Online dating websites have been around for a little while now, and there are many available for so many different demographics. There have been dating services with specific jobs, ages, and ethnicities in mind, and there have been plenty of more generalized services. At this point, the market almost seems a bit oversaturated, especially with the presence of apps like Tinder or Bumble. However, a new dating app, Hinge, is making its own unique impact on the market. One of the most exceptional parts of Hinge is the way it sets people up when they match. In conventional dating websites and apps, once you match with someone, one of you has to start up the conversation, hopefully by having some mutual interests in your bios that you can talk about. This can lead to some dry conversations. Hinge has amended this problem by giving you prompts to answer that other users can see, which can quickly give them a sense of your interests, personality, and sense of humor. Hinge also allows users to like certain parts of a profile when you view it, so if you really like someone’s favorite movie response, you can like that and have it as a bit of a talking point. To help you narrow down your search results more efficiently, Hinge has a system in place that lets you filter out anyone with certain qualities, called Dealbreakers. For example, if you really only wanted to find people on Hinge who described themselves as “Christian,” then you could set religion as a Dealbreaker. Once you set your religion as Christian, then the system will filter out anyone who doesn’t have the same response in that category. This is such a useful feature because with traditional dating apps and websites, you can only filter by so many things. You might waste your time going on a few dates with someone only to realize that they have a quality that you really don’t like. By using Hinge, you can avoid that problem and get better results. Hinge is free to use, but like many other dating services, allows you to access some premium features at a cost. The paid version doesn’t necessarily offer that much more than the free version, so it’s not like you’re at an extreme disadvantage by not paying. Premium members get access to more filters that you can apply and the ability to see who all likes their profile at the same time. via Lifestyle Blog for Busy Professionals - Feed http://www.professionalslifestyle.com/online-dating-site-hinge/
0 Comments
It’s not uncommon for people to see someone out in public and find them attractive, thinking that maybe one day they’d like to go out on a date with them. However, due to a variety of social stigmas and norms, you would almost never approach a random stranger to ask them out on a date. Even if you did, the most likely response you’d get is a resounding no. Happn is using moments like this to create the basis for their new online dating app. Typical online dating apps, such as Tinder or Bumble, have you matching with other users in a very general range that you set yourself. The person you match with might be one mile away, or they might be 20 miles away. Either way, you then have to go meet in person somewhere, with one of you possibly having to drive a bit of distance. Happn uses a preset, very small range of distance for your matches. The way Happn shows you results is by people that you’ve been in about the same place with already. From there you can like their profile, and if the likes are mutual, then you match, which allows you to talk to one another. For example, if you and someone else using Happn went separately to a coffee shop, you’ll likely appear in one another’s search results. Happn also shows you about when and where you met, so you have some idea of where you might know this person from. Happn does not, however, reveal anything about where you are at that moment. This can come in very handy when you’re trying to set up a good first date with someone you meet on the app. If you both crossed paths at a restaurant, then you clearly both like that restaurant, giving you a good starting point to choose. You might even realize you briefly saw one another at that very location. Not only is that place an easy choice, but you’ll also both be somewhat comfortable there, having both been there already. Another feature of Happn is that by linking with your Facebook account, it shows if the two of you have any mutual friends. You might be able to get that friend to introduce the two of you, or maybe you’ll realize that you met each other at a party, both having been invited by that mutual friend. Either way, Happn is making online dating a lot easier for people. via Lifestyle Blog for Busy Professionals - Feed http://www.professionalslifestyle.com/online-dating-app-happn/ Over the past few decades, more and more people have found themselves coming out as gay or lesbian, and with that, it was initially difficult for them to find partners to date. However, with the advent of online dating, the gay community was soon able to find a place in which they could easily date without that awkward period of wondering if the person they’re trying to date is also homosexual. First, there are apps and websites that are made specifically for LGBT communities. Chappy, for example, is an app specifically for gay men, and is made by Bumble, a hugely successful dating app of its own. There’s no cost to use it, and it’s just as good quality as any other major dating app. HER is a very popular app for LGBT women, allowing for a wide variety of settings for genders, specific sexualities, and even updates on local LGBT events and news. HER is a great app for dating as well as building up a community of friends. One issue that some people have found with these apps is that they have lower number user bases than other dating apps. However, many of these companies have added settings over the years to make their apps more inclusive. Most popular dating apps today, even if they’re predominantly used by heterosexual people, have plenty of settings for LGBT people. Tinder, for example, is one of the most popular dating apps worldwide, and has settings that allow you to specify your gender and adjust your search results, whether you’re looking for men, women, or both. The advantage of this is that Tinder is already a massively popular service, so you may be more likely to find matches by using it. You can always use it in conjunction with some