"This week we will be confronting a fact that, by definition, haunts the average online dater: no matter how much time you spend polishing your profile, honing your IM banter, and perfecting your message introductions, it’s your picture that matters most." (Previously 1 2 3)
posted by gman on Nov 24, 2009 - 122 comments

"We’ve processed the messaging habits of almost a million people and are about to basically prove that, despite what you might’ve heard from the Obama campaign and organic cereal commercials, racism is alive and well." The people who run the dating site OkCupid continue to analyze the aggregate data of their users, shedding light on preferences and behavior. The most recent OkTrends post takes a look at their compiled racial data: Your Race Affects Whether People Write You Back. (previously 1 2)
posted by naju on Oct 7, 2009 - 459 comments

How (not) to write an online-dating message, based on a sample of 500,000 "first contact" messages. [more inside]
posted by Kadin2048 on Sep 14, 2009 - 79 comments

Online dating site match.com is being sued for deception by a New York man who claims their practice of keeping up profiles of non-paying members who have no ability to respond to suitors "defrauds the consumer of his/her time, labor, and emotional investment"
posted by The Gooch on Jun 19, 2009 - 93 comments

CBS News talks to John Fitzgerald Page. (sorry for the brief commercial first) His original callout on Gawker, with the body of the offending email read around the world. But he is more than just an angry member on Match.com: his impressive resume can be found on his site and he is a TV and film actor. [more inside]
posted by Unicorn on the cob on Nov 20, 2007 - 113 comments

According to a recent Zogby poll, parents would rather their daughter meet a date at a bar or a Star Trek convention than through online dating.
posted by Afroblanco on Jan 31, 2007 - 44 comments

We live in an ugly world. War, disease, famine and ugly people seem to rule our daily lives. Darwin Dating is a dating site that cuts through this ugliness and has been created for attractive people only. Darwin Dating has been designed by hot people for hot people. You won't be able to join unless you are objectively beautiful. Our strict rules and natural selection process is the perfect way for attractive people to hook up.
posted by psmealey on Jan 28, 2007 - 121 comments

wealthymen.com Not covered in previous "dating sites" thread. I just heard the ad on the radio. Wish I could post that, too. It's even better than the site.
posted by wfc123 on Aug 25, 2006 - 20 comments

Lonely? Online? Unwilling to fuck people that aren't exactly like you? Good news! The PeopleMeet Empire has a dating website custom designed specifically to fit your needs, whether you're Italian, Jewish, Divorced, Marriage Minded, Asian (nonspecific), Asian (specific), Old, Really Old, Christian (Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Pentacostal, Born Again, Mormon or Other), Republican, Democrat, Midget, Fit, Fat, the Outdoor type, the Indoor type, a Pet lover, Professional, some kooky Black variation of the earlier types, or even (gasp!) Californian.
posted by jonson on Aug 20, 2006 - 64 comments

Tall, Dork, and Handsome The online dating website where guys who love Star Trek can meet women who will reformat their hard drives. Do these profiles speak your language? This guy "prefers to make love under black lights." This nerdette has "realized that the book 'the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' has all of the qualities I'm really looking for [in a guy]." Only thing verboten on the site: No pictures. via
posted by onlyconnect on Jun 7, 2005 - 40 comments

"Interested in meeting my brother Jon, ladies? Due to the expected high demand, I will be forced to prescreen all e-mails received. Please send a nude photo of yourself, and a short explanation of why you think you would be a good match for my brother Jon, to me." A really swell brother wants a really swell girl to marry his brother Jon.
posted by iconomy on Feb 11, 2003 - 22 comments

TheraDate "We stack the deck in your favor—like no one ever has—to help you find the right life partner....TheraDateSM requires its members to currently be in psychotherapy for at least two months or discharged from therapy for no longer than two years."

A new service whereby shrinks play matchmaker for their clients. Blurs the therapist/patient relationship a bit, it would seem. With so many more people in NYC seeing shrinks since 9/11, business should be booming. There's also an article about it in the current issue of the New York Observer. When the going gets weird...
posted by martk on Apr 11, 2002 - 15 comments

"gorgeous guy" sought on craigslist's "missed connections" forum acquires throngs of lusty admirers waiting along his commute. the next day it was a group of 5 people at his bus stop. The next day, 10. "One guy was holding a camera." As he approached them, they all stopped talking suddenly.
posted by palegirl on Jun 8, 2001 - 18 comments

This is how I always pictured internet love. The corpse in the fridge is the kicker. I thought you brits knew we were all nuts in the states.
posted by john on Feb 22, 2001 - 5 comments

Couples who click online, notably Meg Hourihan and Jason Kottke. Photo as well.
posted by jhiggy on Feb 11, 2001 - 53 comments