The first thing to consider is what your dating site’s niche will be- a niche is a specialization, such as Black singles, Jewish singles, military singles, etc. It is absolutely necessary to target a specific niche instead of just starting another general dating site. Why? Because the more specific the niche, the less competition you will face. Keep in mind though, you don’t want to get ultra-specific with your niche. Creating a dating site for singles in Texas who like the outdoors is a feasible belief, but a dating space for left-handed people in Montana probably won’t have a wide audience.

After you’ve figured out just who your new online dating business will target, you need to decide what type of dating service you will offer- a database, where users imprint up and create profiles, or a matchmaking service, where you (and possibly a staff) will match users based on their compatibility. The advantage of offering a database style dating service is that it requires little maintenance, and your dating service will be more like a community. There is also software and service providers that can help you gain a database dating site, including DateRev, Dating Sitebuilder, and Dating Pro. If you opt to create a matchmaking service, you will definitely need to dedicate more time to maintaining your area and communicating with your members- keep this in mind before settling with this style of online dating business.

Of course before starting any business venture, you will need to come up with a budget, and marketing opinion. Marketing ideas for online dating businesses include placing Google ads, social media marketing (Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, blogs, etc), and offline marketing. Where you market and promote your site will all depend on which niche you choose.

After you have worked out all the aforementioned details, you will need to decide what to charge for your online dating service, if anything. You can even offer potential customers a free trial. If you are an adept marketer and can pull in advertising revenue, your best bet is to offer your site’s services for free. Some of the most successful online dating businesses, such as Plenty of Fish and OkCupid, do not charge their members any fees.

Once you have launched your online dating business, don’t forget that in order to maintain and grow your membership, you will need to provide proper customer service- “good service” won’t do, in order to preserve up with the competition you need to make your business stand out. Sending your members newsletters, starting a community-style blog, running contests for members, offering an affiliate program, and periodically adding new features and benefits to your site is a good way to form rapport with the members of your dating service.

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Why has online dating become so popular?
I would posit the following. Years ago, during our grandparents generation, society was different. People would grow up on one street, go to one school and work at one job for decades. Everyone knew each other and there were ample opportunities to meet and date through common community organizations that helped bond people together. Today is a completely different world. Society is both more socially mobile and more geographically mobile. If you are a white collar professional then you have probably experienced several location changes in response to your educational and career needs. While this mobility has done wonders for our careers, it hasn’t been the best for meeting people. With each new move an individual is confronted with the challenge of rebuilding their social circle anew. Some particularly extroverted people adjust readily, but for those of us with more introverted personalities successfully finding romance in an ever-changing environment can be difficult. Additionally, as career has a nasty habit of taking center stage in our lives, people are finding less and less time to get romance. Enter the Internet and online dating, a way of meeting new people essentially anywhere anytime. Could a lonely hart ask for more?

How is online dating different from real life dating?
It’s not really that different. The primary difference in online dating from traditional dating comes in how you meet people, online as opposed to through friends or picking them up at a bar. Once you procure to the first date it’s resplendent much the same.

Who should try online dating?
Basically anyone interested in meeting current people should give online dating a try. Online dating is no longer solely the domain of young geeks. People of all ages can hold advantage of online dating to add a bit of romance into their life. Any individual who is looking for new avenues through which to meet people should seriously deem giving online dating a try.

Does online dating work?
The short reply is yes. As I’ve mentioned before online dating is just another way to meet people. If you are willing to give it a try and actually put some effort into making online dating work, you can get results.

Advantages of online dating
Online dating poses some distinct advantages over other methods of meeting people.
• With online dating you can meet people semi-anonymously. This is a huge benefit to anyone with even the slightest streak of introvert.
• You can begin with your best foot forward. Because you meet people through the profiles and emails you write online dating gives you a way to start the introduction process with your best foot forward. You can take those opportunities to highlight aspects of yourself that really shine out.
• You can take your time when meeting someone. If you see a girl or guy that catches your observe at a party or bar, you only have a limited amount of time to get over there and meet them. With online dating you can take your time and actually deem about what you want to say rather than blurting out the first thing that comes to mind.
• Able to meet similar people. If you often get the feeling that you are in a minority of some kind then online dating can be the perfect way to connect with people who have similar interests or values as you.
• Can meet people worldwide. If you want the opportunity to meet people throughout the plot, country or even the world then an online dating service would be perfect for you.
• With online dating, your personality can drive your initial interactions. Your first online interactions will be driven predominantly by your personality and your ability to communicate, not how hot you are or how noble of a dancer you are.
• You can meet people all the time. No need to wait until Friday night to meet people. Just fire up your browser and you’re good to go.
• Stout for people who are new to the area. Don’t have a social network. Doesn’t matter. You can start meeting people through online dating from the first day you go to a modern location.

Disadvantages of online dating
It wouldn’t be fair to say that online dating is all smiles with no downside. Here are some potential disadvantages to online dating that you should be aware of.
• You need to have some minimum ability to communicate via the written word. With online dating, from writing your profile to writing that first email, all of your initial interactions are conducted via text. Your attempt at online dating won’t bear powerful fruit if the written word is not your strong point or if you tend to be a dull writer. Similarly, if you are former to attracting the opposite sex though you’re ravishing proper looks or ability to be the life of the party, you’ll soon find that those traits mean less online.
• It can cost money. Subscribing to an online dating service will cost you some money. It’s not a substantial amount, but if you’re hard up for cash this is a serious consideration.
• The truth may be stretched a bit. On the Internet the truth can be stretched or downright fabricated. Frequently, men will lie about their height or income and women will lie about their appearance. However, from personal experience, most (but not all) of the women I met online were unbiased with me suggesting that overall people try to be accurate in their descriptions.
• Limited set of people. At risk of pointing out the obvious, it’s worth reminding you that the set of people you’ll be able to meet though online dating services is limited to the those people actually signed up for the service.
• You will need to get offline eventually. Sometimes with online dating it’s easy to derive caught up in sending flirtatious emails back and forth. But eventually you’re going to have to make a move and ask to meet up. If you don’t explain real romantic interest, just like in real life, you’ll wind up in the dreaded friend zone.

