Sydney Morning Herald, Australia - 20 hours ago... We wish we'd thought of it first. In an unusual bid to boost its circulation, The Daily Telegraph has started a sideline in matchmaking. ... Read more...
by David Steele Like a deer in headlights, I've been watching the TV reality series "The Bachelor" with a combination of horror and fascination. MY HORROR: Shopping for a life partner on TV, the "un-reality" of dating on camera, proposing marriage after 6 weeks, millions of impressionable viewers thinking that this is how it's supposed to be done! MY FASCINATION: Gosh, it's actually a very "conscious" process! In this season's final episode, my family and I cheered when millionaire winemaker and Firestone Tire heir Andrew chose girl-next-door Jen (I'm still grieving for Aaron rejecting the incredible Gwen to choose Helene, then breaking up with her soon after- the cad!). We were SO relieved Andrew didn't choose finalist Kirsten, as she didn't appear to be ready and available for a committed relationship (unfinished with old boyfriend), appeared motivated for the wrong reasons (..."ambitious" for what? How transparent!), and did not appear compatible with his lifestyle and requirements (his family had to reinforce to her that they "work hard"). Then, in the follow-up show that interviewed them a few months later, I was impressed that Jen was going to move to her own apartment in San Francisco, and she and Andrew would "date" for awhile and let their relationship evolve naturally. You GO girl! During this show, it struck me how their process paralleled our "Four Critical Skills for Singles;" "Scouting," "Sorting," "Screening," and "Testing." As a reminder: • "Scouting" is the process of finding potential partners to meet • "Sorting" is the process of quickly determining if there is enough in common to pursue a potential relationship • "Screening" is the process of collecting enough information to know if your requirements would be met • "Testing" is the process of testing out chemistry, compatibility, and the information you received to gain experience and knowledge of the relationship's long-term potential before entering a pre-committed relationship. Not that I recommend going on a "reality" show to find your Life Partner, but let's look at some parallels: SCOUTING: Based upon their knowledge of The Bachelor's requirements, the show's producers scout the country for likely candidates (now THIS part I like!). SORTING: Applicants submit videotapes and audition in person. SCREENING: The producers screen the applicants down to 25, and the screening is continued by The Bachelor when the show starts by hanging out and having conversations with the women and eliminating some each week. TESTING: The Bachelor and his chosen finalists go on individual dates, meet each other's families, agonizing and comparing to winnow the candidates down to the one who will get the proposal. While I question finding a Life Partner in this manner and committing to marriage after 6 weeks, Andrew and Jen found each other, have wisely backed up a little to the "pre-commitment" stage, are happy, and are now following their own path. Good for them! CONCLUSION: Reflecting on "The Bachelor" and similar shows, and their mixed results for participants, I'm reminded that: 1. The process of dating and mating is different for everyone; there is no absolute right or wrong 2. Finding your Life Partner is not always a linear process 3. Finding and having relationships can be very challenging, 4. Relationships are worth the risk 5. Dating can have surprising outcomes (positive and negative) 6. Dating is best approached by being CONSCIOUS! David Steele's new book Conscious Dating; Finding the Love of Your Life in Today's World is the culmination of 25 years of experience in helping thousands of singles and couples get what they want from a relationship.
Provided By: Self Help and Motivational
PR Web (press release), WA - 32 minutes agoPlusPersonals.com has announced the launch of a new online dating network: www.pluspersonals.com. PlusPersonals.com is designed ... Read more...
by Jeff Lakie People in long-term relationships, whether they are married or dating, often complain about getting into a rut. Your relationship may have started off with the great burst of passion and excitement but perhaps it began to wane because life is busy and work can where you out by the end of the day. If you're in a dating relationship that seems to be in a rut, or wonder why you can't keep a long term relationship exciting anymore, perhaps you need to go back to the beginning. That doesn't mean you need to break up with your current partner and find someone new, it means you need to refresh the relationship with exciting and spontaneous activities. When you look back on a period of your life, what is it that you remember? Is it the average day-in, day-out activities? Not likely. It is more likely those fun and spur-of-the-moment times when you did things that were hilarious or scary or new. That's what it means to go back to the beginning of a relationship, when everything you do is spontaneous and new. Next time you and your girlfriend or boyfriend are deciding to do something on Friday, don't settle for dinner-and-a-movie. Do something different! Here are some ideas: Play paintball Rent a classic car Go skydiving Have a picnic Or surprise your date with something spontaneous: Start a water fight Go for a romantic boat ride and tip the boat Blindfold your date and take them somewhere they never been Surprise your date at work just as they're finishing up for the day Relationships fail for many reasons. One of the saddest reasons is that people simply drift apart because the other person doesn't excite them anymore. It doesn't have to be that you're your relationship, whether dating or married, can thrive when it is filled with adventures that the two of you share as you build memories together. You'll look back on your time together with fondness as you consider the many fun and spontaneous things you did together. But doing those things is a choice. Choose to return to the beginning of your relationship and have fun again! Jeff Lakie is the founder of www.my-adult-dating.info and www.my-personal-ads.info websites providing information on Dating
