Business cards are a standard “tool of the trade” in the business world, an accepted and expected way of sharing contact information with someone else. In the online dating world, though, connecting and sharing contact information with someone else has been limited to whatever electronic tools the online dating site provides to its members.

Now a new and innovative approach is combining the easy and effectiveness of business cards with the privacy and convenience of online dating. It’s a hybrid approach used by online dating sites like Cheekd.com to give their users the flexibility to make contact with someone in person but still have the privacy protection of the online site.

Here’s how it works: your monthly subscription to the dating site includes a set of business-type cards printed with a greeting and a special code that allows the recipient to log in to the site and connect with you. The cards make it easy to make contact with someone you might see across the room without having to go over and try to make contact with them face to face.

Online singles love this option. They can slip a card to someone unobtrusively, or even send a friend over to deliver it to someone of interest. It’s sort of like passing notes in second grade, but with a far more mature and adult focus. For the recipient it’s a great way to know they’ve been “spotted” and gives them the privacy and protection of making that first contact online as well.

It’s like business cards for personals, and it’s an idea that is rapidly becoming popular for very good reasons!

News & Views Cheekd.com, Social Networking

This should come as no surprise at all to anyone who has spent even a little bit of time online visiting social networking sites and online dating sites. The information posted on these sites is rapidly becoming a primary source of evidence used by divorce lawyers in their filings of client divorce papers.

The reason is simple, of course. Cheaters, unhappy spouses, and others looking for “alternatives” to their current relationship make up a large percentage of people using these kinds of sites, which means they are putting themselves out there for others to find and meet. As long a their activities remain a secret from their partner, it’s not a problem; but once that partner gets a whiff of something suspicious it only takes a quick and easy search to start finding online evidence of misdeeds.

Lawyers are well aware of this, too, and more and more of them are including online searches as a standard part of their services when it comes to divorce filings. In fact, according to one of the leading professional legal associations up to 81% of divorce lawyers use some form of online research to specifically look for this kind of evidence in order to use it to benefit their clients. Facebook.com was the site most often cited as a great source of this kind of evidence, followed closely by MySpace.com and Twitter.com.

So what’s the lesson here? If you’re cheating, fair warning: anything you have out there is going to be found. And if you’re the partner being cheated on? Better check with your lawyer to make sure he or she is going to include this kind of search as part of their professional services.

Divorce Cheating, Divorce, Lawyers, Searches, Social Networking

Dating is all about meeting new people, getting to know them, and hopefully finding a person to be that “special one” in your life. It’s a long process in most cases, filled with plenty of dates and opportunities to spend time with potential partners. The fairy tale side of dating is all about meeting the perfect person the first time around and living happily ever after; the reality of dating is, unfortunately, quite a bit different.

The vast majority of people have a few “false starts” along the way toward finding that special person; it’s almost inevitable, really. But how, exactly, are you supposed to handle those situations when you’ve dated someone once, twice, or even a few times, and you just don’t feel that “spark” of wanting to spend time with them anymore?

This is a big challenge because let’s face it, having to tell someone they’re “not your type” or letting them know you don’t want to continue dating is very, very hard. It’s tough to give that kind of honest feedback to another person and it’s tough to hear that kind of honest feedback from someone else. It might be tempting to avoid having that kind of straightforward conversation, but have it you must. It’s the only way to end the situation with dignity, respect, and integrity.

Here are some quick “do’s” and “don’ts” to help you through the process:

Don’t

• Lie about your reasons
• Break up via text message, Twitter, or Facebook
• Blame yourself for everything
• Get angry, defensive, or emotional

Do

• Be respectful and honest
• Be gentle with the other person’s feelings
• Explain your reasons clearly and succinctly

Do your best to part on reasonably good terms

When you don’t feel that spark for another person, remember it’s perfectly okay. Just deal with the situation honestly and then focus your attention on other opportunities to meet new people.

Rejection Breaking Up, Emotions, Lies, Social Networking