Dealing with a long distance relationship
Invariably, when discussing online dating the topic of long distance relationships come up. I have not listed this as a disadvantage because its not, whether you pursue a long distance relationship or not is a choice that will be made by you and your potential boyfriend or girlfriend. Almost all online dating services allow you to limit your search to within a specific geographic radius, so if you aren’t involved in a long distance relationship you don’t have to pursue one. Truth be told, being involved in a long distance relationship is difficult, but not impossible. A complete discussion of how to succeed in any long distance relationship, whether started online or not, is beyond the scope of this article.

Safety concerns
It’s best to come out and say it; there are con artists and stalkers online. You will have to watch out for them. That being said it should be pointed out that these people are a diminutive minority, a very cramped minority. Despite what the occasional narrative produced by the sensationalist media says, online dating services are not in fact populated with creepy stalkers and rapists. If you use your common sense and trust your gut you’ll be able to avoid most problems. Here are a few tips to help keep you safe.
• You should always be careful about sharing personal information (name, address, telephone number, where you work, etc) online. Most online dating services provide their acquire anonymous emailing services to help you own your privacy.
• If anyone pressures you for information, it’s time to cut and run. It’s one thing to ask for a phone number in order to arrange a meet up; it’s unprejudiced creepy if someone demands your phone number after you’ve denied him or her.
• If you don’t feel comfortable meeting yet, then let the person know. Most will be idea. If they aren’t this could be a warning sign and you should consider enchanting on to someone else.
• Watch for behavioral differences. For example, is there a significant difference between how they word their online dating profiles and how they talk in emails?
• Consider asking for two or three recent photos (especially if they don’t have one up). If they constantly do excuses why they can’t something might be fishy.
• When you do meet up, do so in a public place during normal business hours. Lunch and coffee are great first dates.
• If it seems too grand to be moral, it probably is. If the lady in the picture looks like she just walked off a photo shoot, there’s a good chance that she isn’t the person writing the ad.
• Finally, trust your gut. If something seems amiss, there is a well-behaved chance that it is.

Types of online dating services available
Now that we’ve covered all that, you’re probably wondering just what kinds of online dating services are available and how do they work. Numerous online dating services are available, but they can generally be grouped into two different kinds, profile based and personality based.

Profile based online dating services characteristics:
• You create a profile that consists essentially of a photograph of yourself and a brief description of yourself.
• Easy to browse though other’s profiles.
• Excellent choice for people interested in casual dating. Can also be effective for those interested in serious long-term relationships.
• Works well for both small and tremendous communities and geographic regions.
• Examples: Match.com, Yahoo Personals, Lavalife

Personality based online dating services characteristics:
• You complete an extensive personality questionnaire.
• You are then alerted of suggested matches.
• Can be slow. Depending on your personality it may be a while before the program can match you with someone.
• Pleasant choice for people who are serious about beginning a long-term relationship.
• Poor choice for individuals involved in casual dating.
• Works best if you have a large geographic range or live in a major metropolitan area.
• Examples: eHarmony.com, Chemistry.com

These online dating sites (mainly the profile based ones) have spawned a large variety of specialty online dating services targeted to almost any specific characteristic. There are sites for Christian dating, Jewish Dating, dating based on almost any religion, gay dating, military dating, ethnic dating, dating based on common hobbies, dating for seniors, dating in specific cities, and even dating for people already in relationships. The list is in fact far more exhaustive than this. Just type ‘any characteristic’ and ‘dating’ into Google and you’ll probably accept a match.

While most online dating services require payment in order to actually meet people a number of new free sites have popped up. One such position, OkCupid.com recruits its audience though a battery of often-hilarious user created tests, provides space to make a profile and even allows users to write blog posts. It pays for itself through banner advertising and donations. While free online dating sites like this are fun, they do come with a downside. Most of the people who sign up are there for the social networking aspect of the status rather than the dating aspect. This is not to say that love cannot be found on a free online dating site, but personally I feel that you get what you pay for when it comes to online dating. The simple fact is that once people are willing to throw down money for something they tend to treat it as a much more serious endeavor.

Making online dating work (aka: the secrets of success)
If you decided that online dating is something you wish to pursue, these are some tips to collect the most out of your experience.
• Assembling a apt personal ad is vital and extensive advice on this is given below.
• Be sure to post a photo. Most people like to have some conception of what the person they are talking to looks like.
• Don’t be afraid to initiate contact. Ladies, this includes you. In the online dating world you can’t sit around and hope that interesting people will come to you. If you see someone you like don’t be stunned to contact them.
• Confidence counts. Just like in trusty life, confidence counts with online dating. If your profile and emails convey confidence you’re going to be much more likely to succeed.
• Dating is a numbers game. Its true in the real world and it’s true of online dating as well. You will regain rejections, possibly many of them. Don’t give up.
• Keep realistic expectations. At its core, online dating is just another way of meeting people. Online dating is not some kind of magical system that guarantees that you’ll meet the guy or girl of your dreams. Few people ever have that opportunity in their life.
• Don’t forget about the real world. Life can be funny sometimes. Fair because you’re putting a lot of effort into finding love though online dating doesn’t mean that there aren’t great people in the offline world as well.

Assembling a good personal ad
A good personal ad is the foundation of online dating success. It’s what gets people interested in you and motivates them to contact you. An online dating profile consists of two main parts, the pictures and the biography. Profiles may also include less well-known parts such as short acknowledge questions (Record your education? Job? Religious belifes? etc) and survey questions (select your hair color, height, pets, etc.) Guidelines for winning personal ads are broken down by segment.