Provided By: Other Stuff
by Giuseppe Notte Be honest. It has happened to all of us. There was this girl... A girl you might have never even talked to... But still... You couldn't help but think about her all day... And the more you thought about her, the less courage you had to go up to her and invite her for a get-together. The above situation repeats itself from time to time. Back in high school with the girl who went one class below you, at university with that wonderful woman who always sat in the second row or later with the lady who works at the room next to yours. And the damn feeling, this one-sided "love" keeps reappearing and making your life a misery. The more you idolize these girls, the further they go from your reality, and being with them one day in the future becomes nothing more than a mere fantasy. Lesson #1: In a relationship but more importantly, when going out for the first time with somebody, it's always the person with less emotional involvement who dictates and chooses. This means if you go out with a girl, and you let your happiness depend on how the date goes, you are ruining your chances before you had any. The more you stress yourself about a certain girl, the more emotionally involved you become and as a result, you are almost GUARANTEED to get rejected. Lesson #2: Girls like to look up to their men for something. If you ask some girls who are in love with their partners, they will always adore him for something in his personality. It doesn't matter why, but a woman has to look up to her man. If you idolize a girl and put her on a pedestal, she will sense it instantly. She will feel that SHE IS THE ONE IN CONTROL. As soon as this happens, you are NOT A CHALLENGE for her anymore. The result? You get rejected. Lesson #3: When you have to work hard for your chocolate, it will always taste sweeter. If you walk into the supermarket and choose one from the huge collection of sweets, there is no challenge in it. But when you have to work hard to get that "one special" chocolate... Now that's a CHALLENGE! It's the same with women. If you are not that easy to get, if she senses that you might leave (and don't come back) in any moment, she will be challenged and likely to become attracted to you. Have you ever seen 8 guys drooling over the same woman, fighting for her attention? Which one of them do you think has got the girl? The 9 th, who was watching from a distance while showing no interest towards her. The girl thought: "Why doesn't he come here like all the other guys? Doesn't he like me? I must find out why..." In the end, it was the girl who approached the guy and wanted something from him. Now that's the POWER OF CHALLENGE and CURIOSITY. Never underestimate it! When you think you "love" a girl you have never even talked to, you keep going round and round in a vicious circle. You keep playing with the thought of being with this "one special girl" in various situations. This projection of pictures in your mind creates a lot of energy. This energy wants to explode and unless it can do so (by being with the girl you dream about) it will create a lot of stress and tension inside you. It's an endless loop. If you try to ignore the feeling with force, it will reappear and become even stronger. Realize that this is not "real love"; it's just a form of LUST TO POSSESS. You don't even know this girl; you are just driving yourself around in this circle. The solution? First, admit this feeling to yourself, then carry on with your life. Don't ignore it; just notice that it's inside and you can't do anything about it. Try to watch yourself from "the outside", from a neutral point of view. And the second step is to focus your energy on something else. Like going out and meeting other women. As soon as you kiss or get closer to another girl, this "one special lady" will be of less importance to you. Lastly, there is a secret. Even the biggest badass players get this feeling from time to time. They just learn to deal with it, and thanks to their skills, it's easier for them to get other women and focus on them instead. You can do yourself two big favors. First, learn to get over your fear and approach the woman you are longing for. That way even if you get rejected, it happens sooner and you haven't wasted weeks or months from your life. The second is to learn how to get women. Not only for knowing how to deal with this girl, but with that skill, it will also be easier to heal your wounds and get over her. I teach both of these in a book I've written. It's an e-book called "All About Women: The Encyclopedia Of Seduction". Apart from the above, I cover each step of the seduction process, from A to the Z. From understanding the way women think, to learning to be a Man who attracts girls with his presence, approaching women the right way, secrets of making your dates successful and effective, improving your sexual life and a lot, lot more... Whether you are ugly, bald, young, old or broke, the techniques I teach will work for you like charm! Giuseppe Notte has created "All About Women", the *ultimate* guide on turning YOU, the average guy into a sex-magnet who gets the most beautiful girls - whether you are fat, ugly, bald, young or broke! www.Seduction-and-Dating.com
Provided By: Self Help and Motivational
PR Web (press release), WA - 7 hours ago... About.com Dating Guide put Jaci's book, Winning Points With The Woman In Your Life One Touchdown At A Time in the top six of all time dating / relationship ... Read more...
