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Shimrit Elisar's Online Dating Blog

Shimrit Elisar's Online Dating Blog
Online Dating tips, advice and industry news. Written by the author of the UK's first online dating guide.

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Articles: 1, 2, 3

Articles

Serial dater finds love
2007-05-27 15:34:00
Internet lothario meets his match A serial internet dater who was banned from one site for displaying a “lack of commitment” has finally met his Ms Right, it is reported. (Full story here) I totally missed out on this when the news came out, but just found it on the Pocado news section. I remember this guy from my moderating days. It wasn’t our site that banned him, and looks like that was the right move Maybe all he needed was the love of the right woman?
More About: Love , Rial , Serial

Dating and socialising online - why are they still two separate things?
2007-05-25 22:16:00
In past posts in this blog, I sang the praises of social networking sites and talked about how much more natural the meeting process is on there. Now, after reading the article linked to below, it’s time to talk about the Other Side The early adopters of social networking technology were not only those separated from their friends and family by means of physical distance but also those who didn’t quite fit in with their immediate, real life environment. Sites like livejournal and Myspace are notorious for being the haunt of teenage (and older) goths who make use of the exhibitionist nature of those sites in order to finally live out their fantasies of having an active social circle and look mysterious and cool. While the ability to network with others via a mutual friend is very handy, having your friends’ list displayed in a prominent location can make the whole thing turn into a massive popularity contest, a fact which is now much abused by PR companies. Peopl...
More About: Dating , Online , Things , Still , Line

How soon should you meet up?
2007-05-23 23:12:00
Different people have different ideas of how soon people should meet up after becoming acquainted via online dating. As a general rule, it’s women who usually tend to be a bit more cautious (for obvious reasons) but you may well find some men who prefer to take their time, as well as women who like to move faster. Some dating sites are more likely to appeal to those who want to take their time (such as those sites that cater to those seeking serious relationships) while others will have a larger concentration of fast paced daters. So how do you decide on the bes time? Really, there are no set rules in the online dating world that dictate how soon you should meet up. As long as you follow the safety rules, you could technically arrange to meet up immediately. Most people, though, prefer at least a minimal level of online vetting before agreeing to meet up. After all, that’s why online dating sites are there - to help save you time and money by allowing you to get answer...
More About: Meet

My first copy of the book just arrived!
2007-05-20 19:05:00
It’s actually more exciting than I thought it would be. It’s an actual book, with my name on it I guess you don’t quite realise it’s real until you are holding the actual product in your hand.
More About: Book , First , Arri , Copy , E Book

I am testing some things today
2007-05-19 11:50:00
Please ignore the weirdness.
More About: Testing , Today , Things , Sting , Test

Women rule the net! (In the UK)
2007-05-17 20:44:00
The BBC is reporting the results of a few interesting pieces of research about UK Internet use demographics. Apaprently, The heaviest online users in the UK are not young men, as previously taught, but 18-34 women and men over 50. Interestingly, the most visited websites are said to be those to do with parenting and childcare, as well as high street shop sites and “social networking sites like Facebook”. I’d have thought Myspace was far more popular in the UK. PR plant? Or maybe I’m just wrong? I wonder if this trend is an indication of a predominance of stay at home moms who spend a lot of time online? when I was at Allegran, our fastest-growing site was DatingForParents and I’ve always felt it fulfiled an actual need, rather than a mere niche. As for the men over 50, I’m at a loss. It looks like if you’re a guy over 50, looking for a much younger woman, you may actually be in with a chance. Statistically, at least That aside, i...
More About: Women , The U , Rule

The book is officially out!
2007-05-16 23:32:00
Copies should be with the retailers within a week or so. The Amazon buying links on the right should actually work now I am back from holiday and am trying to sort out things such as press releases and publicity. Hopefully, things are about to get busy!
More About: Book , Official , E Book , Ally

I will be away until the 15th
2007-05-06 21:55:00
I’m going away on holiday. Service will resume when I return.
More About: Will , Away