Picking a username and a tagline
The very first things you are going to have to do as you assemble your online dating profile are to take a username and write a tagline. Whether you chose a mundane or witty username is up to you, but do try to avoid picking names that are too esoteric or weird. Also avoid alternating capital and lower case letters, those are irritating to look at and do not make you look cool. The tagline is a several word description of your profile, such as ’seeking a great girl for fun and adventure’ or ‘just a lady looking for love.’ If you can advance up with a witty tagline to draw people in, more power to you, otherwise I would recommend a combination of honesty and brevity.

Using pictures in online dating profiles
Posting a picture is an absolute must. Online dating ads with pictures get many more responses than those without them. In fact, most online dating services have an option that allows users to filter out any ads that don’t have a picture posted. Often sites allow you to post multiple pictures with one functioning as your main profile picture and the others as supplementary pictures for viewers to browse through. The main picture is the most important one, because it’s usually the first part of the online dating profile that anyone bothers to peer at. In fact people will often make snap judgments based solely on the main narrate. Does that mean you should rep your photos taken professionally or have no hope if you don’t look like a model. Certainly not, but you should follow the advice I’ve listed below.

A main picture should:
• Be a good portrait shot of your smiling face. Smiles are notable as people respond better to a smiling individual than to a deadpan or frowning person.
• Be fresh. Photos of how you looked a decade ago objective won’t cut it.
• Should be a picture of only you. Try to crop out as many distracters as you can. Friends, family and landscapes don’t belong in the main picture.

A main picture should NOT:
• Be a landscape shot. The focus should be on you, not your cool vacation spot.
• Be a group shot. Once again the reader is interested in you, not your friends or family.
• Be a close up on your eye or other body part. This isn’t artistic, its creepy looking.
• Be a photo of something other than you. This means no pictures of flowers, anime girls, avatars of any kind, famous landmarks or arcane symbols. Some of these sound humorous, but I’ve seen them all.

Supplementary pictures (those that aren’t used for the main profile picture) can be a gargantuan way to showcase your style and personality. Here are a few pointers on choosing the appropriate pictures for your online dating profile.
• Avoid group shots. There is nothing inherently wrong with a group photo of you surrounded by your friends or family, however posting pictures of other people online without their consent is a bit disrespectful to them.
• Indicate yourself in different attire or settings. Consider posting pictures that show how do you look at work, out for a night on the town, or lounging around at home.
• If you’ve got a cut pet, show it here. Everyone loves cute animals.
• Bait shots. These are pictures, not necessarily of you but definitely about you, that are designed to spark conversation. You could post pictures related to a frosty vacation location (Aztec ruins in Mexico, St. Mark’s in Venice) you went to or one that showcases a hobby or talent of yours (anything from cooking to skydiving works).

Writing a good biography for online dating
The biography is an opportunity for you to write several paragraphs of text about yourself. After the picture, this is the next most important part of your personal ad. Different online dating services provide different amounts of station for you to write about yourself. For example, Match.com provides ample space while eHarmony.com provides just a few lines. The biography is your chance to shine. It’s your chance to let your personality come out while you talk a bit about who you are and relate what you are looking for in a potential date.

Don’t be timid to browse other users biographies to get a feel for what is good and what isn’t. How can you region a awful biography? That’s easy. If you read it and have no belief how to acknowledge to it in an email short of “I think you’re interesting” then it’s a dreadful biography.

Make sure you try and do the following when writing up your online dating biography:
• Be humorous and witty. Getting people to laugh is a great way to derive them interested in you. If you aren’t normally a funny individual don’t force it.
• Be civil. Be polite and refrain from using profanity. If you act crass on an online dating ad, people will assume that’s how you are in real life.
• Use proper spelling, grammar and punctuation. If you write like a 13-year-old AOLer people will think you have a maturity level to match it. When people write something seriously, such as an résumé or essay they attach effort into it. If your online dating ad conveys a decided lack of effort then you can expect readers to consider that you will put the same lack of wretchedness into the relationship.
• Be truthful. At first thought, it may seem like lying will get you more responses, however deem the downside. With online dating, people begin to create a mental image of you based on your profile. When they finally meet you they will compare you to that mental image. If those two don’t match up, there won’t be a second date. People don’t like being lied to.
• Focus on your strengths. This is a major advantage to online dating; effect sure you expend it to its fullest. Use your profile to highlight what you are estimable at and what people should find interesting about you.
• Mention your passions. Passions bring out excitement and confidence in the person discussing them. And we know that excitement and confidence are keys to triggering attraction.
• Be selective. A personal ad is not the place for you to write up your complete memoirs. Briefly hit the highlights you want a potential date to know about you.
• Update your profile frequently. While your profile isn’t a blog and doesn’t need to be updated daily, you should revisit it every two or three weeks. These are great opportunities to tweak your online dating profile by taking out things that may not be helping you, rewording clunky sentences and adding new material.

Some things to avoid when writing an online dating biography:
• Don’t be boring. Don’t exclusively use phrases such as “I like to sleep, listen to music and go out with friends.” Almost everyone on the planet likes to do these things. These really don’t set you apart from anyone else.
• Don’t write exhaustively long lists. Some people are prone to filling up their profile with lists describing every band, TV show, or other thing that they love. Don’t do this; you want your profile to convey your personality not an itemized list of your CD collection.
• Don’t be crude or crass. If you act like an uncultured jackass when writing an ad for online dating, one can only begin to imagine what you act like normally. And it isn’t good.
• Don’t be obsessive about your passions. While being passionate about something can attract people too you, being obsessive about it can turn them away. For example if you like horses you should write about that that. However, you should not write paragraph after paragraph about horses. Once your potential date starts to realize that they have to compete with your obsession they’ll start thinking twice about you.
• Leave your baggage at home. Everyone has baggage. That crazy ex, a messed up family life, whatever. Don’t let those get anywhere near your online dating profile. Nothing says ’stay away’ in the world of online dating like displaying your emotional baggage.