by David Steele To celebrate the first printing this month of Conscious Dating: Finding the Love of Your Life in Today's World, I ask your indulgence as I share some of the journey that brought this book from idea to reality eight years later. In 1997 I was a Marriage and Family Therapist in private practice burning out on working with couples on the verge of divorce. I discovered the emerging field of personal/life coaching and became excited about applying coaching to relationships. In trying to figure out how to do this I had an epiphany- SINGLES BECOME COUPLES! In my twenty years as a therapist on a mission to lower the divorce rate, it had never occurred to me to work with singles. I knew very little about how singles could successfully find their life partner, so I started reading all the self-help books I could find on the subject. I was appalled at how much bad and misguided advice for singles that I found. It seemed that most books for singles were written by lay people (non-relationship professionals) that narrowly focused on "hooking up" (how to flirt, how to "get" a man, etc) and had little to offer about how singles could find and have a successful, sustainable, and fulfilling relationship. So, I scratched my head, sat down with a legal pad, and asked myself "What do singles need to know and do to find their life partner?" Starting literally from a blank slate, drawing upon my own life, my training as a therapist and coach, and my years of experience specializing in relationships, I started mapping out some disconnected concepts and ideas such as: • Need to start with a Vision • Must be clear about life purpose • Make relationship choices aligned with Requirements, Needs, and Wants • Dating Traps- ways that singles set themselves up for failure • Attraction Venues- the people you meet depends upon where you meet them • Need a Relationship Plan- "when you fail to plan, you plan to fail" • Need to be self-aware, conscious, and informed about relationships • Four steps to finding your life partner- scouting, sorting, screening, and testing • More than one kind of dating relationship- recreational, committed, "mini-marriage" Whew! My creative juices were flowing, and before I knew it I had written a transcript and went to a recording studio to create a cassette tape to promote my relationship coaching- Finding the Love of Your Life and the Life That You Love. I gave this tape to everyone that came to my weekly singles events (conducted with my new business partner Marvin Cohen), and was astounded by their feedback. They loved it! I heard comments such as "This tape saved my life!" Wow... I figured I was on to something. Many of the concepts and ideas resonated strongly with singles, such as dating traps, requirements, and such, but the one that seemed get the most response was "Be The Chooser." Right then, I knew I had to turn this stuff into a book. How? The prospect was scary- I'd written and published many articles, but I'd never written a book before. So many pages! Then I thought, "Well, a book is not going to lower the divorce rate by itself. Singles really need coaching and support to make effective choices." Then I had a blasphemous thought for a budding author- "If you could 'get it' from a book, the world's problems would be solved!" So I rationalized that I didn't need to write a book, and instead used these concepts and ideas to create a "Relationship Success Training for Singles" (RESTS) and started offering classes, workshops, and individual coaching using this step-by-step program. Other professionals liked what I was doing and I got the idea to train and license them to use this program, which led to Relationship Coaching Institute (RCI). As I trained more and more of my colleagues in using the RESTS program with singles, and Marvin and I continued our work with singles locally, I received lots of feedback and ideas for refinement. After working with the original RESTS program for a couple of years, Marvin and I collaborated on a revised edition (which earned him co-author credit) and then again a few years later yet another revised edition. My master plan was to make relationship coaching as ubiquitous as McDonald's by training and licensing my fellow therapists and coaches all over the world through Relationship Coaching Institute. But it became clear that if I really wanted to lower the divorce rate, a book would reach more people than I was able. Overwhelmed at the idea of putting all these ideas into a coherent book, I asked around for referrals and hired Cindy Barrilleaux and Garry Cooper to help me put together a book proposal, which ended up being a two year project due to my juggling my practice, RCI, and other projects, such as a side trip into helping RCI coaches build successful practices by developing two practice building programs and writing two books on practice-building. Then, I needed to find an agent. Again, with juggling my commitments, this ended up being a two year process. My initial excitement about finally landing a high-powered New York agent fizzled out quickly when the agent stopped returning my calls after the book was rejected by ten publishers. The feedback from the publishers was mostly complimentary about the content of the book, but pessimistic about its prospects in a marketplace "saturated" by other books for singles. I knew this book was different and needed, but they didn't get it, and my agent apparently gave up trying, so I let her go and decided to self-publish. So, about half the book was written in the form of the book proposal, and I needed to buckle down and write the other half. I had high ambitions for this book to be a best seller and wanted it to be fun and enjoyable to read as well as informative. After reading "One Minute Millionaire" and getting caught up in the story that illustrated the concepts, I decided to include stories of real singles that have used the RESTS program to help them find their life partner. However, I knew my limits- I was not a story-writer! After reviewing more than 50 applicants (lots of hungry writers out there!) and interviewing ten finalists, I hired Rachel Sarah. Rachel and I worked together for (yet again!) two years. First finding and interviewing singles who graduated the RESTS program, then working through all 16 chapters one at a time to weave the stories throughout the book and flesh out the content of each chapter. We developed a routine where she would interview me and write a draft, then I would edit her draft and add to it until I was satisfied with the chapter, then move to the next chapter. In addition to doing a great job writing up the stories of the singles we chose to feature in the book, Rachel was great in helping me to continue forward momentum while I was (still!) juggling all my other commitments. To sum up, here is an approximate timeline- 1997-Present: Design and test concepts with Marvin Cohen and RCI coaches 1999-2000: Write proposal with Cindy Barrilleaux and Garry Cooper 2001-2002: Get agent, crash and burn, decide to self-publish 2003-2005: Finish writing with Rachel Sarah, get self-publishing guidance (Jim Donovan), hire editor (Melanie Rigney) and designers (Cathi Stevenson and Judi Lake), decide upon printer and fulfillment house (Fidlar-Doubleday) and publish! As you can see, it's been a long journey and I've had lots of help. How did this book write itself? Well, I did put a lot of writing and work into this book project, but it seemed to write itself because- 1. I had the help and support of talented people who believed in this book project 2. My passion and commitment to this project provided plenty of energy and motivation 3. Through RCI I had solid experience with singles testing the ideas in the book, and training/collaborating with many other professionals It seemed like I was more of a sculptor chipping away to allow the book to take its own shape, rather than an author writing a book from scratch or a painter starting with a blank canvas. So this month, October 2005, I'm celebrating the completion of an eight-year journey, grateful to be blessed with this mission, hopeful this book will make a significant contribution in helping singles find their life partner and lower the divorce rate; and as I work with my publicist Penny Sansevieri, I'm very aware that my commitment to the success of this book is just beginning. And you know what? It's a good book! I enjoy reading it, especially the stories, which really bring the material to life. I'm not too macho to admit that I get choked up every time I read the way the stories end in the epilogue. It's especially poignant for me because I know these singles having interviewed them, and it feels wonderful that the strategies in this book really made a difference in helping them finding their life partner and live a fulfilling life. It's not often in the helping profession that we get to learn the results of our work a year or more later, and to really know that our support actually had a successful outcome down the road for our clients. Enjoy the book! David Steele, MA, is the founder of the Relationship Coaching Institute and a pioneer in working with singles. He has trained hundreds of coaches and therapists and helped thousands of singles and couples get what they want from relationships. Steele, a family therapist, spent over 25 years trying to mend marriages, while trying to make his own relationships work. His new book, Conscious Dating; Finding the Love of Your Life in Today’s World (RCN Press Feb 2006), teaches readers precisely how to get what they want in their own life. You can visit his web site at: http://www.consciousdating.com/ David Steele, MA, has helped thousands of singles and couples get what they want from relationships. For an excerpt of his book, visit his www.consciousdating.com Website. Provided By: Writing and Speaking
Los Angeles Times, CA - 16 hours agoWho's to blame when an adoption fails In this case, a greedy matchmaker eager for a quick `sale.'. By Jamie Court. The clerk swept ... Read more...