of the other apps named earlier. OkCupid is another website that has become increasingly popular among the LGBT community. In a similar fashion to Tinder, OkCupid has a wide variety of LGBT options and settings that you can use to find exactly who you’re looking for, whether you’re interested in dating or short flings. OkCupid uses matchmaking algorithms, which helps do the matching for you instead of you having to spend time swiping through profiles. By putting in specific parameters in your filters and profile, you can help guide the algorithms towards what kind of people you would like to be matched with. via Lifestyle Blog for Busy Professionals - Feed http://www.professionalslifestyle.com/online-dating-gay-apps/ Online dating options make it possible for the curvy, plus-sized crowd to have online dating success without facing the challenges that sometimes occur in a public setting. Online dating options have changed the way we date and how we view dating. Many seekers of love have found love, friendships and even hook-ups through sites that flaunt the curvy bodies rather than shame them. You may occasionally get a creepy person who shames your photo because you’re plus-sized, but it happens rarely. Now that photos accompany dating profiles, you can see exactly what you’re getting. Be honest and don’t post photos from years ago. That type of behavior can only end in disaster. Some great options for dating within the plus-sized crowd include BBWCupid. It’s a great option for those interested in serious dating and developing long-term relationships with those plus-sized singles out there. This premium, plus-size dating service is a part of the Cupid Media network that was established in 2005. It’s been around awhile, which can only mean that it’s committed to service and finding the perfect match for you. WooPlus is another dating service that is women-friendly and offers pretty much the same environment where users can chat, post pictures and become more familiar before the first person-to-person date. When you decide on a plus-size dating site to try, be honest and post honest photos. Don’t try to second-guess the photos you’ve chosen. Ignoring that inner-dialog and going with your gut feelings makes you stronger and more confident. Take risks, such as asking the guy out if you’re a woman rather than waiting for him to make the first move. Online dating sites for plus sizes can help you get rid of that fear of rejection that may have kept you on the sidelines. On any type of dating site, you may find those who are just plain evil. Know that there is a big difference in someone who admires and loves your body and another who has a fetish about plus sizes. If the so-called match makes out of line comments about your size and constantly encourages you to eat more and gain weight in an unhealthy manner, it’s likely that the person is a no-go. Most dating sites have safety options that make it more difficult to engage in unwarranted activities such as body-shaming. When searching for a dating site to fit your needs, look for one that features these options and you feel comfortable using. Online dating has changed the lives of many who have previously feared putting themselves out there for everyone to see. Getting to know a person is much preferable than going by looks alone. via Lifestyle Blog for Busy Professionals - Feed http://www.professionalslifestyle.com/online-dating-options-for-the-curvy-plus-sized-crowd/ It had to happen sooner or later – dating apps that help to connect those who love dogs and consider them a very important part of the family. Now, there are several dog-lover dating apps and they’re becoming extremely popular. Dig is one of the dog lover apps that are making an online impact in the way we meet people and form relationships. It’s rare that a relationship can work if your dog and the person-of-interest don’t mesh. That’s where Dig comes in. Dig’s founders, Casey and Leigh Isaacson realized a need for people to connect based on what’s truly important to them – their canine companions. The Dig dating app helps to connect those who want to find a relationship based on having dogs now or in the future. The site will help you set up dog-friendly dates and zero in on places to meet and have fun with your furry friends. The Dig app makes it easy to set up a profile for you and your dog and helps you narrow down the choices based on the size and personality of your pet. Dig has been dubbed as the dog person’s dating appl. Another popular dog-lover dating app is Tindog – based on the Tinder app, but it’s an app that focuses on people with dogs. It works similarly. You can swipe one way on the profile photo if you’re interested and the other way if you’re not. Sniffr is a great app if you’re only interested in the casual side of the dating world. Although the app was designed to help you find your perfect dog-loving companion, you don’t have to swipe one way or the other to make a possible connection. Rather, Sniffr informs you of dog events in your area, plus dog lovers and lonely dogs and their owners who are looking for socializing and companionship. One great feature of Sniffr is if your dog is stolen or lost, you can alert the Sniffr members to be on alert. If you think of your pet as part of the package – date you, date your pet too – you may want to try the dating app, Date My Pet. The tagline for the site is Date me, date my pet because most people consider their pets as a package deal. Date My Pet offers many options to dating with a canine companion. There’s a comprehensive desktop version of the app if you’re sick and tired of swiping one way or the other as other apps require. There’s also a great spam detector that helps cull out the virtual traps that lurk at every online turn. If you’d like to find someone you can relate to about the dog in your life and explore a relationship with, try one of the dog-lover dating apps. via Lifestyle Blog for Busy Professionals - Feed http://www.professionalslifestyle.com/dating-apps-for-dog-lovers/ Dating apps are popular in every state – and becoming even more so. The successful use of a dating app doesn’t always come from choosing the most popular over all, but one that suits you. That means considering it all – your personality, roots and where you’re from. A dating app should provide a successful outcome to your dating efforts, not just a waste of