With all the talk of the slow and spending along with a drop in profits in retail and restaurants one would think that online dating would suffer.   The reality is that online dating increases as singles strive even harder to find a relationship.   Studies show that married couples are healthier and don’t have the stress of singles, most likely because they share expenses and can share both the good and the hard times.    Some of the top dating sites have seen spikes in traffic, some over 40%.  In particular, “relationship” and “marriage minded” sites such as Eharmony.com, PerfectMatch.com, Chemistry.com and Match.com have seen larger increases compared with sites that cater to casual dating.

In a tough economy the cost of finding a date is crucial.  A membership on most sites is around $1.00 a day which is a huge savings over the time and cost put into gas and spending on drinks and bars and coming home empty.  Most folks won’t put their love life on hold because the economy is down.  It’s just time to adjust spending habits, invest a small part in a quality online relationship service instead of running to a string of unproductive and expensive nights at a local pub.  Find a relationship today!

Marriage/Relationship Type Sites:

Eharmony.com  strong relationship/marriage site based on values and religious faith…..good for Christians and Catholics

PerfectMatch.com  relationship oriented for all faiths, non-religious

Chemistry.com  relationship oriented for all faiths, non-religious

Match.com relationship and more casual dating

Online Dating site Match.com is getting ready to start a new summer TV campaign that targets single men.   The campaign is called  “Too Many Women” and is accompanied by a 7 day free trial offer. 

Single men were the first to try online dating with the advent of the internet, and in the beginning made up 60-70% of online dating sites.  Over time, the women have caught up and surpassed the number of men on online dating sites.

Men that sign up for the free trial before the 14 September will get one week free. The offer will be accompanied by the original and best ‘make love happen guarantee’ from match.com which promises that those signing up who don’t find love in six months, will get six months free.

When you are out on a date, focus on the 1-2-3 steps for dating success:

1. Create a Connection

You have to resonate with your date by developing rapport.  Focus on what you have in common and start a conversation about those items.   If he is into golf, and you are into golf, ask him where he likes to play golf and get him talking about golf.

Stay positive and talk about restaurants, movies, sports and other items you both like. Maybe you both saw an independent film that you can talk about. Don’t talk about previous relationships, what your date does for a living, about their family or delve into religion or politcs.

The objective is to find ways to connect based on common interests. Most people date and marry those who are enough like us that we know we’ll have fun together.

2. Develop Chemistry

Once you have a connection based on common interests, focus on body language. Men not only love it when a women takes the lead in showing him that she’s attracted, but some men can be clueless.  Use small gestures sucy as smiling and looking shyly down at your plate or your glasss. Use your hands to play with any object at hand: your glass, the napkin, a lock of your hair. Whenever a silence falls in your conversation, don’t feel like you have to fill it up. When the time is right, reach over and touch his arm to direct his attention to something. Order an unusual dish  that you can try  together.

3. Show Honesty and Candor

Be more direct as you become comfortable with your date by opening up about more personal topics, like your favorite role models, your funniest dating experiences.   You should be relaxed enough that you feel you can really be yourself.   If you’re attracted to one another, tell your date.  So many dates end badly simply because both parties were too afraid to say or show that they were interested. Tell your date you are having a great time and that he/she is great company.   This way your date knows he’s being given the green light to kiss you or ask you out on another date.

If you aren’t interested, say something like “It’s been nice meeting you, or I had a nice time…… and I wish you the best of luck meeting Mr./Mrs. Right. Maybe we’ll see each other online again.” Or “I don’t feel we resonate on a romantic level but I enjoyed this evening.”  These are polite ways to tell a date that you aren’t interested but that you them the best.

Technorati Profile

Over 500 men were polled for an unscientific survey in April on Don’t Date Him Girl. A whopping 67% of them said they would be monogamous if they knew how to deal with the temptations they face every day.

Many of the men they polled said they want to be faithful, but no one ever gave them a 12-step plan for staying monogamous. Another interesting piece of information:what a woman thinks is cheating isn’t the same as what a man thinks. Which means there is definitely a anguage barrier between the sexes when it comes to monogamy and faithfulness.

Men were also asked if cheating would become a thing of the past if men had a guide to staying faithful.  According to 33% of men who responded to the poll, they said that even if they knew how to stay faithful, it would be difficult because they are programmed by society to lust after women and usually more than one at a time.  Which in turn leads them into temptation and infidelity.

Other interesting love stats from the survey:

• 73% of men in the survey kept secrets from their significant others
• 21% of men  in the survey visit sexually-oriented websites at least once a day while in a relationship
• 56% of men  in the survey fantasize about other women while in a relationship
• 8% of men in the survey have virtual sex online with a person they don’t know personally at least once a week while in a relationship

1. Confident women have an active social life. They spend time with friends, family, attend singles events.
2. Confident women don’t chase after men.  They give men a chance to court them.  Confident women wait for the man to call first.
3. Confident women have a positive attitude about themselves.  You are a catch.  Tell yourself that.
4.Confident women don’t make last minute plans to accomodate a man’s “spontaneous” nature.  The first few months you date a man, have set dates planned a few days in advance.
5. Confident women  don’t fret about whether or not someone liked them. Confident women ask whether they like the man and why.  If he asks for her number and doesn’t call her, a confident woman doesn’t assume it has to do with her.  Lack of chemistry, interest in someone else he met before you, he changed his mind, or other issues may keep him from calling.  Be thankful you found out before you had several dates.
6. Confident women don’t make a man out to be someone he isn’t.  Men will flatter you with emails, text messages, romantic evenings, flowers, etc.  Remember he is trying to make an impression.  Get to know who he really is. 
7. Confident women let a man live his life without checking in on him.  When a man feels free, he will attach to you more willingly
8. Confident women become unavailable when a man plays games or becomes unavailable. 
9. Confident women want a man in their life but don’t have to have one to be whole.  A confident woman won’t settle for a dysfunctional man or man with problems and baggage just to have a man.
10. Confident women trust their intuition and feelings. Confident women express their feelings and ask for what they need in a relationship.
11.  Confident women aren’t afraid of criticism or confrontation.  They work through problems.