Match.com, one of the largest online dating services, is acquainting itself with the real world via Stir, a new event service that will host up to 3,000 singles parties a year. They’ll be hitting 24 cities come June.

Online dating, it’s now universally agreed, has its limits. Among the two biggest glitches: dates who look nothing like their profile pictures and dates who are happy to email but decline to ever actually go on a bodily, non-virtual date. In an effort to combat such digital diversionary tactics, one of the biggest online dating services, Match.com, has decided to get people out from behind their computers to come out and play. Ironic, no?

Regular dating has its glitches too, including extreme initial awkwardness when two people first meet and the even extremer awkwardness o…………… continues on TIME

Follow these online dating tips, and you just may become a happy in-real-life couple!

Our exclusive interview with Anna Post, great-great-granddaughter of late etiquette guru Emily Post.

According to a new survey from Intel, nine out of 10 U.S. adults feel that others divulge too much information about themselves online, and 88 percent said they wish people “thought more about how others will perceive them when sharing information online.” However, the same survey found that 33 percent of people are more comfortable sharing information online than off. So what’s appropriate when it comes to divulging information in your online dating profile and via social media? In our exclusive interview with Anna Post, the great-great-granddaughter of Emily Post, and a co-author of Emily Post’s Etiquette, 18th Edition, she told us some “golden rules” to keep in mind when online dating and when using social media in general. Perfect timing, since it’s National Etiquette Week!

1. Be authentic and genuine. “Be truthful,” said Post. “Your online self needs to match your in-real-life self.” After all, you have real-life relationships with many of the people you’re “friends” wit…………… continues on YourTango

A new report concludes when it comes to finding love — online dating has its pros …. and cons.

Social scientists at Northwestern University analyzed 400 studies on the effects of online dating.

The report estimates 25-million people a month use web dating sites, and roughly one in four dating couples met online.

Researchers say dating sites offer singles a huge pool of partners, and are especially helpful for those who may have a hard time meeting people.

However, they warn no profile accurately describes a whole person — and people often stretch the truth on their age, weight or height — leading to disappointment later on.

The study also found sites that claim to use scientific algorithms to find compatible mates do not have better success rates than any other dating sites.

Relationship expert and founder of the matchmaking company “Two for Drinks” Natasha Shpiner share with HLN’s Vinnie Politan her list of do’s and don’ts for online dating. She points out that people stay online for years and often post misleading photos and stories about themselves. Online profiles doesn’t always represent who people really are.

Her number one tip for people dating online is to take time to get to know each other by getting offline. She also talks about how texting has changed dating, saying there’s a lot of miscommunication… when people text, real emotions can be lost. Natasha also says common sense and caution are great ways to navigate meeting someone online.

Published Thursday May 17, 2012

We are a nation of lonely hearts. Millions of Americans use social media to find companionship, and according to the Association of Psychological Science, online dating is now the second most common way people find one another. Introductions from friends and family are still the most popular methods for finding love, but online dating sites now surpass churches, fitness clubs and bars as meeting places for those seeking friendship or romance.

We hear countless success stories, and many dating sites consist primarily of nice people looking to meet other nice people. But these sites are, unfortunately, also infested with criminals looking to exploit the vulnerable.

The anonymity of the Internet makes dating sites easy places for con artists to find victims, especially with so many people opening their hearts and earnestly hoping to find someone to love. While there has been significan…………… continues on Omaha World-Herald

Within the next 11 months I eventually signed up for two free sites, Plenty of Fish and OKCupid. Plenty of Fish gave up on me early on, and sent me a message that basically said that there weren’t any fish who matched my criteria. I’ve not heard from that site since.

I’ve received similar messages from OKCupid and Match.com from time to time that have come pretty close to actually saying, “You’d have more matches if you weren’t so damn picky.”

I don’t take it personally. But I’m not willing to settle, either.

During my year of online dating, I exchanged emails with dozens of strangers and participated in about a half dozen phone calls. I actually met about eight…………… continues on Glenbrooke News

It’s been almost a year since I paid for a 6-month subscription to Match.com. At the time I also signed up for eHarmony, but my computer didn’t like the site’s graphics, so I ditched it within 24 hours and was left with just Match.com.

Within the next 11 months I eventually signed up for two free sites, Plenty of Fish and OKCupid. Plenty of Fish gave up on me early on, and sent me a message that basically said that there weren’t any fish who matched my criteria. I’ve not heard from that site since.

I’ve received similar messages from OKCupid and Match.com from time to time that have come pretty close to actually saying, “You’d have more matches if you weren’t so damn picky.”

I don’t take it personally. But I’m not willing to settle, either.

During my year of online dating, I exchanged emails with dozens of strangers and participated in about a half dozen phone calls. I actually met about eight guys in person (not simultaneously), yet only agreed to repeat dates with one guy, a really nice person from Fortuna… but he just was not the match for me.