What if you really are a dull person who only likes to sleep and listen to CDs? Or you really are obsessed with something? That doesn’t mean you’re out of luck in the world of online dating. No. Writing a good profile is akin to luminous which cards to play and how to play them. Consider writing your bio humorously or including funny anecdotes or personal stories. If you are at a complete loss for creativity, ask a friend to back you out.

So just how big should a bio allotment be? It’s better for your online dating personal ad to be longer rather than shorter. You don’t want your bio to be so terse that it borders on non-existent. Two to three paragraphs should be sufficient. If you happen to be a particularly adept wordsmith, don’t be afraid to go longer. So long as the reader isn’t bored to tears by the raze, you’re fine. Lastly, don’t ramble on endlessly about anything in your online dating profile. Make each point clearly and move onto the next.

Using deal breaker statements in online dating profiles
The expend of deal breaker statements in your online dating profile can be a helpful way to limit the number of people who respond to your ad. However, using them is not without risks. Assume of deal breaker statements as anything you purposefully say that may have the effect of instantaneously making someone uninterested in you. Most statements are not deal breakers. For example, “I like Counting Crows” is unlikely to turn anyone off. What will turn people off are statements involving religion, politics, children, pets, smoking, alcohol and drugs.

You can write a deal breaker in either a positive or negative way. An example of a positively worded deal breaker in an online dating ad would be “I’m looking to date a suitable Christian man with a strong sense of faith.” A negatively worded statement would be something like “Don’t bother contacting me if you’re a Democrat.” If you don’t have strong feelings about religion or politics I would refrain from using these in your profile. On the other hand I would recommend being upfront in your online dating profile about the presence of children, pets, smoking and drugs. I also recommend phrasing any potential deal breaker in a definite light because readers overall are turned off by negative statements. Yes, even readers who may otherwise be interested in you can be turned off by negativity.

Deal breakers should only be use to exclude people you absolutely know you won’t be compatible with. They should not be used to eliminate everyone other than your ideal dream date. For example, stating, “I’m looking for 5′7″ blond haired athletic female with a gargantuan chest who is a good cook and has a passion for the arts” comely much excludes everyone who may ever approach across your personal ad and guarantees failure in the online dating world.

Short answer questions and gawk items on online dating ads
Many online dating services include short answer questions and glimpse items for you to fill out. Here are a few guidelines for these items.
• Be truthful. Nothing is more important than being truthful in a relationship. If you can’t even get through your online dating personal without lying, one can only imagine what you’ll be like in a relationship. And seriously, if you could stand to lose a few (40) pounds don’t select ‘about average’ on the body type question.
• Don’t be afraid to be redundant. It’s okay if your short acknowledge questions repeat some of the info stated in your online dating biography.
• Select spacious ranges for any questions in the ‘about my match’ area. This area is for you to mention what you would find acceptable in a date, it’s not for you to portray the guy or girl who exists only in your imagination. If say you only want to meet men who are 6′ tall or greater, you’d better have a really good reason for saying this because you are excluding lots of great guys.

Responding to online dating ads
All online dating services allow you to respond to ads. Personality based online dating services often employ guided communication at first where you and your potential date first evaluate each other based on answers to a series of short retort questions. After this you move onto inaugurate communication, which is objective a treasure way of saying email. Profile based online dating services employ two different communication methods. The first is just a simple ‘I’m enthusiastic in you’ email. These go by the different names depending on the online dating service, some of which are winks, woos, nudges and flirts. You can do these for free. In order to be able to send emails (usually receiving is free) online dating services require you to pay membership dues. Keep in mind that all the guidelines mentioned above for writing a good online dating profile apply to email as well.

Meeting for the first time
Once you get to the first meet up you’re crossing over from the world of online dating to the world of real life dating. You should believe setting up your first date at a public place during normal business hours for safety reasons. Lunches or coffee together are great ideas. Also keep your first date brief, light and fun. That’s it, from this point on the rest is up to you.

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However, this does not mean that online dating is completely bereft of fraud and scam danger. Actually, there is a wide range of online dating fraud and scams and it is imperative that you be aware of them when engaging into online dating with ladies from foreign countries.

One of the best examples of online dating frauds or scams is when people you correspond with women who fake their identity. There have been many cases where foreign men corresponded with a beautiful looking lady, who turned out to be a young man or a married woman. If you decide to acquire your Ukrainian dates using dating web sites that have not been recommended to you, you run the risk of becoming a victim of such online dating scammers.

That is why I am so motivated to write this article. I’ve had my share of horror stories until I hooked up with Ukraine Sweethearts. It’s been a blessing that I found them at all because there seems to be thousands of these “scam sites” on the internet!

Of course, it is obvious that the biggest danger of online dating is the anonymity of people you correspond with and the biggest challenge of such relationships is building up trust. It is quite a natural desire to trust people we love or have become infatuated with, but when it comes to online dating, a measure of, as Ukrainians say, “healthy” skepticism would do you good. Do not be in a hasten to enjoy everything people say and write in the course of online dating unless, of course you have chosen to sign up with Ukraine Sweethearts.

Another common practice is uploading out of date photos to online portfolios. Both men and women desire to look good on their portfolio pictures and they determine to upload photos taken several years ago. Apparently, their present looks do not fall in line with what you watch on those pictures. This seems to been a case of human nature as it is prevalent in all dating site and personal ads.

There is also another challenge you may have to deal with when dating ladies from other countries online. Some of them ask their men for money and write them about various woes and troubles of their lives. In some cases, it becomes very hard to deny these ladies their requests. However, if you wish to avoid online dating fraud and scams, you should acquire yourself a strict rule: never send much or any money to women you did not meet personally or have not developed a trust with.

