For those uninitiated in this most carnal of social activities, a casual encounter can be defined as any of the following: no-strings-attached sex, relationship-free sex, one night stand (though not limited to one night), booty calls, hook-ups, f**k buddies, friends with benefits, guy/girl on the side – the list is probably endless.

As maligned as such an lifestyle still remains in certain regions of our culture, more and more people are refusing to be shamed by their need to get their rocks off. Now, something bawdy this way comes in the shape of a “report” claiming that casual sexual encounters arranged on the Internet are more likely to end in with a walk down the aisle than walks of shame.

OnlineBootyCall.com, a website whose purpose you can probably parse for yourself as well as the world’s number one destination for casual online dating (that last part is a euphemism for casual sex, by the way), has “studied” the testimonials members have given as to why they’ve decided to delete their profile. Brilliantly titled “testiMOANials,” OBC says that an “overwhelming majority” of those departing site members claim to have found true love on the website. In a statement released today, the purveyors of promiscuity say that the second most-cited reason members leave OBC is because they have “started dating someone I met.”

OnlineBootyCall.com shared a testimonial of one satisfied woman who, after a successful booty call yielded repeated encounters, ended up settling down with someone she found on the site:

“I didn’t have to spend hundreds of dollars nor did I have to wait over 6 months to find the completion of my heart.” She and her husband met four years ago on OnlineBootyCall, have been married for three years, and have a 2-year-old daughter together. “We both sit back and laugh now at how we met because he nor I wanted anyone to know … lol,” she says, “but now I’ll just tell anybody … I love that man!! Thank you again OBC!”

OnlineBootyCall’s founder and president, Moses Brown pledged that, apropos of nothing, “all online encounters should be considered casual until proven otherwise.” In spite of that slippery adage, he explained the high frequency of happy endings on OnlineBootyCall, “Sites like eHarmony put too much emphasis on the serious task of starting relationships online. At OBC, our members are having fun meeting new people and are dating without the pressure of commitment.”

I doubt that this report will find its way into any scientific journals any time soon, nor do I imagine a significant increase in people willing to drop their drawers for strangers, but.. you gotta give OBC a hand for trying, right?

It all starts with your customizable personality profile! How exciting!!!!! I can’t wait. If you’ve ever read any of these profiles, they are almost all the same: loves dogs, loves cats, likes to have a good time, loves honesty….whatever! These things would be more accurate if they were written by a panel of strangers who scrutinized user’s pictures and made-up a personality for them.

According to some guy named Brian Bowman, who used to work for Match.com, there’s a solution to all this B.S. people post about themselves on these dating sites. He uses the word “authenticity” to describe his revolutionary idea about internet dating.

According to Bowman, the concept stems from sites like Amazon.com and Netflix who use preference information to bring valid recommendations to their users. He believes this is the innovation that sites like Match.com lack. His vision is that Facebook pages, Twitter posts, Netflix choices, and other internet preferences will become transparent to prospective mates and that they will see a truer picture of who’s on the other side of the site.

While his ideal version of a dating site may leave some feeling like they’ve had their privacy invaded, Bowman feels that this evolution will become excepted as times change.

At the very least it will cut down on users who regularly misrepresent their identity to take advantage of others. It might also rid people of the tedious task of trying to accurately describe themselves to a stranger. We can only hope.

Online safety has been an issue for some time, whether you use online dating or other social media, but for so long most issues have not been taken seriously. There have been several cases where individuals have met via a dating site, only to find out that the person they’re meeting is only doing so to swindle them out of their fortune ,whatever that may be.

When considering online dating, always weigh the pros and cons. Not all dating websites can be 100% safe. The above video details several tips you can use when either using or considering online dating. What are your opinions about online dating and the the safety risks? Would you ever try online dating for yourself? Let us know what you think in the comments.

Match.com will replace Yahoo Personals, allowing existing users to switch over to the new service "Match.com on Yahoo." The two companies say they are working together to help users make a smooth transition to Match.com on Yahoo.

"The key to a successful online dating experience is having both a thriving community of active members and a sophisticated site experience optimized for dating success," says Greg Blatt, CEO of Match.com. 

"By bringing Yahoo! Personals members to Match.com, our community, which we already believe to be the largest and most vibrant in the space, has become even more compelling for our members.  When you add this to our unparalleled site experience, evolving every month with new features and enhancements, we feel the distance between the online dating experience we offer and that of others in the space is growing even larger."

Over the next two months, existing Yahoo Personals members will be given the chance to move their Yahoo Personals accounts over to Match.com on Yahoo.

Financial terms of the deal were not released.
 

Jeffery Hall, assistant professor of communications studies, surveyed more than 5,000 participants who used Internet dating services to find out what kinds of people are most likely to lie.

He asked them how likely they were to lie about topics such as assets, relationship goals, personal interests, personal attributes, past relationships, age and weight.

"What people lie about depends on what kind of people they are," Hall said.

"For example, if you’re an extrovert, you might downplay the number of past relationships you’ve had because chances are you’ve had more relationships than an introvert."