I signed up for online dating despite knowing that I wasn’t really ready. I did it mainly as a distraction to get over the pain of my divorce from the man I was sure I’d grow old with.

My practical side said that even if I wasn’t truly ready to date, at least I could practice and get…………… continues on A News Cafe

TattCafe.com, a niche market dating website for the tattooed, pierced and body modified, recognizes the need to expand their market to include cigarette and cigar smokers.

Vancouver, BC (PRWEB) May 15, 2012

Founding partners at TattCafe.com Helen Siwak (avid non-smoker) and Vladimiros Xanthopoulos (smoker) know that no matter what your age, dating and relationships can be fantastic but at the same time, they can be very intense, confusing, and a minefield of decisions. Add to that societal opinions about body art and piercings, then add to that a smoking habit and you have someone who is more likely to strike out at online dating. Apparently the ‘tattoo lifestyle’ is not as permissive as many would think.

“Membership at TattCafe.com has been growing steadily over the past few months with singles in Canada and the US being the most interested in meeting others who are devoted to the lifestyle associated with body art and culture,” says Helen Siwak, president of TattCafe.com. “but feedback from members and the Twitterverse shows that singles, no matter how openminded…………… continues on Seattle Post Intelligencer

Wow, the column I wrote about Facebook on May 1 generated a lot of passionate response. I guess that is to be expected when you criticize a company with 900 million customers!

However, it looks like others — including Facebook’s top executives and its IPO investment-bank underwriters — somewhat share my skepticism. The company announced it will price its IPO somewhere in the $ 28 to $ 35 range, which is well-below the widely rumored/expected $ 40 a share.

Plus, that is well below the $ 44 a share Facebook traded at earlier this year on private-company stock exchanges, like SharesPost.

In addition, shares of online-game producer Zynga (ZNGA) got clobbered for a 10% loss after it disappointed Wall Street by reporting lower revenues per gaming customer.

What does Zynga have to do with Facebook?

Almost all of Zynga’s revenues come from Facebook, and it’s a significant revenue source for the social-media site as well — more than 11% of Facebook’s revenues come from Zynga — so any slowdown at Zynga is a major negative for Facebook.

The stars may not be…………… continues on Uncommon Wisdom Daily

Smokoo founder Thomas Pays has revealed that his next venture is AdoptHim, an online dating service that claims to empower women.

“Women get a lot of abuse on dating sites,” Pays told MyBroadband during a recent interview.

Most sites offer you the ability to block stalkers and perverts from contacting you, Pays said, but they don’t stop people from viewing your profile.

AdoptHim aims to put the woman in control of her profile as well as who is allowed to interact with her.

Rather than blocking the suitors that offend them, women inste…………… continues on MyBroadband

In a move that brings online dating full-circle, Match.com is launching a new service that will use its matching algorithms to fill offline events with compatible singles.

Within the next year, the company plans to host 2,000 to 3,000 events across 40 markets. The service will be named “The Stir.”

“We expect to send half a million people to events this year,” Match.com President Mandy Ginsberg tells Mashable. “I think we’ll be the biggest global events company in the world, with the exception of maybe the Olympics.”

Match will host two types of events: casual happy hours that paid subscribers can attend for free and more-involved excursions such as cooking classes or bowling nights that cost extra. The catch is that not everyone gets invited to every event. Rather, Match targets invitations based on age, gender balance and who — based on its algorithms — it thinks will hit it off.

While startup dating sites such as HowAboutWe and Grouper have carved niches within online dating by instigating interesting offline experiences, Match has until now focused more heavily on its matching algorithms, which are based on data collected throughout it…………… continues on Mashable

Does it seem to you like every other woman on a dating site thinks she’s Liz Lemon from 30 Rock? We get it: Liz is cute but awkward, successful yet imperfect, sexy yet self-deprecating. But no one is quite like her (no, not even Tina Fey) and if you say you totally are, then you’re just trying to be.

Love in Ladue is coming to the Ladue-Frontenac Patch this Wednesday. You definitely won’t want to miss the first chapter of this story. Sex in the City will have nothing on this Patch.

Online dating, does it really work? If so, which online dating site is best? Find the answers to these and other burning questions like, does anyone know where all the cute boys are? Love in Ladue…coming soon.

I had heard about okcupid.com from several people before I checked it out.  All dating sites have creepy old men surfing for younger women. They all have men who lie, like my ex-boyfriend of two years who said he was 5’9″ and divorced. The first lie I found out about on the first date of course, the second, oddly, after we broke up.  Most men lie about their age and body. I met a man who admitted — during the date after it was obvious to me — that he was forty pounds over the weight he was in his photos. Really? Really, men?

