Especially during the current financial crisis, many people are re-evaluating the value of material things and trying to focus on values that are more rewarding than money. The value assigned to love and other immaterial goods is based on research about what makes people happy. In a new value system, things like love would be appreciated for what they are: priceless ways of enriching your life, without being rich.

According to the book, the value of love is  £163,424, while a stable relationship is worth £154,849. Ideally, online matchmaking can help you find both! Then, if you really want to boost your happiness value, you could have children, at a value of £129,448. Surely online matchmaking isn’t too expensive when the return on your investment – the value of love – is so high…

But did you know that dog-lovers have certain qualities that make looking for love a lot easier? Obviously, dog-lovers are good at relationships – they already have a pretty serious one with their dogs, after all. In addition, they know a lot about behavioural psychology (let’s face it, humans aren’t that different from dogs when it comes down to it. Dog-lovers also learn to adjust to the needs of others and a caring streak will come in handy when their partner needs pampering.

At the end of the day, dog-lovers may go on about „man’s best friend“, but it’s just not quite the same as looking for love – human love. So even the biggest dog-lovers want to find a two-legged friend. But singles with dogs have to realise that any potential partner will have to put up with a lot: lack of privacy, competing with a dog for attention… and of course no end of dog hair. So it makes perfect sense for singles with dogs to go looking for love online, where they can „sniff out“ other singles without their dogs interfering. At be2 you can menyour dog in your profile and see if any of your matches are dog-lovers.

PS:
The picture shows a happy couple who met through be2 (both brought dogs into the relationship )

To find out, we asked be2 members from 27 countries about their experiences with social networks. The results are surprisingly similar across all countries worldwide:

- Singles in all countries use social networks quite regularly. Brazilians use social networks the most, while the Swiss are noticeably less “sociable”, but overall, the results from all countries are similar.
- Most international singles aren’t mainly looking for friends on the Internet. But they do enjoy knowing people online, without ever meeting them „in the real world“.
- Even those singles who enjoy looking for friends on the Internet agree that those friendships aren’t real until they meet offline, too.
- More than 50% of the singles in this survey think social networks are important for keeping in touch with friends. Only the Swiss and the Norwegians disagree.
- In most countries, singles think looking for friends on the Internet is easier, because you know immediately what you have in common. The same goes for singles looking for a relationship online.
- The final question showed once more that Swiss singles are a little different when it comes to social networks. They are the only group that largely responded positively to the question whether social networks were the suitable place to look for a relationship. In all other countries, singles would prefer to know that they are among singles looking for a relationship – so they’d rather search for a love on a matchmaking site like be2.

The dating expert in the following video recommends initiating a conversation. So far so good, but what shall we talk about? “A book with an unusual title, a small stuffed animal, interesting pieces of jewellery, a pet, sports jersey, a sports magazine or a t-shirt with a slogan.” Uh, WHAT? Alternatively, women could pretend to be interested in sports. Great strategy – if you’re keen of ending up in a relationship based on made-up common interests.

The greying business man in the next video is the only one with a piece of useful dating advice. If you find a person attractive, you should engage them in a conversation that is interesting for both of you. Genius!

>>>If you’d rather try dating someone from this century, try be2 online dating!

Found at Everything is Terrible.

1. Protect your personal information
Online dating means sharing thoughts and emotions online, but you shouldn’t be too open with personal information at first. Don’t pass on contact details until you feel the time is right and make sure there is always an exchange of information between you and your online dating partner. When you communicate through the internal be2 mailing system, your contact details remain protected until you decide to share them.

2. Trust your instincts
Even if you’re madly in love – try to listen to common sense and your knowledge of human nature! Pay attention to everything your partner says and don’t be afraid to question things that seem odd… especially if it seems too good to be true!

3. Phone privacy
Before you meet your online dating partner in person, talk on the phone. You’ve already exchanged information online at this point, so you should be able to chat easily. This will take some of the pressure off your first date and you can get a better impression of the type of person you are dealing with when you hear their voice.

4. Involve a friend
Let a close friend know what you’re up to, inform them when you have a first date and let them know where and when you are meeting and who your date is with. Not only does that make you feel safer, it will also calm your nerves before a big date.

5. A safe place
Your first date should always be in a public place, like a cafe, restaurant, or cinema. Don’t let your date pick you up and don’t specify your travel arrangements. That way, you can always retreat if the date doesn’t go as planned. If the first date goes well, you can have the next one in a more intimate setting.

be2 values online dating safety!