If you choose to roll the dice and not check out Ukraine Sweethearts then there are several ways to avoid all such online dating fraud and scams. First of all, try to work only with reputable and larger online dating and match making agencies. GET A REFERRAL FROM SOMEONE YOU KNOW OR TRUST! Next, read carefully all the letters you get and perceive if your ladies are consistent in what they say about themselves and in their answers to your questions.

If you want to avoid a whole lot of aggravation and heartache then you can do as I did. I was lucky enough to run into an associate from my past who told me about Ukraine Sweethearts and for that I am extremely grateful.

And you, well you are lucky enough to be reading this article. Good luck!

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Mars & Venus
Divide the dwelling into different areas for men and woman. Offer gender based tips and hints. Include extras such as what to wear, conversations starters and pickup lines. Or make a even more specific relationship niche website by making all of the content about one sex or the other.

Love’s Stages
Have different sections for different stages of a relationship. Examples include how and where to meet the right guy or girl, advice on first, second, third etc dates, dating exclusively (boyfriend/girlfriend part) and getting serious (asking someone to marry you, how to get some to ask you to marry them etc.).

Love’s Faces
Offer specialty relationship niche sections. Long-distance dating (going away to college or having a deployed boyfriend/girlfriend in the military), online dating (tips on profiles, safety etc) and information and reviews for matchmaking services are just some of the ideas for a dating advice website.

Meet & Greet
Have a discussion or forum area for people with like interests to congregate and talk to one another. For example, car lovers can have threads that discuss local and national car shows while pet lovers can start threads for their accepted type of animals. Include posts from you that offer advice in this area, links to sites that cater to particular personalities etc.

Help Others While You Help Yourself
Offer to acknowledge readers questions in a special section of the forums or through email. Not only does this personalize the site even further, allowing the visitors to feel even more tempted to visit and score the answers to just life relationship dilemmas and drama; the questions you catch with these ideas for a dating advice website can spark inspiration for future articles.

Click here on “How to Build a Website” to search AC for technical tips and more.

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A mail order bride agency works by listing women who want to marry a foreign man. The largest number of women come from Russia, the Ukraine, and the Philippines. The Philippines outlawed mail order brides in 1990 with runt effect. Agencies simply put out reverse catalogues listing men who wished to get married. They also set up so-called “pen pal” sites. It is estimated that around 4,000 to 6,000 women a year immigrate through mail order bride agencies.

Mail order bride agencies are almost totally unregulated and no background checks are done on either the prospective bride or groom. Women who have no intention of marrying them can cheat prospective grooms out of their money. Soon after a correspondence has started, the woman says she is in love with the man. A little while later she may say she needs money for an operation or a family crisis. She may also request money to buy airline tickets to reach to the U.S. All of these are warning signs and the best advise to the men is don’t send money.

Mail order brids srisk getting stuck in an abusive marriage or even in forced prostitution. The latter is the reason that the Philippines outlawed the mail order bride business. In 1996, Congress passed a law protecting mail order brides. If they could prove abuse, mail order brides could leave their husbands without dismay of deportation.

The mail order bride agencies produce money by charging the men three to six dollars per name, address, and phone number. Others may charge for whole catalogues that cost from $120 to $1850 per catalogue. An estimated 50,000 to 10,000 catalogues are sent out each year for Russian brides. Another draw they make money is to charge $3000 to $5000 for a “romance” tour of the bride’s country. A third service is a charge for interpreting letters, e-mails, and phone calls.

Mail order brides enter the country on a “fiancée” visa. In 2003 the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services issued 17,363 “fiancée” visas, 7968 from Asia and 4714 from Europe. When the marriage occurs, the USCIS requires supporting evidence of “good faith” marriage such as wedding and vacation photos, love letters, joint bank accounts, bills, and insurance policies. After three months of marriage, the wife can find a green card and at this time the number of mail order brides who leave their husbands increases. After two years of marriage, the bride is granted an unconditional permanent residence and another rise in separation occurs.

Who are these mail order brides and who are the prospective grooms? According to a study by David Ledlick, the men are while, well educated, and relatively prosperous. They want women with “traditional values.” They don’t want women with their fill careers and expect that their mail order brides will be happy as a homemaker, asking for nothing more than a husband, home, and family. Ledlick thinks they are looking for control more than for a loving relationship.

Miles Glodova studied 30 couples and found only two close in age, all the others were 20 to 50 years apart in age.

The mail order brides are looking for a better life in the U.S. but they are also looking for a good husband and have heard that American men make good husbands. They say that men from their own countries cheat, are abusive, or ignore their wives.

Eighty percent of all marriages between an American man and a foreign woman last.

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Online dating can be a rather slippery slope and it’s always tough to find the honest people versus the posers. The following are some ways that others use to weed some of the fakers online and to protect themselves when actually meeting someone in real life.

Gape if the spot where you met them has some kind of forum or chatroom. Often dating sites offer a way to interact with others on the site. This is a good way to net out about someone who has been around the site a good deal. While it’s not written in stone, most who are players will have been around a bit and somebody will know something about them. Online dating is the easiest residence for a player to find someone who has no notion what kind of person they really are but most also tend to a bit arrogant in their wanderings.

Ask for a photo.  Not just any photo but one that can be taken while you are online with this person. Most people have either a digital camera or a webcam both can lift pictures. As the person to maintain up a share of paper with the days date or an oddball phrase that only you can come up with. This will verify that the person you are talking with is really the sex they claim they are among other physical features such as stout head of hair, weight, etc….

Once you have established that the person is basically what they are claiming and you know their favorite food along with the fact that they have twelve cats you might feel ready to give out your phone number. Be wary of this. Just because someone is taking care of their eighty year old grandmother and volunteers in a soup kitchen does not gain them either nice or sane. Public phones or disposable cell phones are a proper option for phone calls until you become comfortable with the person on the other end.
Don’t give out your home or work number including fax numbers until you know you have a sane person on the other end.
Once the two of you have established that you would like to take things further then give out basic information such as full name and real telephone numbers. If the person is calling you from a number that blocks caller ID, do not accept the call.