Years ago I had a guy who I had rejected stalk me to my local Trader Joe’s. That was super-creepy and took me out of the online dating world for a good long time. I recently had a man offer to come over and just suck my toes. That took me out for a few weeks. It happened to coincidentally, to be the same day I had three very heavy, much older, extremely conservative men email me. That day still makes my stomach turn.

But, what I love about okcupid.com is that they ask you to answer questions to reveal things about your beliefs, personality, and lifestyle. There are hundreds of questions to choose.  Never mind all the questions that are of a sexual nature. I obviously don’t answer those.  And, if you don’t answer them, you can’t see the men’s answers to the same qu…………… continues on The Morton Report

Love stylist and author of the dating book “Menu Dating: Taste Test Your Way to the Main Course”, Tristan Coopersmith was a guest on a recent episode of Planet Love Match® Radio and explained the realities of dating and where single women are currently failing. Planet Love Match Radio is sponsored by online dating website Planet Love Match® (http://www.planetlovematch.com).

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) May 11, 2012

On a recent episode of the weekly dating advice show Planet Love Match Radio, author and love stylist Tristan Coopersmith examined three of the most common mistakes single women make in their love lives. Coopersmith explained that the dating traps women fall into are: being unrealistic, sharing too much information too soon, and “fast-forward” dating.

Setting lofty, unrealistic goals has some single women feeling dating frustration. “I think the biggest mistake that women do in dating… and I blame Walt Disney for this, is lookin…………… continues on Seattle Post Intelligencer

Many people possess a dose of trepidation toward online dating. Some think that they are better than it. Others believe that the entire process is futile. Whilst there are those who believe that it’s an inorganic procedure and that they’ll find their future girlfriends and wives through more traditional means. Which of course means in the gutter of their favourite club as they grasp a kebab in one hand and call up a taxi in the other. I was one of these people.

However as my days as a singleton turned into weeks, then months and then years, I decided that it was time to swallow my pride and plunge head first into this new found phenomenon. However it was my housemate that needed to do the plunging for me.

Coming to the conclusion that I had suffered too many nights home alone in our house with just my XBox 360 console as a companion, he added me to mysinglefriend.com. For the uninitiated, mysinglefriend.com is an online dating website where your friend creates a profile of you which describes just how glorious, charming and witty you are, that you then compliment with a description of your own.

Of course, I resisted the ordeal at first. Declaring that I didn’t need online dating and that my one true love would be waiting for me just around the corner. He politely reminded me of my r…………… continues on Yahoo! Lifestyle UK

AWESOME SECRETS for MEN, Catch Your Online Match: on Match.com, Chemistry, PlentyofFish, eHarmony, Perfect Match, OkCupid, DateHookup, and ALL INTERNET DATING SITES
Here’s what MEN are saying… ***** WOMEN are contacting me FIRST!” ***** ***** “AWESOME!! FANTASTIC ADVICE!!” ***** ***…

From the Browser to the Bedroom: A Man’s Guide to Online Dating Success
Discover the secrets of online dating success! From selecting optimal dating sites and building an effective profile, to getting a…

Step aside, Chuck Woolery! There’s a new matchmaker in town — actually, two. The latest round of Spotify apps — Tastebuds.fm and Fellody — offer to help people find romance through music.

These are by no means the first apps to attempt to match lonely hearts based on their musical taste, which is as good an indicator of potential harmony as anything, and possibly a better one. If you’re beside yourself with excitement for the upcoming Godspeed You Black Emperor! tour, you probably don’t want to date a Rihanna-ceros.

All 12 New Spotify Apps Come From Record Labels

Both of these apps (screenshots below) help connect you with friends or lovers based on the artists you listen to the most and your playlists, gender, age, and location. We’ve been tracking Tastebuds.fm since last year, but Fellody is new to us. The official descriptions do a fine job of descr…………… continues on Billboard.biz

Chatwing users can now chat efficiently with the Facebook log-in option. This makes the Chatwing shout box an immediate solution to anyone’s communication needs. Chatwing is 100% free and very easy to use.

Portland, OR (PRWEB) May 10, 2012

Online dating communities are common nowadays because of the websites and blogs created for the premise of social connection. It is evident that many people are looking for activity partners, dates, and relationships online. Recently, Chatwing has launched an efficient chat widget that can help people find dates in online communities. Adding to that, a Facebook integration feature is also now available.

Through the Facebook integration feature, Chatwing users can now log in using their Facebook accounts. This makes information exchange easier, compared to other chat applications that don’t have Facebook or any social network integration. Some bloggers who used Chatwing have noticed that the chat box is still speedy, despite the fact that Facebook sometimes consume a lot of bandwidth. This simply means that Chatwing’s developers are constantly working to maintain the chat box’s efficient service.

Since Chatwing is a widget, it can also be installed to most blogs a…………… continues on Danbury News Times