To protect your data, we work with leading businesses. You alone decide who gets to see your picture and you communicate with other members through a secure internal mailing system.

>>>To find out more about online dating safety, visit the be2 homepage or contact our customer service!

While not everyone will agree with all the choices of the jury – made up of well-known older women like Candice Bergen – and some choices are certainly not everyone’s idea of sexy (Arnold Schwarzenegger? really?), it’s nice to see sexy men needn’t always be skinny youngsters that have barely reached puberty. Some of the sexy men over 50 are probably sexy due to their power, fame or money, but some are just genuinely attractive older men with experience and a few wrinkles. My favourite sexy older man is David Bowie!

Next we’ll have to find a list that honours sexy women over 50.

Smaller online dating agencies disagree – they think singles should try their luck on niche sites. But a small online dating agency has a small database, i.e. fewer singles are members.
Just do the math: A big online dating website is used by singles from all walks of life – hence the chances of one of them being the right match for you are much bigger. If you’re overwhelmed by too many potential partners, just narrow down your search criteria (be2 allows you to determine location, age, height, earning bracket and many other aspects) until you’re left with those singles who really match your expectations!

>> See for yourself if be2 can find your perfect match in a database of 13 million singles!

One British psychologist begs to differ. According to her, women claiming to be single and happy must be lying!

You…WHAT? The author comes to this conclusion from patients who play happy singles fort he world to see, but deep inside they crave a strong man to hold them. All single women are lumped into this category as either being unhappy or – worse – self-deceiving. Sure they pretend to be satisfied with a great job, lots of friends, a supportive family, but surely any woman would give all that up to find Mr. Right. Never mind the pettiness that becomes apparent in this strategy of labelling the life story of every happy single woman a lie. Surely she would at least have to concede the possibility that such a thing as a happily single woman might exist.

At be2, we see how many women want to escape singledom, and we do our best to turn unhappy singles into happy couples. BUT singles should join a matchmaking agency for the right reasons: Because they’re ready for a relationship, not because they fear the stigma of being single. A psychologist who denies singles their own happiness doesn’t help.

The simple answer? A matchmaking agency like be2 improves your chances of finding the woman of your dreams. But of course there’s more to it than registering and waiting for the perfect woman to fall into your arms. So here’s some more pointers on how to find a girlfriend.

1. Inner and „outer“ values! Obviously inner values count above all others and a matchmaking agency makes sure that you find the woman who is right for your personality. But a good outward appearance doesn’t hurt, so treat yourself to a small makeover. You don’t need to go on „What not to wear“, but you could ask a few female friends how they think you could improve your appearance.
2. I want – what exactly? Visualise your own priorities. It’s a lot easier to find a girlfriend if you know what kind of a woman you’re looking for. Not unrealistic fantasies, but specific qualities. A matchmaking agency allows you to choose your search criteria, so give some thought to the qualities you seek in a woman.
3. What are you offering? You also need to think about your best features. Be honest to yourself and also ask some women who know you well what they consider to be your strengths. If you know your strong points, you can use them to your advantage in a matchmaking agency.
4. be2’s best. Find out more about how to find a girlfriend in our „Advice for Singles“. It tells you how to make the most of an online matchmaking agency.

We can tell you how to find a girlfriend, you’ll have to fall in love with her yourself!

But what about women who are still waiting for Mr. Right? Who want to find Mr. Right, but sooner rather than later, because they’re not getting any younger? This unromantic article suggests that single women should no longer wait for Mr. Right, but settle for Mr. Good Enough.

The author lists plenty of good reasons why single women waiting for Mr. Right will regret being so picky when they’re old, still single, and lonely. This attitude all but advocates unromantic panic weddings and is based on a very strange notion of what a relationship can and should be, but it still can’t tell women the exact right time to stop waiting for Mr. Right.

When are women supposed to decide that the time for a romantic encounter with Mr. Right has passed? If they settle too soon with someone who is not Mr. Right, bitterness and regret will follow. If they wait too long for the elusive Mr. Right (according to the author) they’ll remain single forever, because not even Mr. Good Enough will want them any more.

At be2 we constantly see women of all ages find their Mr. Right, because they didn’t give up on that romantic notion. We say wait for Mr. Right as long as you still believe he exists. Everything else is not just unromantic but unrealistic!