time on the internet. You may not have thought about taking into consideration the state in which you live, but it’s becoming a trend that is worth looking at. The ranking of dating apps varies in each state. For example, in one sampling by a marketing company, Match rated number one in 11 states, with Tinder a close second. But, Tinder came in number one in six states, while other states varied in their results. California – a state that is proud of being different – loves the site, Coffee Meets Bagel. This app only provides matches once per day, so you’ve got time for other pursuits such as playing volleyball on the beach. Another sunny state, Hawaii, also loves Coffee Meets Bagel. So you get the feeling that people in the sunshine states have much more to do than swiping their lives away. Huggle is another dating app based on location and is most popular in Florida. Huggle specializes in matching you with others in your area, making it easy to meet and have something in common. In the conservative state of Kansas, EliteSingles came in first with its focus on refined relationships between professionals. One surprise in the dating app study was Texas. HER, the dating app that’s extremely popular among lesbians came in number one – surely a shock to many in the Lone Star State. Then, there’s the state of Nebraska – known for their negative attitude toward just about everything, the Hater dating app was the most popular. This app connects you with others who have a distinct dislike for the same things as you. Gays in Nevada caused Grindr to go over the top in dating app ratings. Match went over the top in New York and Illinois and Hinge is top choice in Massachusetts. Some results were expected and some were complete shocks to those conducting the survey. Choosing a dating app based on the popularity in your state isn’t the best way to choose which is best for you, but it’s interesting to see the variety and helps you understand what’s happening in your state. Clearly, there are dating apps for everyone. To find the right dating app with you, read and research all you can about what the app offers and decide if it’s a good fit for you and your lifestyle. via Lifestyle Blog for Busy Professionals - Feed http://www.professionalslifestyle.com/popular-dating-apps-by-state/ The world of online dating is extremely vast. There are tons of different websites and apps that you can choose from, each with their own unique communities and each somewhat different in the way they work. This can make it a bit difficult to start, because you might not be sure which one is right for you. However, you don’t have to stick to just one, and you can start out in a few of the most popular ones to have the best chance of finding your match. One of the most popular dating services is eHarmony. eHarmony takes in certain information about you, and depending on that information, it matches you with people who you’re likely to have a successful relationship with. eHarmony is certainly more centered around long term relationships as opposed to hookups, because it focuses on things like personality traits and interests. However, one of the downsides of this service is that it does charge a subscription fee. One of eHarmony’s unique features is that it also allows you to narrow your results by certain qualities. For example, you can choose results based on gender, age, and even ethnicity. eHarmony offers various specialized dating services based around ethnicity and religion, including Christian dating, Jewish dating, Asian dating, and Hispanic dating. It also allows you to stick to your local area, whether that be your city, state, or country. Match is another popular service that’s very similar to eHarmony in many aspects. It’s also a matchmaking service, so you’re essentially matched with people based on things like common interests, proximity, personality, and more. One of the options that sets Match apart, however, is that you can continue to finely tune your matches by rating them after you see them. This helps the service to get a better understanding of your preferences, allowing you to get better results. Finally, there’s OkCupid. OkCupid is also a matchmaking site, but it’s different from the previous two for a few reasons. First and foremost, it’s free. This is a pretty big factor for some people who don’t want to pay a monthly subscription to find a partner. It asks you similar questions to eHarmony and Match to get a good idea of who you are and what you’re looking for. However, OkCupid isn’t limited to just dating. It also allows you to use it to find friends or to network in business. via Lifestyle Blog for Busy Professionals - Feed http://www.professionalslifestyle.com/best-online-dating-communities/ You shouldn’t bother to create an online dating profile if you don’t intend to visit it on a regular basis. A potential match who approaches you online won’t wait around forever to see if you’re going to be responsive. There may be someone out there waiting for a response to a conversation or question. You may also need to update information about yourself periodically. Maybe you’ve just graduated from college or got a new puppy. That’s information that people enjoy reading about and that could foster a response from someone reading your profile. There are also new matches that you might be interested in. It only takes a minute to check it out. It’s especially important to check in to your dating site periodically if you’re new to online dating and need to become familiar with the ins and outs. You’ll want to become comfortable with someone before you actually agree to meet. Keeping up an online conversation with a person of interest is imperative – and you can’t have long periods of non-communication and still feel comfortable. That doesn’t mean you have to stalk the person online, but do have ongoing conversations. Conversing online is much less intimidating than meeting for a date before you hardly know someone. Just the extra small details you learn about the person during online conversations can make you feel more comfortable when you actually do meet. Many of us have such busy work and family lives that it’s difficult to make time to date. Getting to know a person online is something you can do in your own time without taking away time from other obligations. Then, when you do finally meet, the relationship has likely already