It wasn’t very long ago that using an online dating service was considered scandalous. Cheap. Embarrassing. And yes, really desperate. Thankfully times have changed a great deal and online dating is no longer something you hide from your family and friends. Online is now mainstream, and there is more than just anecdotal evidence to prove this.

A major research study conducted at Stanford University recently shows very clearly that online dating is no longer something to hide in the closet, but is in fact quickly becoming the first choice for singles looking to meet other singles like themselves. Going online is not only socially acceptable now, but it is also the preferred way for more and more singles to connect with each other. The Stanford research, conducted by sociologist Michael Rosenfeld, revealed that significant numbers of singles now actively choose to go online rather than go out to offline venues to look for other singles.

According to Rosenfeld’s study, the groups most likely to prefer online dating are lesbians, gays, and heterosexuals who are middle aged. When you stop to think about it for a moment this actually make sense; online dating allows singles to search for a partner in a way that is more anonymous than going out in person, plus it gives singles access to a much larger pool of potential dates than going out in person.

There will always be plenty of people who prefer to meet other singles in traditional offline venues, but if you’re looking for that someone special it might be more productive for you to focus more of your efforts online.

Dating Essentials Desperate, Friends, Social Networking

Online dating has come a long way since the first real mainstream online dating site, Match.com, came on the scene in 1995. Over the last 15 years online dating has transformed from the perception of being the place where “losers” go to meet to the more modern and correct perception of being the place where singles of all kinds can connect with others. The change has been dramatic indeed, but that doesn’t mean the pace of change is slowing down at all.

Just the opposite, in fact. Online dating continues to transform and change, in some cases literally before our very eyes, as new technology and a new generation of tech-friendly singles comes of age. The tremendous growth of social networking web sites such as MySpace.com and Facebook.com has rapidly started to blur the lines between traditional online dating services and newer ways to connect and find interesting singles to date and get to know.

Many younger singles are shying away from traditional online dating sites and instead focusing their efforts on the social networking sites. Why? Because they feel social networking sites allow them to combine a number of activities all in one convenient place (staying connected with friends, sharing information, dating, etc.) rather than having to access a separate dating site for that activity alone.

What are the traditional online dating sites doing about this phenomenon? In most cases they are actively embracing the social networking aspects of online dating, offering specialty applications for both the social networking sites and mobile phone use as well. For example, Zoosk and Datepad are among the more popular facebook dating aps, though there are many others.

Look for this trend to continue into the future as more and more young people turn to technology and the internet as integral parts of their daily lives!

News & Views Dating Trends, Facebook, Match.com, Social Networking, Technology

Social networking websites are an integral part of today’s online dating scene, both as resources for finding potential partners and communication tools for sharing relationship information with your circle of friends. All of this connectivity is generally a pretty good thing, at least as long as your relationship is in good standing.

But what happens if your relationship ends? How have Facebook and other social networking websites influenced the way people break up in today’s world?

It’s not unheard of for one person to break up with their partner via Facebook rather than doing it face to face. As cold as that seems, for some people it seems perfectly natural to use social networking for that purpose; they use it for all of their other communication purposes, so why not use it to end a relationship?

Even if the break up does occur face to face, Facebook and other social networking sites often create situations where the hurt (and hurtful actions) can continue to go back and forth for a very long time. How quickly does he change his status to single? How fast does she take down the pictures of him from her page? When will either of them post new pictures of a new love interest, and how will each of them react to this action? And we haven’t even begun to talk about the issue of friends choosing sides over whatever happened to cause the relationship to end.

Overall, the best advice I can give you is to avoid using Facebook or any other social networking website to break up with a partner or to get back at a partner following a break up. Although it might be very tempting, keep in mind that the hurt this approach can cause will nearly always create even more issues and problems down the road.

Breaking Up Facebook, Social Networking