Promoting your dating site: the PR trick that never gets old
2007-05-01 21:18:00
With online dating getting so competitive, it’s getting harder and harder for sites to stand out and get noticed. Companies resort to all kinds of silly and nasty tricks to get media attention, which always amazes me. Why do people go to all that trouble when any decent-sized dating site already has a readily available, massive PR resource just waiting to be used? I’m talking users. Masses of them. Come up with some questions, stick a poll on your site and within a short time, you’ll have yourself a nice little PR gem to sell the press. Here’s one plentyoffish made earlier. It’s got everything: A “shocking” revelation if your poll is not shocking enough on its own, you could always fiddle with the results, although that would obviously be wrong so I couldn’t possibly suggest that. A celebrity’s name thrown in for effect In this case, Demi Moore. This always gets people interested. If you’re lucky, the journ...
More About: Dating , Promoting , Site , Trick , Gets

Just in: snazzy divorce headline makes dull read
2007-04-29 20:55:00
I was really disappointed with this article that asks whether marriages following online dating hook-ups are more likely to end in divorce. When the headline asks a question like that, I expect it to deliver some sort of hard-hitting research. The answer in this case, however, is “probably not, but we have no way of knowing”. Add that to some PR plant blurb about eHarmony and Mary.com and all you get is a giant yawn. Did we really need to know that “it’s too soon to tell” whether relationship that stem from online dating are better or worse than “standard” relationships? Does having no formal data warrant a whole article dedicated to discussing this non-topic? Poor. Very poor. Personally, I don’t think there is much of a difference between the results of either of these dating methods. I would be grossly surprised if either turned out to be more effective than the other on a large scale. Traditionalists and luddites will slate di...
More About: Divorce , Read , Make , Head , Line

Leaving Allegran
2007-04-25 22:42:00
After 2 years and a few months, I am leaving Allegran. Things have been getting too busy and I forsee a couple of busy months ahead where I will need to concentrate on some serious self-promotion. After that, I will most likely be looking for part time/freelance work so that I can continue working on my writing. I’ve had some great times at Allegran and learned a hell of a lot. I never would have written the book if it weren’t for some of the great people there. It’s hard to leave all my friends behind, but I am quite excited about being able to take the time to do my own thing. Onwards and upwards!
More About: Ving , Leaving

New “sexual attraction” hits London
2007-04-21 11:45:00
Amora, a new themed interactive tourist attraction has opened in London this week. The theme is love, dating and sex. We are in the process of arranging a partnership with them, so I was lucky enough to get a sneak preview of Amora while they were still putting the final touches on the place. I must say I was pretty impressed, although the site of rugged builders putting the final touches on the “orgasm tunnel” and the likes was rather amusing, to say the least. Amora manages to be very explicit, but stylish at the same time while maintaining mass-market appeal, which is pretty impressive in itself. The hi-tech interactive displays are very inspired. My personal favourite was the “find the G-spot” game with life-size body casts (male and female) that light up and moan when you hit the right spot. The “kissing mirror” was not operational when I visited, but promises to be very educational as well. I wonder what the tourists will make of it.
More About: Attraction , Ondo , Sexual , Hits

Broken Heart - not just a saying
2007-04-21 11:22:00
It’s official, you can die of a broken heart. The term “love doctor” has just gained an entirely new meaning.
More About: Heart , Broken , Broken Heart

Online dating safety: are we doing enough?
2007-04-21 11:01:00
A new report published in the UK, has shown that most British Internet users do not trust online services, but use them anyway because they believe the benefits outweigh the risks. Add that to the fact that many UK users are simply not safety aware and it’s no surprise that people keep getting scammed. Are dating sites doing enough to ensure their users’ online dating safety? Many dating sites employ moderators to weed out the scammers, but that is not always enough to stop all of them from getting through. Nasty, unethical sites lull their users into a false sense of security, but really what we need is some serious online dating safety education. How much information is available on your site to educate people about potential dangers? Is it available somewhere obvious, or is it hidden somewhere at the back of the site? The potential existence of scammers on the site is not something any site owner would like to talk about, but really, it’s something that has ...
More About: Safety , Dating , Online Dating , Online , Enough

Online dating for the blind?
2007-04-15 18:03:00
Two things caught my eye today. One is the development of 3-D maps for the blind by Greek scientists (thank you SmartMobs) and the other is a Danish invention for turning web pages into Braille. Regina Lynn comments on how 3-D mapping could be applied to sexual exploration and it got me thinking about how these two new pieces of technology could be applied to the online dating world. Could turning people’s photographs into 3-d maps be possible at some point soon? Could blind people be reading dating profiles in Braille? I’m sure there’s a dating service waiting to happen right there.
More About: Dating , Online Dating , Online , Blind , Line

