Get This: Online Video Dating Is Now a Thing

Check out the list of links that should be on your radar today:

A new dating app just launched—and it features video profiles! [Refinery29]

You have to watch this video of President Obama “singing” Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky.” [BuzzFeed]

The first ever on-bag contest from popchips starts today: It’s kind of like looking for one of the golden tickets from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but the 25 winners get flown to L.A. to see Katy Perry in concert. [popchips blog]

Three-quarters of people in the U.S. are living paycheck-to-paycheck, according to a new survey. [CNN Money]

Recent Yellowstone visitors are not happy campers: There’s been a norovirus outbreak at the national park, as well as at Grand Teton. [UPI.com]

New research reveals that third-hand smoke can damage your DNA. [Huffington Post] 

Apparently Cap’n Crunch (as in, the guy on the cereal box) only wears a naval commander’s uniform, not a captain’s…so the U.S. Navy has come out and announced that there is, in fact, no record of a Cap’n Crunch. Thanks for clearing that up, guys. [Newser]

A red panda went missing from the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., yesterday evening. How does that happen?! Luckily, the animal has since been found and returned. [National Geographic]

The geeky stereotype associated with working in computer science is keeping more women from pursuing jobs in the field, finds a new study. [UPI.com]

photo: Digital Vision/Thinkstock

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Get This: Online Dating is Going Offline

Check out the list of links that should be on your radar today:

Match.com just announced that they’re launching game nights for singles across the country. Not into Scrabble? Check out some other new ways online dating companies are playing matchmaker. [NYT]

Dimming the lights can give you a burst of creativity, according to a new study. [Newser]

If you haven’t come across the graduation cake with a picture of a cat on it instead of a cap, you need to see it ASAP. [USA Today]

Tens of thousands of unnecessary surgeries happen each year, according to a new USA Today study. [USA Today]

In 2010, about 1,500 people ended up in the ER after using their cell phones while walking, according to a new study. Here’s how to stay safe if you’re texting on the go. [Newser]

Stress could make you more susceptible to Alzheimer’s, finds recent research. [ScienceDaily]

Unattractive employees face more workplace bullying, according to a new study. [Michigan State University]

As if two varieties of Doritos Locos Tacos weren’t enough, it looks like Taco Bell will also launch Spicy Doritos Locos Tacos soon. [The Daily Meal]

A new bar in California is under fire for requiring that female customers “must wear heels” as part of its dress code. [Huffington Post]

photo: Brand X Pictures/Thinkstock

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Online Dating 2.0

Stuck in an endless cycle of reviewing your online dating matches, messaging promising guys, and repeating? It’s time to mix things up. The Internet dating industry now rakes in more than $ 2 billion a year, according to a new report from the market research company IBISWorld—and analysts only expect that number to go up.

That’s a whole lot of cash—so it’s no surprise that companies are trying to get a piece of the pie by introducing innovative twists on the concept. The upshot: You have more dude-meeting methods at your disposal than ever before. Here, a survey of some of the best new options to add to your arsenal.

To skip the online back-and-forth: Match.com Games
It’s hard to think of new things to say every time a guy messages you. Enter: Match.com games, all of which are designed to help you get to know each other better—minus any stress about what to say next. Play “Food Critic” for example, to see how your favorite taco, pizza, and burger joints stack up. Or gauge whether he has a sense of humor by inviting him to play a round of “Romance Rip-Off,” where you work together to create a cheesy romance one line at a time.
Cost of Match.com membership

To break out of your rut: Crazy Blind Date
Everyone has a mental checklist of what they’re looking for in a guy. The only problem? Eliminating men because they don’t meet your exact specifications could be keeping you from dating someone truly awesome (if unexpected). Read about why Mr. Right is a myth. Stay open-minded with this new app from the makers of OKCupid. Just designate when and where you want to meet up with someone, and Crazy Blind Date will connect you with a bachelor who’s game to join you. The catch? The only info you exchange is your age, sexual orientation, and a scrambled headshot. So you’ll likely get some misses—but maybe also a few hits.
Free