So now you have gotten through the initial chat and phone calls and now you want to meet this person because you are sure you have met the love of your life. Choose a area to meet, do not go to their home and do not have them meet at yours. Pick a public station at a time that you know there will be many people around. Suggest each of you bring a friend. While some may take exception but I suggest bringing someone of the opposite sex, this person can be related to you such as a sibling or cousin. Most of us can point out posers if we go in without expectation, bringing in an outsider who has no agenda but your welfare is always a well-behaved idea.

When you do meet this person make sure someone else knows where you are going and who you will be with. Give them names and phone numbers and have check in times scheduled until you catch home. If you fail to check in they are to contact the authorities immediately.

Also leave a message on your answering machine, voicemail and email with the exact details of your plans and the information you have on this person including their screen name and email address.

Take your time and trust your gut. If something feels wrong it probably is. If statements don’t ring true they probably are not. Online dating can lead to wonderful relationships but you must use good judgment and be very careful about the people you get involved with. You don’t have to rush into anything and if the other person is pushing for you to make a commitment too quickly that is a huge red flag. Go at your own pace and do what feels right for you. Listen to friends and family if they express concerns about certain behavior and always listen to your own instincts. If you pay attention to them they will seldom lead you wrong.

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However, this does not mean that online dating is completely bereft of fraud and scam danger. Actually, there is a wide range of online dating fraud and scams and it is imperative that you be aware of them when engaging into online dating with ladies from foreign countries.

One of the best examples of online dating frauds or scams is when people you correspond with women who fake their identity. There have been many cases where foreign men corresponded with a beautiful looking lady, who turned out to be a young man or a married woman. If you determine to find your Ukrainian dates using dating web sites that have not been recommended to you, you run the risk of becoming a victim of such online dating scammers.

That is why I am so motivated to write this article. I’ve had my share of horror stories until I crooked up with Ukraine Sweethearts. It’s been a blessing that I found them at all because there seems to be thousands of these “scam sites” on the internet!

Of course, it is obvious that the biggest danger of online dating is the anonymity of people you correspond with and the biggest challenge of such relationships is building up trust. It is quite a natural desire to trust people we like or have become infatuated with, but when it comes to online dating, a measure of, as Ukrainians say, “healthy” skepticism would do you good. Do not be in a accelerate to believe everything people say and write in the course of online dating unless, of course you have chosen to brand up with Ukraine Sweethearts.

Another popular practice is uploading out of date photos to online portfolios. Both men and women desire to look satisfactory on their portfolio pictures and they decide to upload photos taken several years ago. Apparently, their present looks do not fall in line with what you see on those pictures. This seems to been a case of human nature as it is prevalent in all dating space and personal ads.

There is also another challenge you may have to deal with when dating ladies from other countries online. Some of them ask their men for money and write them about various woes and troubles of their lives. In some cases, it becomes very hard to deny these ladies their requests. However, if you wish to avoid online dating fraud and scams, you should make yourself a strict rule: never send much or any money to women you did not meet personally or have not developed a trust with.

If you choose to roll the dice and not check out Ukraine Sweethearts then there are several ways to avoid all such online dating fraud and scams. First of all, try to work only with reputable and larger online dating and match making agencies. Salvage A REFERRAL FROM SOMEONE YOU KNOW OR TRUST! Next, read carefully all the letters you get and see if your ladies are consistent in what they say about themselves and in their answers to your questions.

If you want to avoid a whole lot of aggravation and heartache then you can do as I did. I was lucky enough to urge into an associate from my past who told me about Ukraine Sweethearts and for that I am extremely grateful.

And you, well you are lucky enough to be reading this article. Pleasant luck!

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Step 1: Effect a crazy filter.

This is relatively simple. If you are trying to filter out the completely crazy people from this, you should create a fake screen name or email address. A fake email isn’t as important since you send emails through the websites, but emailing is not as quick or personal as an IM is. Create a fake screen name, so you can chat with them. Do not give them your real screen name until after you’ve met them because that will be the big test.

Step 2: Finding a website

The most notable thing you need to do when you attempt to find a website is say to yourself, “What Do I really want,” and then go from there. If you are just looking for sex, I would recommend craigslist or plentyoffish (for the non adult dating sites), but the truth is, if you’re smooth and you want to get laid any site will do. The more serious you get, the more money you are willing to spend which is why eharmony charges an obscene amount. Now here approach the pros and cons

Craigslist: Craigslist isn’t really a dating location, and I wouldn’t really take it seriously if you want to fall in cherish. The truth is, I’ve met a few people on craigslist and whenever I post a half-hearted personal ad or copy my match profile, I pick up about 20 responses. 10 of the responses are almost always the same people, no matter how often I post, 2 or 3 of them are usually people who are just bored searching for apartments or jobs and came across the personals, and the remaining 3 or 4 people are actually interesting. As a matter of fact, I honest posted with an “I’m tired of meeting men pretending to be women, or socially inept retards. Email me if you’re not one of them,” and the emails I’ve received thus far consist of

1. I would love the opportunity to please you. This is your standard homosexual male trying to solicit straight men for sex, while doing no work at his government job, which is where he emailed me from. This happens semi-frequently.

2. aim= _____ This is where a girl is so desperate she just wants to give her screen name out rather than portray her rather boring life.

3. > >hi =O) Why would you want to chat with someone who could only come up with “Hi”

4. hi my name is Laura and I am 21years old. I have recently moved to NH and am looking for a LTR. I am a little on the heavy side, but I have a big heart, am honest, loving and caring. I have pics on myspace. Please let me know if you want to see them. I am not going to lie; this is the best one I received thus far. She actually took the time to type out a legible email, and I probably would have responded if this wasn’t the fourth ad she responded and to her, “a miniature on the heavy side,” means a little over 250 lbs.