by Chris M Dating Advice - One cannot take too much effort in preparing a profile. It is something that should be viewed in all seriousness. Please do not treat the subject lightly. Imagine that you are preparing for a job; won’t you spend a lot of time getting your resume ready? Well, most of us take up jobs for how long, four or five years? And how about a relationship, definitely we do not embark on a relationship with the expectation that it would last for just a couple of years. We have to understand that a relationship is really worth much more than a job, because it is probably the most important decision in your life. So now let us discuss ways in which you can spruce up your profile. You can of course get a professional to do the job for you since it saves you the effort. You may have to dish out a small amount of course, but it could be worth it. There are many people who have qualms about including a picture in the profile. Well, I don’t want to press the issue. It certainly does look better to have a picture in your profile, but due to privacy issues you can refrain from including a picture. The best thing you could do is once you are comfortable chatting with a person and are convinced that this person does not have any devious intentions, you could send your picture over as an attachment or a file. But this, too, is best done a mutual exchange basis. It would be unfair if you know what the other person looks like but the other person is kept in the dark and vice versa. Dating Advice - The Face In The Mirror Now, coming to the picture as such, if you are sending over a picture of yourself, for heavens sake, send over a decent picture. It should be a recent one and please do not make any compromises about the quality. Get a professional to do the job for you and with the digital techniques of today, they can do a very impressive job. At the same time do work on your expression before the photograph is taken. Stand in front of your mirror and try out various expressions till you get something that you think is the best for you. And remember that it has to be a picture of you smiling. You should not have the classic hang dog expression, or the “butter-will-not-melt-in-my-mouth expression”. Smile, it costs you nothing and it really lights up a person’s face. Now, the first thing that you should do is take out a pencil and paper and write down the raw details about yourself. By raw details we are referring to things like you age, your height and your weight. This is the skeleton of which we are going to work on. And when we have added enough flesh and blood to this back bone, why even you will be impressed by your profile! But first let us steer clear of certain pit falls into which most people fall. Dating Advice - The Modesty Pitfall Most of us have been trained to be very modest. When it comes to saying something good about our selves we feel very queasy about blowing our own trumpet. Right, no body is asking you to do any trumpet blowing but facts have to be stated as facts. If you are a music lover and have a good voice too, I can’t see why you can’t put it down like that itself. Why can’t you declare simply without sounding very proud that you have good voice? A pointer that you could bear in mind would be to add something like, “My friends think that I sing rather well.” There now, you can’t feel too bad about something as simple as that. It is as good as saying “some people think that I sing well, but it is for you to decide whether I have a good voice or not.” Similar statements that you can work on and even add are given below. “Lots of people appreciate my cooking.” “I am no Rembrandt, but I enjoy painting.” “I like decorating, and many of my friends think that my tastes are not too bad.” So go ahead, if you really have a talent, you might as well as let others know about it, after all a talented person would any way like to be appreciated by a partner. While we are talking about modesty, there is one question that I want to address right now. It is something that all of us are familiar with. If you have chatted with a stranger with whom you are trying to build a rapport you must have been confronted with the question before. The question is “what do you look like?’ I have often wondered about the sense of this question. The best answers that I could come up with are “I look like a cross between an orangutan and a Tasmanian devil” or “I have my mothers teeth, my fathers nose, my uncle’s eyes and my roommates’ shoes.” But of course we cannot give such answers which funny though they might sound, might just rub the person in the wrong way. What the person actually means is, “are you good looking or not?” Dating Advice - A very tricky question indeed! How can you answer such a question with out sounding either super modest or extremely vain? The answer to that is not to tell them the answer directly. You can say something like: “I am as fresh as peppermint.” “I look like a bunch of fresh lilies.” “I have the appeal of a bowl of fresh fruit.” If the person still does not take the hint, then give them a detailed description of every inch and let he or she decide for himself or herself. Find Out How To Improve Your Dating By Visiting Dating Advice Forum
Provided By: Self Help and Motivational
by Jeff Lakie A lot has changed since the days of matchmaking and escorted evenings out. Dating in the 21st century has taken many turns, among these the emerging popularity of meeting partners online. Online dating has many benefits. The shy dater can open up and get to know a person without having to deal with first-date jitters that often come from fear of the unknown. By the time he or she meets the potential paramour, they have already established a comfort level that allows the date to flow much more smoothly. At the other end of the spectrum, social butterflies love online dating because of the number of fish in the sea. With so many people to choose from, booking several dates in a short amount of time is easy. Online dating allows you to be discreet, and it also enables you to be choosy. You choose partners based on common interests gleaned from dating profiles. This is an attractive alternative to approaching a potential mate in a bar going on looks alone. As the online dating community has grown, so too have the number of vendors willing to help you promote yourself. Professional writers and photographers offer services to assist you with your dating profile. They hawk services to help you attract more hits to your online profile, which obviously helps lead to more dating options. Dating websites vary. Some require a fee to enjoy certain benefits, such as the ability to post a picture or short video. Other dating sites offer free private e-mail accounts and access to thousands of profiles without paying a dime. When engaging in online dating, however, it is important to exercise caution. Remember that anyone with Internet access has access to these sites. It is virtually impossible for dating sites to weed out the bad seeds; the online dater must take care in setting up dates with strangers. When first meeting face-to-face, choose a public place. Don't divulge too much information until you have a good idea of the person's character. Be careful not to tell too much too soon. With a responsible attitude and an open mind, online dating can be fun, safe, and exciting. Jeff Lakie is the founder of www.my-free-personals.info and www.my-dating-services.info websites providing information on internet dating
Provided By: Other Stuff
WebProNews, KY - 17 hours ago... Our second favorite apes, next to a certain hysterical baboon with blushing posterior, are soon to have an online dating site to aid them in propagating their ... Read more...