progressed beyond just the mundane. The only way you can keep that flow going strong is to check your dating profile on a regular basis to see what might be happening. You don’t have to waste your time going out to meet people when you clearly see online that the results will likely be a no-go. You can be much more particular in who you spend your time with – narrowing down the options before you make a decision. One huge benefit of visiting your online dating profile on a regular basis is to discover things about the dating site. As you become familiar with the bells and whistles it offers, you may decide that it’s not for you or that it’s the perfect setup. Getting to know someone takes effort, whether it’s online or in person. You can’t simply ignore a person you’re interested in and expect for some miraculous connection to happen. Visit your online dating profile on a regular basis to make it work. via Lifestyle Blog for Busy Professionals - Feed http://www.professionalslifestyle.com/online-dating-profile-ideas/ Experts claim that it takes barely a tenth of a second for a person to make an impression after looking at another person’s face. It doesn’t seem to matter how long a person looks at the face – the first impression is the one that’s likely to stick. That makes the photo(s) you place on an online dating site very important – maybe even more important than what you make up as your profile. There are a few dos and don’ts you’ll want to consider before you make a decision on which photo(s) to use. First, you’ll want to consider the amount of photos you place on the site. You’ll need more than one, but fewer than a dozen to make the most impact. If you only post one photo, you’ll seem uninteresting. Too many makes you seem over-eager. You’ll want to mix the photos between full body, action and portrait style so the person viewing them can make a more accurate assessment of what you’re all about. A variety of photos where you’re dressed in varied outfits and poses is good for dating sites. Make sure the photos are recent. Photos that portray you five or more years ago might be considered lying – especially if you’ve changed quite a bit. Your potential date won’t be too happy if you portray yourself as someone younger, thinner or shapely. Red is the color in photos that works best for women. Men fare well wearing black or dark blue colors. Always avoid loud patterns such as Hawaiian shirts and include photos where you’re dressed up as well as casual. If you have a pet(s) that you’re particularly attached to, include them in the photo. Statistics show that including photos of yourself with a pet can actually attract people and make them feel more comfortable to approach you. Don’t worry if you don’t have an animal photo. It’s not a make or break issue, but it is another positive way that photos can make a difference in your dating profile. Including at least one photo of yourself with family or friends can also make a positive impact. Photoshop can be fun to use in profile pics, especially if you tend to take photos that make you appear standoffish or downcast. If you do edit your photos, keep it to a minimum. When choosing photos for your dating profile, choose only ones that are focused and clear rather than blurry or far away shots. Select photos for your dating site as carefully as you write your profile. Really serious users of dating sites should engage the services of a professional photographer. It can take your dating profile to the next level and render many more responses than sloppily made photos that might present you in a bad light. Consider your online dating photos like you would an audition. They will play a vital role in finding a person who truly connects with you. They can mean the difference in a potential partner skipping your profile or delving into it. via Lifestyle Blog for Busy Professionals - Feed http://www.professionalslifestyle.com/photo-for-online-dating/ Digital dating is often thought of as something more for younger audiences. With the most popular services, Tinder and Bumble, often appealing to millennials and young adults, it’s understandable to think this at first. However, the more you get into online dating, the more you might realize that there’s a website or app for just about every demographic, and that includes middle aged to older people. Many dating websites and services today either are fully dedicated to or have options that appeal to older audiences. The people running these companies understand that college aged people aren’t the only ones out there trying to date, but rather all ages of adults are. That being said, the first thing you’ll want to determine is whether you want to use a dedicated older dating website or a generalized dating service. When it comes to dating sites that are specifically for those 40 and older, OurTime has emerged as one of the most popular. It’s free to use, though there are upgraded memberships available with additional features. OurTime has become so popular because it’s able to focus on the audience that it’s trying to appeal to (meaning it’s able to help you find people based on your interests in particular). Another popular service is SilverSingles. SilverSingles is a bit different from OurTime in that it’s a matchmaking service. While OurTime has you go through profiles individually to like or dislike the accounts, SilverSingles sets you up with other profiles that it thinks will make a good match. It does this by using a computer based algorithm combined with the information about yourself that you give it. When you sign up, you take a basic quiz that determines your personality, interests, what you’re looking for in a relationship, and more. Then the system matches those answers with other profiles that have done the same. If you’re not exactly keen on using dedicated over-40 dating sites, many modern dating apps and websites have options that you can use to adjust your age and the age of people you’re looking for. For example, Tinder, one of the most popular general dating apps, allows you to adjust search results in the settings for distance, gender, and even age. It allows an age range from 18 to 55+, so no matter how old you are or how old of a partner you’re looking for, you’ll be able to find someone. via Lifestyle Blog for Busy Professionals - Feed http://www.professionalslifestyle.com/best-online-dating-sites-for-over-40/ |