Now back to craigslist. They do have a section for casual encounters there, but do not; I inform do not use this section. It is filled with cheerful guys and undercover cops trying to catch prostitutes. You will rep screwed over in this section. Also, it should be known that I posted as a w4m recently just to test a few things. For one, receiving 60 emails in the course of 2 hours is ridiculous to me. 43 of the guys either sent me a record of them naked or just sent a solitary penis picture or just talked about sex a lot. The other 17 guys got an email from saying, “Sorry I posted in the wrong part.”

If you’re going to respond to ads instead of posting one, I suggest a template email. Said template email is for every site. The templates are found at step 3.

Plentyoffish.com. Pros: 1. when you log in, it shows the last 10 people who checked their email within a certain mileage of you.2. The forums there are a great place to get profile advice, as well as a qualified laugh out of some of the people.3. It has an option to IM people who are currently online.4. It tells you the status of your email to someone (Unread, Unread deleted, Read, Read Deleted, or Replied) so you can tell “Hey they deleted it without reading it, fuck them”Cons1. The search engine is limited2. The people there are some of the weirdest I’ve ever come across.3. People are more open about being crazy issues infested bitches on here. I really wouldn’t be using this situation, but the forums are extremely challenging.

Okcupid This is the best free site out there, but it has a catch. The catch is that a lot of people there are just there to select tests, which is fine, but emailing them sometimes results in a “Ha-ha you loser, you’re trying to meet people online.” There is not much else to say about this site, other than its expedient and attracts the better people from Okcupid and some of the good paid site people as well. YahooPros:1. If you email someone, it will tell you if you’ve emailed them if you ever click on their name again it will tell you if you’ve previously emailed them.2. Better selection than free dating sites. 3. It allows you to sort your results by distance.4. Cheaper than matchCons1.You can only remove 250 people from a search2.You need to enter a security code to email anyone, making it a long process. 3. Half the people here are also on match.

Match.com

Pros
1. You can delete people from search as soon as you email them, making it a lot easier to not double email someone and there is no limit to the amount of people you block.
2. No security code needed, thus emailing people is a lot faster.
3. A lot more people than the other websites.

Cons
1.It doesn’t tell you if you’ve already emailed someone.
2.You can only wink at a limited amount of people per day.

Eharmony

I’m not going to spend worthy time talking about this website, other than to say I think its ridiculously expensive, takes too long to accumulate in contact with people, and is geared towards people who want to marry the next person they meet.

Other sites: American Singles or Friendfinder are the only other dating websites I’d recommend while trying to meet people, although the Jewish community looks highly upon jdate and I know they have sites specifically geared towards gay people, minorities and the like if those appeal to you. Myspace, Facebook, and blog sites are also places you can meet people, but a lot of people there would rather not be bothered.

Step 3: Emailing a person for the first time.

When you initiate the process and would like to email a person, I highly suggest sending a semi-templated email out. Mine are not obvious because they address the persons profile while having the basic structure already there for you.

Template #1: This gets the most responses because people love to talk about themselves.

Hey there, I really liked your ad. (Mention two reasons why you liked their ad)So what do you think about (A list of 5-10 things not covered in her ad that you would like to know about. I’d suggest 7 things, 5 of them being things you bask in and 2 being things you don’t like) Follow that sentence up with “I know this is random, but randomness is a huge way to start conversation”And finally, ask if they have a screen name.

Don’t ask for it; just ask if they have it. DO NOT ASSUME THAT BECAUSE THEY DON’T GIVE IT TO YOU IMMEDIATELY THAT THEY ARE NOT INTERESTED. Someone who gives it out immediately is most likely crazy or a whore, so stick with those who are hesitant to give it out.

Template #2: This got the best responses, because people found it to be a good email. This is also a well-behaved thing to use as your craigslist post if you decide to post there.

Hello,

I’ve been sitting here for 20 minutes trying to decidewhat to write. Do I tell you about me and who I am? Or do I sigh you what I want to meet? Maybe just throw abunch of corny pickup lines in this email and see ifyou laugh hard enough to respond? Maybe I should tell you that I almost put “(Totally random thing you like) is the key to my heart” in my actual personal title?

I’m not looking for random sexual encounters, and I’vebeen burned by enough women who used me as a revengeto get back at asshole ex.’s of theirs to know I haveto and should treat any woman I date like the goddessshe deserves to be treated as and not the piece ofmeat she so often is treated like.

My ideal first date is meeting at a coffee shop or icecream parlor. Why, you ask? I want to go on a datewith someone that allows you time to talk to eachother, but also allows for an out. If you go out todinner, you feel obligated to stay through dinner, butafter coffee or ice cream is finished, you have a wayto leave if you’re just not feeling it. Also the halfhour required is good if planned early in the night sothat you can effect impromptu movie/comedy show plans inadvance.

Maybe I’m weird, but I like my conception.

Anyways, (basic description of yourself) so email me and we’ll get to knoweach other.

Step 4: Creating a profile

When you go to create a profile, you need to know a few things.

1. Do not talk about video games in your profile. I don’t care if you like them or not, but talking about video games will scare women. Most women recently are afraid of losing the guys attention to a video game.

2. On Okcupid, it asks what you use your time on Friday nights doing. A goon showed me his profile last night and he made a slightly depressing joke about how he is sometimes out but usually in his warm bed watching the discovery channel. The importance of a personal ad is to sell yourself while being as honest as possible. Small lies like that are not big deals.

3. Post at least 3 pictures. Your primary record should be a burly body shot where you’re obviously posing, and the rest of the pictures don’t really matter.

4. In descend down menus, do not put “Prefer not to say,” because if I study at the smoking question and see that I am going to think “Hey she is ashamed of it so she’s trying to avoid the question. At this point, I’ll either block the profile or just send one out saying she smokes.

5.Answer every expect. When I come across a profile that is clearly halfassed, I’m not going to respond. I don’t want to talk to someone who can’t take the time to write their top 5 movies/music/tv shows etc.