GameSHOUT - 2 hours ago... David Carson, the co-CEO of Heavy stated, "Now, instead of watching 'The Bachelor,' you can be the bachelor, but unlike every other dating game out there, with ... Read more...
by Pradeep aggarwal Dating - How to WIN Love Love will build your heart with its dreamy songs and create a magical world for you to live in. How will you ensure that they whom you love so much will love you? How will you be certain of winning love? Undertake this visual. Enjoy this constant pleasure that it will bring you. And feel for yourself how wonderful your love life has become. You are in love with someone. You want that someone to love you too. What do you do? Simple! Visualize! Remember, love has everything to do with your heart and mind. If you can keep your heart healthy and in good relation with you, then you can have all the love you want. Picture your heart. You may visualize it like am actual biological heart, or it may even be a symbolic valentine heart. Go ahead and ask your heart about how it is feeling today. Is it feeling sad? Lonely? Disappointed? Understand the way it is feeling. Hear what it has to say to you. Then tell your heart that you are trying to make it feel better. What is the condition of your heart? Is it sad? Or is it youthful. Does it look healthy? Or is it torn or wounded? Is it wounded? Now repair your heart. You have all the tools required. If it is torn at places, stitch them. If it is wounded, then treat it's wound. When your heart looks healthy, fill it to the brim with light. Imagine the shining light flow into your heart and reach it's every nook and corner. Your heart is not only healthy now it even feels alive. Listen to your heartbeats? Make it feel good. Thank your heart for keeping you alive. Applaud its tireless performance. The more you thank your heart, the healthier it gets. Now that your heart is healthy and happy, you are now ready to win love. Picture the person you love or whom you desire the most. See the person clearly? How does she/he look? What color is the hair? What kind of clothes he/she is wearing? How tall is the person? Is there any gesture that is distinctively his/hers? Let the person appear in front of you. How far is the person? Bring him/her closer to at the most five feet away from you. Now, picture your healthy heart connected to his/her heart. You may use any material you like for connection. A rope, chain, satin ribbon - it can be just anything. It can be even imaginary. The goal is to connect love to love, so a sense of energy flows between you both. Once you have connected love, visualize yourself doing something loving to the person you love. Do anything that people who love each other does. Walk hand in hand, go for a dance, sit across for some ice cream, love each other, hug each other - you may even kiss each other. The more you visualize the person you love in the way described above, the stronger the love flows between you both. Until one day, you really embrace and kiss the person to say how much you love her/him. And if ever you feel that love is beginning to fade, go through the visualization again. Let LOVE live forever. Pradeep Aggarwal is the creator of dating tantra. The website teaches you the nuances of dating, relationship with tips and tricks for successful dating that will make your date a success. Visit for free 6-part mini course “Make My Love Beautiful”
Provided By: Family
Belleville News-Democrat, IL - 2 hours ago... a member of the legislature, invited fellow lawmakers to his home, and Elizabeth Todd Edwards hosted balls and tea parties as she played matchmaker for her ... Read more...