To all those who say you can’t fall in love online
2007-04-15 17:29:00
From the BBC: Man proposes after four minutes A single father-of-two proposed to an American woman he met on the internet four minutes after flying 4,000 miles to see her for the first time. Sometimes the face to face meeting is only needed for a final confirmation. Warms your heart, doesn’t it?
More About: Love , Online , Those , Hose , Line

To all those who say you can?t fall in love online
2007-04-15 17:29:00
From the BBC: Man proposes after four minutes A single father-of-two proposed to an American woman he met on the internet four minutes after flying 4,000 miles to see her for the first time. Sometimes the face to face meeting is only needed for a final confirmation. Warms your heart, doesn’t it?
More About: Love , Online , Those , Hose , Line

No wonder the online dating market is booming in the UK
2007-04-11 13:28:00
According to the UK’s office for national statistics, more than seven million people in Britain live alone now, compared with three million in 1971. Single parent families are also on the rise, especially those with lone mothers. Not only are more people living alone or without a partner, people are also getting married later, especially the men. (Full BBC article here). Add this to the fact over half of the UK’s adult population now have access to broadband and you’ll realise that not only is there a real need in this country for online dating services, the infrastructure exists to make it relatively easy for comapnies to fulfil that need.
More About: Dating , Market , Online Dating , Online , Wonder

Get in there!
2007-04-09 18:24:00
The book is almost ready and one of the final touches is getting some incentives in to add value to the book. I’ve already got a couple of companies giving me some promo codes/coupons, but there’s room for a few more if you’re quick. If you’re looking for what is basically free exposure to ...
More About: Here , There

What we can learn from social networking sites
2007-04-09 13:09:00
There's been much debate recently about the shift in the US online dating market. I've been following the discussions with interest. It looks like the market is slowing, social networking sites are taking a chunk of the audience and site owners are sniffing the trends and trying to combat the problem. Some sites are going from a free model to a paid model, others are going from a paid model to a free model and there's some sites popping up that try to bring together social networking and dating to create something that will appeal to both audiences. I think that if you're sold on the idea that social networking is stealing your customers you gotta take more than a superficial view at what social networking sites do that dating sites don't. I gather that there's lots of operators out there who went "oh, social networking is free and we're trying to charge our users money, so no wonder they're going away". I think this is a rather simplistic way of looking at what your c...
More About: Social , Social Networking , Networking , Work , Network

What we can learn from social networking sites
2007-04-09 13:09:00
There’s been much debate recently about the shift in the US online dating market. I’ve been following the discussions with interest. It looks like the market is slowing, social networking sites are taking a chunk of the audience and site owners are sniffing the trends and trying to combat the problem. Some sites are going from a free model to a paid model, others are going from a paid model to a free model and there’s some sites popping up that try to bring together social networking and dating to create something that will appeal to both audiences. I think that if you’re sold on the idea that social networking is stealing your customers you gotta take more than a superficial view at what social networking sites do that dating sites don’t. I gather that there’s lots of operators out there who went “oh, social networking is free and we’re trying to charge our users money, so no wonder they’re going away”. I think this is...
More About: Social , Social Networking , Networking , Sites , King

Plentyoffish in the UK
2007-04-09 00:30:00
Looks like Plenty offish is going to do more stuff in the UK, with the launch of a new affiliate programme. The U K market still has a lot of scope for growth. I would say much more than the US market right now. We’ll see how big a chunk of that growth Plentyoffish can get. I’d just like to point out the happy fact that 3 of the 7 sites mentioned in the Hitwise report are ours. Dating For Parents took a lot less than a year to hit the top 10. I’m not sure where our latest site stands, but it’s growing pretty fast so if it’s not there already it will be soon. Oh, and our affiliate programmes (via Webgains or Tradedoubler) pay better. Just saying Let the games begin.
More About: Lent

BBC: Date rape drugs ?not widespread?. Or are they?
2007-04-02 19:51:00
A while ago, the BBC quoted a report stating that many cases of use of date rape drugs like rohypnol in rape cases were unfounded. The report claimed that in most cases the women had simply drunk too much. Now, apparently, there is another report from the Government’s Advisory Council on the misuse of drugs ...
More About: Drugs , Read , Wide , They , Rugs

More articles from this author:
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