To take dating offline: The Stir
The goal of online dating is to eventually meet up in person—so why not just cut to the chase? Match.com’s The Stir sets up hundreds of mixers across the country. Think: happy hours, cooking classes, rock climbing events, tequila tastings, and more. To start mingling, you’ll need to create a profile on Match.com—but you can skip the part where you chat up complete strangers who you might not mesh with in real life.
Cost of Match.com membership includes happy hours; membership + $ 50 for other events

To expand your options: Grouper
The big problem with first dates: If you don’t have chemistry with the guy, your entire night is shot. Grouper’s genius solution? Sending you on a group date with three single guys (and two of your unattached girlfriends) to increase everyone’s odds of finding someone they click with. The service uses your Facebook profile and a brief questionnaire to match you up with a dude outside of your social circle. Then, you each bring along two single friends. The big drawback: You won’t get photos or details about any of the men before you meet them. And of course, there are no guarantees that you and a friend won’t be into the same guy.
Available in Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, Washington, D.C., and Toronto.
$ 20 per person per date, which includes the first round of drinks

To get a money-back guarantee: Tandem
If double dates are more your style, Tandem is for you. The site uses a method similar to Grouper to schedule a double date (you and your match each bring a friend to take off some of the pressure of a one-on-one meeting). The added bonus with tandem: If you aren’t satisfied at the end of the night, just let the company know and you’ll get a refund.
$ 10 for one setup, $ 40 for three

photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock

More from Women’s Health:
The Best Online Dating Sites
Women’s 10 Worst Online Dating Usernames
How to Write the Perfect Online Dating Message

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Online Dating: When Should You Meet in Person?

Online Dating Blog K. Aleisha Fetters

Online Dating Meet
Brand X Pictures/ThinkStock

Short answer: It depends.

Long answer: It depends on the length and depth of your messages, if you’ve spoken on the phone, when you feel comfortable, and lastly, how many dud dates you can tolerate going on…

Length and Depth of Your Messages

A first date doesn’t have to be a blind date. You should (at least) vaguely know who you are about to meet. That said, if you try to put off meeting a guy until you could write a biography of his life, you are never going to meet anyone in person. A guy will lose interest far before the first date ever (doesn’t) come. And if he doesn’t, there is probably something wrong with him.

If You’ve Spoken on the Phone

Do I like his voice? That might be all I need to know to tell if I’ll be attracted to him. A 2004 study found that a deep voice in men indicates both more symmetrical facial features and muscle mass, both of which I indicate as dead sexy. And call me old-fashioned, but when a guy asks me out on a date, I want it to be over the phone. Not via an email or a text message. A formal asking out just makes me feel more valued and comfortable, which brings me to my next deciding factor…

When You Feel Comfortable

Besides wearing jeggings, Uggs, and under wire-free bras, knowing a last name makes me feel more comfortable meeting a virtual stranger in person. Because then, and only then, can I effectively Google him.

How Many Dud Dates You Can Tolerate Going On

The less time you wait to meet, the more dates you will go on…but a higher percentage of them will be awful. But you still might get a free meal, and that should never go unappreciated.

xo,
Click-n-Tell

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Online Dating Profiles: To Lie or Not to Lie?

Online Dating Blog K. Aleisha Fetters

Online Dating Profile Lies
Photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock

The first time, I thought it was unfortunate.

The second time, I thought it was a coincidence.

But the third time I met a guy from online only to find he had a huge gap between his two front teeth, I realized it wasn’t a coincidence at all; guys with gap-tooth smiles only post closed-lip photos in their online dating profiles.

Of course, we all show off the "best" versions of ourselves online. The popular online dating site OkCupid, for instance, has found that on average online daters are two inches shorter and 20% poorer than they say they are in their profiles, and the more attractive a person’s profile picture, the more likely it is to be out of date.

But should we all exaggerate in our online dating profiles?


I’m going to say no. And not because the guys’ gap teeth turned me off, but because their hiding their gap teeth turned me off a whole hell of a lot. It showed that they felt insecure about that part of themselves. Did they not think they could get a date if they showed their true smiles?

Sure, they probably get more first dates only showing their hot, semi-smoldering, closed-lip smiles. But they probably get less second dates that way than they would if they also showed their true, big gappy smiles.

So let’s all just all post our real height, our real body type, and yes, even our un-Photoshoped pictures online. Because what’s the fun in being insecure, turned off, and generally awkward?

xo,

Click-n-Tell

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