by April Masini If you’re like every other workingwoman (or man) who is dedicated and hard working, your commitment to work makes it nearly impossible to meet anyone outside of work. You're probably not just a nine to five worker - you're that successful someone who works extra hours and weekends, and is trying to get ahead to be successful. And you know what that makes you? Sexy! Both men and women are attracted to people who are confident, passionate and focused, with interests and areas of expertise. Who wouldn't be? Think about it-and there isn't an easier, simpler or more convenient place to meet them than at work. Date at Work - But Work at Dating Even though it's often advised against, dating people you work with makes practical sense - after all, we spend so much of our lives in the office, there's often no other way or time to meet anyone else. But you have to be extra smart about your choices, and take special precautions if you're going to venture into an office romance. Water Cooler Gossip The one overriding warning worth heeding--the one that should dictate all of your actions and words--is this: People talk. No matter how friendly your co-workers are, or how tight-lipped the object of your affection seems, secrets are almost always spilled, one way or another, whether accidentally or intentionally. Translation? Say nothing and do nothing that you do not want everyone else to know about. This means no chit-chat with the girls at the water cooler about his size or performance, and no pillow talk with him about how much you loathe your boss, and can’t wait to take over his or her job. There’s too much at stake, like your livelihood to take risks, and there’s too much to lose, like a potentially great love, not to give it a shot. The Rules About Dating Co-Workers 1. Don’t mix business and pleasure on company time. Agree to date out of work hours, but don’t turn a business lunch into a romantic lunch. 2. If you’re a supervisor or employer you must stay fair. Don’t give someone you’re dating better work or pay, and don’t punish someone you’re breaking up with by giving him or her worse work or pay. Otherwise, you may find yourself on the receiving end of a lawsuit. 3. Make sure he or she is actually single. If they’re not -- then keep personal remarks at work limited to sports, the weather and the kids. Don’t gripe or listen to gripes about a spouse. "I’m sorry, I’m not comfortable talking about your wife. I want to keep our relationship all business because I value us as co-workers," is all you need to say and do. 4. Don't Boast. Your co-worker boyfriend or girlfriend may look like Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie, and you may be so pumped up that you've got a hot date with the hottie -- but keep your feelings to yourself -- and your friends outside of work. Work gossip is inevitable, but you must practice good behavior by keeping the water cooler talk to work and the weather. 5. Don't Make Out At Work. Keep all affection outside of office parameters. It's okay to meet at the office, but don't smooch at the office. 6. Don't Have Love Spats At Work. If things weren't great the night before, don't bring your disappointment to your staff meetings -- no pun intended. You will have to practice wearing two hats -- even if you're mad, don't put the kabosh on their comments at the Monday morning meeting and act out your frustrations at work. 7. Do Put Rumors To Rest. If you hear gossip, don't fuel the fire by denying the truth. Everyone finds out that you're dating eventually. While you should not announce your relationship, you can say, "Yes, we're dating. We're both single adults and we’re working very hard to keep our social life separate from our work life." And smile. Both dating and working are natural parts of life, and it's natural to become attracted to people you work with. If you're both single and available, go for it! But be impeccable with your behavior and your work. You're going to be under more scrutiny in this relationship than you would be if you were dating someone you didn't work with. April Masini is the author of best selling books "Date Out Of Your League" and "Think & Date Like a Man", the critically acclaimed Ask April Advice column and www.AskApril.com online magazine. Interviewed for over 2300 national and international articles and opinion pieces, radio and television shows--April writes what Dear Abby will never print and what your shrink doesn't have the guts to tell you! Check out: www.askapril.com for more info.
Provided By: Women's World
Syracuse Post Standard, NY - 9 hours ago... Based on Thornton Wilder's "The Matchmaker," the show is fraught with schemes and mixed identities, all while searching for the special someone. ... Read more...
Montreal Gazette (subscription), Canada - 13 hours ago... Anyway Uma has an idea, which she revealed to the Daily Mirror, in England: "Wouldn't it be funny if there were a celebrity online dating service for all the ... Read more...
by Jeff Lakie People who have been dating for a long time can sometimes be bored of the same old routine. Spicing things up a little bit can make for a fun dating relationship, and taking the initiative to plan an unusual date will make you a hero in your date's eyes. Here are 5 ideas for unusual dates that won't soon be forgotten! 1. Purchase two disposable cameras and go to a large place, like the mall, a museum, the park, or even the library, and play tag. Try to snap pictures of the other person until both of your cameras are full. Drop the cameras off at a one hour photo center, go out for dinner, and pick up the photos when you're done and see who snapped more pictures of whom. 2. Call your date at work and tell him or her that you're going to have a scavenger hunt. Have them call you on their cell phone for clues, which you give, that lead them from place to place, as they buy cheese and wine and a loaf of French bread and a tablecloth. Then they can drive by your house, pick you up, and you can go to the park for a picnic. This is the beginning of a memorable date that doesn't even involve much work on your part! 3. Do good in the world by spending a Friday evening at a local soup kitchen. This date may not seem like it would be very fun, but you'll be surprised. Aside from building good memories, you will be helping the less fortunate. You will look back on this date with great fondness. 4. Rent a limousine for the afternoon. This is not as expensive as it sounds, since they are probably cheaper during the day anyway, and if you do this instead of eating at a fancy restaurant and going to movie, it may cost about the same. Go to a drive-through restaurant, run your errands, and maybe even go to a drive-in movie. Basically, you might do the same things you would normally do, but you'll be doing it in style! 5. Play tic-tac-toe… but test drive cars at the same time! Before your date, draw a tic-tac-toe grid and fill in the spaces with types of cars or colors of cars. Then each of you take turns going to a dealership and posing as an interested buyer with the other person tagging along for support. Once you take in a car for a test drive, you get to mark your "X" or "O" on your grid. Don't let the salesperson see! Keeping your dating life interesting and entertaining doesn't have to be expensive or hard work. All you need is some ingenuity and creativity and you'll be sure to have a great time. Jeff Lakie is the founder of www.my-free-dating-services.info and www.my-single-women.info websites providing information on Dating
Provided By: Women's World
Montclair Times, NJ - 18 hours ago... Jack s father, Sir Anthony Absolute (Richard Bourg), decides to play matchmaker with Lydia s aunt, the incomparable Mrs. Malaprop (Monique Fowler). ... Read more...
15rounds.com - 13 minutes ago... Caplan has graced boxing with his services as publicist, matchmaker, promoter, and ring announcer, not to mention being featured in about a dozen major motion ... Read more...