Those most likely to lie during the online dating process are people who have a strong awareness of what people like and control their behavior to achieve social ends. Their actions are not necessarily manipulative, but instead reflect a desire to be liked and to fit in.

In the study, men admitted to lying more overall, but women were most likely to lie about their weight. Because online daters hope to meet face-to-face eventually, the amount of lying is quite small.

"Online daters shouldn’t be concerned that most people are presenting a false impression of themselves," Hall said. "What influences face-to-face dating influences the online world, too."

Hall’s research was published in the February issue of the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships.

Women were more likely to choose the wrong partner as they become attracted to humorous comments and witty emails, according to psychologist Matthew Bambling from the Queensland University of Technology.

"Just because they can write a clever comment or a witty email, doesn’t mean they will be Mr. Right, that’s for sure," Bambling told Reuters. He says people will highlight their good points while covering up anything negative.

"Few guys for example would say ‘look, I’m a middle aged alcoholic who’s been married five times, pick me’. They’re going to present themselves as a good catch," Bambling said.

Bambling said it’s easy for people to put too much emotionally into an online relationship before they meet in person. "They often become quickly emotionally involved and invest in the other person before meeting. After meeting they move too fast because an emotional relationship actually started when they began interacting online before meeting, in which time they build up a fantasy view of the other person," he said.

Bambling recommends people can avoid the problems of online dating by meeting after the first few emails. This helps to avoid over investing emotionally or creating a fantasy about the other person.

He suggests meeting over coffee instead of dinner in case thing don’t work out because it’s less awkward and less pressure than sitting through a whole dinner.

"The main thing to remember is to make real life contact as soon as possible if you are interested in someone because it is here that you will know if a relationship is a possibility, said Bambling.

Overall, gender profiles at dating sites are roughly even, being 51 percent male and 49 percent female. But for the young cad looking to improve his chances this Valentine’s Day, there are just a few that give him the full box of chocolates. Like a good marketer, though, he may have to narrow down his demographic.

Dating Sites With Best Female to Male Ratio

1. eHarmony.com: 3.5 to 1

2. LoveAccess.com: almost 9 to 1

3. LocalHookUpz.com: 3.5 to 1

4. SeniorPeopleMeet.com: 4 to 1 (providing death rates remain constant

5. Chemistry.com: 3.5 to 1

6. BBWDateFinder.com: almost 4 to 1 and gaining

7. CatholicMatch.com: 3.5 to 1 except on Sunday

8. LatinAmericanCupid.com: 3.5 to 1

9. DontDateHimGirl.com: 4 to 1 (and probably best if it stays that way)

10. SugarDaddie.com: 3.5 to 1

And if it’s girls he’s looking for, there’s more than one reason to stay away from sites that are predominantly visited by males. Not only is there a lack of females, but everybody else there is gay. There are a couple, though, he can visit if he’s looking for a foreign girl.

Top 10 Dating Sites With Worst Female to Male Ratio

1. Manhunt.net: 1 to 9

2. Adam4Adam.com: almost 1 to 9

3. Gay.com/personals: 1 to 9

4. WorldGayMen.com: 1 to 9

5. Globaladies.com: almost 1 to 9

6. Blossoms.com: almost 1 to 9

7. AnastasiaWeb.com: 1 to 9

8. FilipinaHeart.com: almost 1 to 9

9. LoveMe.com: almost 1 to 9

10. Gaydar.co.uk: almost 1 to 100

But for the Don Juan who likes competition and fishing from the largest pools, there are the traditional, popular options – the hip places on the Web where you’ll definitely have to bring you’re A-game.

Top 10 Dating Sites By Market Share

1. True.com: 56% Male

2. Singles.net: 51.5% Male

3. Personals.yahoo.com: 51.4% Male

4. PlentyofFish.com: 54.7% Male

5. Match.com: 45% Male

6. eHarmony.com: 31.% Male

7. BlackPeopleMeet.com: 43% Male

8. Mate1.com: 51% Male

9. ManHunt.net: 90% Male

10. Adam4Adam.com: 86% Male

There you have it, guys. You’re personal guide to Web dating, courtesy of Hitwise. Happy hunting.

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A new survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that of those actively seeking a romantic partner say they have used the Internet to further their romantic interests. One in ten of all users say they have gone to dating websites.

Further, an increasing number of Americans say they at least know someone who has tiptoed the online dating scene. About 30 million people said they knew someone in a long-term relationship or marriage that began online.

Increasingly, online dating is no longer being seen as “desperate.” Survey respondents agreed nearly 3 to 1 that online daters were not in dire straits. Men, according to the survey, tend to be a bit more hypocritical about it though. More likely than women to view dating services as a good way to meet people, men are also more likely to categorize online daters as desperate.

Stigmas aside, there are still some lingering concerns over safety. Most Internet users (66%) agree with the statement that online dating is a dangerous activity because it puts personal information on the Internet. Females, older users, and lower-income and education users are the most wary of those risks. Only six percent said dating websites do a good job of protecting personal information.

People are also getting more savvy (or more distrustful) of those they meet online. The majority (57%) of Internet users agree that a lot of people of dishonest about being married.

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