picture and you can’t be sure anything they say is true.

Consequently, a lot of people are staying off line, but are also staying single.

The idea of background checks has become a popular selling point for sites like True.com.  By screening all of their singles, members of the site feel safer knowing that they are talking to the ‘real’ person they think they are talking to.

Or are they?

There’s a lot of discussion right now as to whether these background checks are actually all that effective.  After all, thieves and con artists thwart them in other situations, why is it so difficult to believe that they can’t slip past them here too?

Some people are crying ‘foul’ for these background checks as they generally are only a cursory check that doesn’t usually spot the liars.

But with potential new legislation making background checks necessary for online dating, is this combination of events setting up the online dating system for a fall?

If this legislation is enacted, more singles might come online, thinking that online dating is safer.  But since the checks are often meaningless, this might actually increase the dangers of getting online – more people = more problems.

In the next few years, this question is going to be something that people consider before searching for love online.  For if the checks in place aren’t really helping, then what’s the benefit to them?

Happy Valentine’s Day?

News & Views, Personal Profiles Background Checks, Profile, Risks, Trust, Truth

You think dating in a big city is tough? You should try being out in the middle of the country. If your main job is working on the farm, away from crowds, you need help finding love – and you can find it at FarmersOnly.com.

The setting at this dating website is much more relaxed than at most other online dating websites. All ages can find love at this site (well, over 18 years old) and even try the site for 7 days without any charge.

Whether you’re a farmer, a cowboy or just someone who loves rodeos, you can find love at this fun and easy to use dating website. You can create a profile that describes your interests as well as what you’re looking for in a partner or just a Saturday night date.

You get to flirt with other members by sending a quick note through the FarmersOnly.com server – making it safe and fun to look for someone to date.

By including both Canadian and U.S. profiles, you get a larger dating pool than you might anywhere else. Plus, you get to read Barnyard Buzz and find out about the success stories that this online dating site made possible.

Love is in the straw too – no more searching for needles in the haystack.

Dating Essentials, Personal Profiles Alone, Job, Profile

Winter is finally here in all of its frosty glory. With the holidays gone, it’s time to start staying indoors and bundling up from the bold. But that doesn’t really work too well when you want to meet someone special.

Or does it?

Leave the winter blues behind you with online dating tricks like these:

Register at multiple dating sites – Not only will you get to talk to more people, but you’re going to increase your chances of meeting the right person.

Be the bold one – If you’re usually the one who asks the other person out, try something different and make the first move. And vice versa. If you find that you’re typically the one doing the asking, see if someone else asks you out first.

Change your online profile – While it’s not spring, why not spring clean your online dating profile? Add a joke or a list of what you got for Christmas. Create something fun that someone would want to read in order to get to know you better.

Make a goal – Whether it’s a date a month or a date per week, create goals for yourself to get you and your date out of the house. Just because it’s cold doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the weather. And with someone else to enjoy it with, you might forget about the wind chill.

Personal Profiles, Tips and Ideas Chat, Holidays, Meet People, Winter