Corante, MA - 9 hours agoMiller Brewing Co.'s Foster's Lager is kicking off an online dating game the site is casting as a model for other marketer partnerships. ... Read more...
by Ian Basford Online dating is fun. You could meet new friends and expand your social circle. Better yet, you might find the match you've been looking for. If you haven’t tried online dating yet, here are eight simple guidelines for your success. 1. Start slow. Try searching on reputable online dating sites. You should look out for someone who is too good to be true on the first time. You should trust your instincts. 2. Protect yourself. You should not reveal your true identity until you feel comfortable about doing so. Do not instantly give your full name, contact numbers, home address, and other details where others can check your profile. Get a free email address, such as Yahoo or Hotmail, and use this until you feel confident enough to give your “real” email address. 3. Exercise common sense and caution. Practice caution in easily trusting other people. Use common sense in making decisions. Take your time in determining the person’s integrity and motives. Pay attention every time you communicate. It is human nature to trust first, but try to be objective to begin with. 4. Ask for a photo. Ask for a photo of a prospective match, not just because you want to see if they are good-looking. If possible, ask for several photos in different settings: Formal, casual, outdoors, and indoors. In that way you would have an idea of what he or she looks like. 5. Do not just chat online. An electronic chat would not suffice. Talk on the telephone to assess the social and communication skills of your date. Avoid calling from home. Try calling from a cell phone or a telephone booth. Only when you are completely comfortable should you give your home number. 6. Meet only when you are completely ready. Meet only when you feel secure and ready to meet your online date. Do not feel obliged or persuaded to meet the other person, even if he or she insists, if you are not yet ready. 7. Check for danger. If you decide to finally meet, pay close attention to any violent displays, intense frustration or moves to control or pressure you. 8. Meet only in a secure place. When meeting your date, especially for the first time, meet him or her in a safe place. Tell a friend who your date is and your plans for the night. Set a time during your date where your friend can call you and ask if everything is okay. It is better to be safe than sorry. Online dating has some perks and can be genuinely rewarding, but it is important to remember that it can have its pitfalls. This article is free to re-publish. Ian Basford at www.online-dating-secrets.org
Provided By: Internet
SouthCoastToday.com, MA - 3 hours ago... fire beeps and buzzes of a couple dozen incoming text messages the latest scores from the NFL and scoring possibilities from the online dating service Match ... Read more...
by Christine Hancock Okay. I’ll take a look, but I’m not saying that I’m going to participate in online dating just yet. I’ve heard the success stories and the horror stories about online dating, but I do not have any first hand experience to share with you on the topic. What I plan to do in this article is take you with me while I explore the different online dating services available on the web. Brace yourself and buckle your seatbelt, I’m going to try something I saw in a cartoon.
Just kidding. That’s something I like to say to the passengers in my car just before I start to drive. Maybe that’s part of the reason I’m having dating problems in the first place.
Okay, the first website I discovered says it’s a “free” online dating service. Online, red flags always go up for me when someone says that magic word, “free”. But, let’s take a closer look.
Well, it sounds good. It says it is, “an internet dating service that provides a comfortable and intimate environment where you can safely and conveniently search and find your perfect soul mate, while having lots of fun. Thousands of dating ads of singles that are looking for dating romance, intimacy and friendship is available for you to browse through. Your ideal companion might be among them. (site name deleted) brings dating to new frontiers, making impossible, possible!”
I’m having a little trouble with the comfortable and intimate environment thing. They haven’t seen the room my computer sits in. Safe and convenient sounds nice though. But if the website is just a lot of personal ads, can’t I just get something like that at my local news stand or in my local newspaper?
I think I’ll move on and take a look to see if there are online dating services that provide more than dating advice and personal ads.
Hmm, now I find myself on an online dating website that claims to be the biggest online dating service on the web. It has a big picture of Dr. Phil on the front. Almost scared me away, but I’ll tough it out and stay to see what they offer.
Here is what they say, “Looking for more in a relationship and a dating site? With over 10 years of experience in online dating and relationships, (site name deleted) is the worldwide leader in online dating and relationships. Where else can you find millions of singles looking for love, just like you? We don't offer just online personals, we are personal in our offerings - to help you find a date, a relationship, a marriage.
Whoa! Marriage? I said I might try online dating. I never said anything about marriage! And now I have the mental image of “millions of singles looking for love”. Wow! Millions. Okay, so they sound big, but what do they actually offer?
Well, first off, they don’t really tell you much about the services they provide. Just a lot of information about the millions who have gotten married through their online dating service. So I bit the bullet and went to the sign up form to learn more.
Now comes the money question. $29.95 for a month or I can get discounts for longer memberships. Then there is the Dr. Phil MindFindBind program that costs more. Now I’m laughing because since I am checking the online dating service out while typing this article, I evidently have waited too long to make my decision because a popup just came up to offer me assistance with making up my mind.
They do have some free services, but those are basically, create a profile, look at profiles, etc. That’s just like the free services on the first online dating website. You have to pay for the ability to actually respond to any emails sent to you by other members or block members or to see which members have taken a peek at your profile. That all sounds okay, but if you go for the whole Dr. Phil package you get an online dating tutorial, a video about online dating, online dating workshops, and online dating advice. Wow!
Well, as I said, I haven’t decided just yet, so we are going to check out one more online dating website together. Okay, this one is free. They have a patent pending on their matchmaking idea. They calculate your matchability in percentages.
The online dating method they use goes like this, “When you answer a question in our improve matches area we learn: (1) your answer, (2) how you'd like someone else to answer, and (3) how important the question is to you. We collect these three values for all users.
Your match percentage with a given person on (site name deleted), let's call him b, is based on the values of (1), (2),and (3) for questions you've both answered. We'll call that set S later in this explanation:” Wow! I thought that just regular dating was complicated.
I think I’m going to keep checking out more online dating websites until I find the one that is right for me. So far, the ones we just toured have been too much like personal ads, too expensive, too Dr. Phillish for my tastes, or too complicated. I’m sure though, just like finding the right date, there is an online dating website out there for me and one for you too!
I encourage you to at least try online dating. But don’t stop at the first online dating service you find, just like hopefully you wouldn’t stop at the first singles bar you saw. Check out as many as you need to in order to find the online dating service that is right for you.
Christine Hancock runs "The Personals Network!" There are hundreds of online dating sites out there today, so how do you know which one to choose? That's why we decided to build Online Dating, your #1 resource for info on the top Dating Sites on the web!
http://www.onlinedating.pn
by James Lindsey If you're a single parent and trying to date it can be tough Thinking about dating and having the time to date sometimes seem as far apart as East is from West. Questions run through your mind... Am I being selfish? Do I have the time? Who is going to watch the kids? It's been so long. Do I even know how to date?
It can seem overwhelming and look like a far away dream if you didn't have anyone to guide you. Lucky for you , we've picked the minds of successful single dating parents and put together an action plan that will make dating fun, safe and rewarding.
The Action Plan
Your action plan is made up of five simple steps. Each step is designed to build upon the previous one. The goal is for you to spend time with quality dates that respect you and your situation. You will put your plan on paper. Why? Writing takes your plans out of the world of thought and brings it into the world of reality. Get your paper and pencil and let's begin!
Step 1. Asses your situation.
Do you really have the time to date? As a single parent your activities revolve around your kids. Caring for a even a single child is a full time effort. If you have more than one child your workload multiplies. If you decide to date you'll need to create flexibility in your weekly plans and plan in advance. It takes time to find love. If you want love...make the time. Write down the time available each week that you think you can devote to dating. Schedule it.
Step 2. What do you want?
What type of relationship do you want? Are you looking for short term relationships? Long term? Committed? Non-committed? Do you have a time line? Biological ticking clock? What type of person do you want? Tall? Short? Loves to travel? Stay at home type? Christian? Family oriented? Good family relationships? Be honest with yourself. Consult your heart and your head and create the profile of the perfect person for you. Don't leave anything out. List the qualities you admire. The type of family you want them to come from. The color of their eyes etc. The more specific the better. Make it as detailed as possible. A crystal clear target is much easier to hit than an out of focus one. Cupid has the arrow. Help him out and provide the target. Again, write it down. Once your have a clear picture of what you're looking for it's time to find them.
Step 3. Find a date.
There are three places you will go to find a great date. The first and the easiest is a dating website. Yes there are thousands of websites out there. Some great. Some not so great. Read a review of the best dating websites and choose the ones that meet your criteria and join 2-3 of them. Why 2-3? To increase your chances of a match of course. Having your profile/ad in 2-3 dating website substantially increases the odds of a great match. Successful daters play the odds in their favor. Another advantage to dating websites is that you meet people 24 hours a day. Seven days a week. You can view their profiles and if you don't like what you see...delete them! Pick only the best.
The second place you'll go for dates are your family and friends. They know you and your life circumstances. They only wish the best for you. Let them know you're looking for a date and what you're looking for (pull the profile sheet out). Let them look for you. The odds are that you'll have a date within a week. Two weeks tops.
The third place to look for dates is anywhere that you happen to be. You never know where love hangs out. Be open to new experiences and new people.
Step 4. Separate prospects from suspects.
If you followed step three you'll be getting a number of potential dates. The task now is to separate the good(prospects) from the bad(suspects).
As a dating single parent your first job is to protect yourself and your child from anyone that would do anyone of you harm. Safety will be your first screen. If you know the persons full name check to see if this person is a sex offender. Your state may have a registry where you can check for free. Better safe than sorry.
If it's a dating website candidate spend time to get to know the person via e-mail first. The rule is give just general information (no phone numbers, last names, addresses etc) until you get to know the person over a period of time. Minimum two to three months. If they can't wait that long then move them to the suspect file and delete them.
If this is a blind date from your family and friends get ALL the information you can on the person. This would be a good time to write down some questions that you'd like to ask your potential date. Nothing like being prepared. Talk on the phone first. Ask questions to determine if there is some broad based compatibility. Do you like the same things? Dislike the same things? The closer you can match these the happier you'll be.
Once you've done your homework it's time to go on a date. WooHoo!
Step 5. Date!
The first rule is be yourself. The second rule is have fun. If you can follow those two rules you'll have a great time. To ensure that you have a safe and fun time follow these rules.
1) Always let someone know who you're going out with. Where you'll be going. What time to expect you home.
2) Bring your cell phone. If you don't have a cell phone. Get one. They're cheap. No reason not to have one.
3) Always meet in a public place for your first meeting.
4) Arrange a date dump call. Arrange for someone to call you mid way through your date. Prearrange a code word to let them know that your date is going well or not. This is your opportunity to dump your date if you're bored to tears.
5) Consider having your date somewhere you can talk. Like over dinner or maybe a lunch date. Avoid movies on the first date because it doesn't allow you the opportunity to get to know someone. At a movie you get to sit silently for two hours listening to the person behind crunch popcorn and slurp their five gallon bucket of soda. How fun is that!
Being a single parent doesn't mean shutting your heart down. Despite having your kid(s) fill every minute of your waking day you still have a longing in your heart for that special someone.
If not for love...maybe just for a good adult conversation over a warm cup of coffee. Good luck in your dating!
James Lindsey is a writer and publisher that takes the mystery out of romance and dating. His work can be enjoyed at his website http://www.RomanceRebel.com. Or send a e mail request to newsletter@RomanceRebel.com and get heart smart relationship advice & tips delivered to you!
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