6.Profiles all in capital letters, or with lots of misspellings are turnoffs to a lot of people so type your profile up in MSword before you post it. Don’t post a personal ad saying “I just left my boyfriend and I am 22 weeks pregnant but I hope that doesn’t scare you,” because nobody is going to respond.

7. Never burn bridges with anyone. If someone emails you and you don’t find them attractive, just email them back and say you met someone. Burning bridges in life is one of the worst things you could possibly do.

8. While it may be important to fill your profile, if you make it too long, it will be glossed over.

9.When you receive an email, always respond with answers to their questions (if you’re interested) and follow up with something to break the ice like….”What is the worst aspect about you.”

10. Pretend you’re on a fucking job interview. Be on your game at all times.

Step 5: Planning a date

Basically, if you’re going to meet someone online or idea on meeting a lot of people, you should do research. Ice Cream Parlors or Coffee shops are a great idea, but the best idea is to meet at a bookstore which has a coffee shop in it. My view though is this: In Burlington we have a Barnes and Noble with a Starbucks inside it. Next door to B&N is a restaurant and next to that is a movie theater. So I ALWAYS try to meet there. It’s just easy to have a plan in your head of “Hey, we’ll chill in B&N for a bit and then catch dinner and a movie,” but also knowing that you might not catch along in person is necessary. That is why you should only go somewhere quick for the first time. It alleviates any guilt if you want to end it.

Secondly, it helps if you make the meeting place a place within 10-15 minutes of at least one of your friends so if the date goes horribly wrong, you can take a bathroom crash and ask for back.

Step 6: Salubrious TIPS

1. If you’re chatting with a girl and she isn’t really being too chatty she is either
A: Uptight
B: Unimaginative and has no communication skills
C:Already talking to other people or
D: She started a relationship since signing up and is unbiased humoring you.

2. You need to remember that you’re not the only one in a girl you’re talking to online’s life. She could be talking to 15-20 people in the same timeframe trying to figure out who she wants to date. It is not something to get aroused at, it just a fact of life. Internet dating is like trial and error/process of elimination to a grand scale comparable only to the second you coast into a bar and scan all the women/men there.

3. Tag up for $140 6 month membership at match.com, because if you don’t meet anyone after six months, you can obtain the next 6 months free.

4. If you are a guy, don’t wait for an email. 3 out of 4 times we have to email the women. It sucks, but it is how our society works.

5. If you are a girl, email the guy. Stop making us do most of the work.

6. You need to remember a lot of people signed up on these sites because they were bored, someone dared them to, they just want to test the waters, they wanted to be flirted with but not meet anyone, or for various other reasons not relationship like. Hell some people fair want people to talk to while at work.7. If you see someone you went to HS with, execute sure to email them especially if you didn’t get along with them so that they will always be nice to you because they’ll be scared you’ll tell everyone you saw them on the internet.

Step 7: Frequently asked Questions

Q: How long should I wait before giving them my cloak name, and then trying to meet them? A: Well, I’ve done it all. I’ve received hide names immediately and had failed internet expeditions multiple times. I’ve also found waiting too long gets boring and whatever relationship you’ve built on the internet will falter. Basically 3 months should be your general limit for meeting someone. I would do the email thing for 20 emails or 2 weeks (whichever is first) before going to IM’s and then continuing with the chat for another 2 weeks before getting a phone number. 2 weeks after that is the perfect time to meet because you’ve already had 6 weeks to get to know one another and you can tell what she’s all about. Too snappy and when you meet you get too grand awkward silence. Too long and you’ll run out of things to talk about.

Q: Why should I meet people online?
A: There are many reasons. For one, you can choose from a greater number of people than you can at a bar on any given night. Two, you can filter them quickly. Three, you don’t want to date someone you work with and the internet is a perfectly expedient situation to meet people now.

Q: Is craigslist safe?
A: Not really. Before I respond to emails, I usually search the email addresses on myspace to check if they’re crazy or not. They usually are, but I’ve had some good ones.

Q: Do attractive women exhaust the internet?
A: Yes, now they do. It’s a current fad, so of course they would.

Q: Are there differences in the types of people you met as you go site to region?
A: Obviously. Free sites will attract people who don’t have as much money. People with kids, HS dropouts. Match and Yahoo are pretty much the same type of people.

Q: Where do I go if I just want some friends?
A: Strictly Platonic section of craigslist is a noble start, but a lot of people there will just try to fuck you. Meetup.com is a generous place to find people with similar interests.

Q: How careful do I have to be?
A: Pretty careful. Always meet in a public place. Never give your last name or address until you meet them. Chill in your car until they get to where you’re going to meet them so you can see if they’re actually two guys about to rob you.

Q: Do you have any great experiences?
A: I fell in love with someone I met online, and then drove 300 miles for 2 months to see her but then I got sick of distance and ended it. Unbiased as soon as I did that she met another guy and got married. Biggest regret ever.

Q: Have you met a lot of crazies?
A: Yes, but the number is probably the same statistically as those you’d meet in actual life. A lot of girls had baggage up the wazoo but in the end only a few girls were truly insane.

Q: What is the scariest thing that ever happened to you as far as meeting people online
A: Pregnancy dismay twice, having a knife pulled on me, going to a localized chat room group meet and getting pulled over by cops while I had a gang member in my car, fooling around with a lying 13 year old when I was 18 and then finding out how old she was later, and finding out a girl I was semi-serious with used to be a child prostitute.

Q: How many times have you met groups of 2 or more people?
A: I went to a Goonmeet last month and met 10 people, 11 people from a Boston chat room a few years back, 6 more people at another time. Facebook group club meetup had a few people and I’ve met people who brought multiple friends along before.Q: Good experiences? A: I have a few good friends that I met online and tried to date, or people I’ve met through online people that I became friends with.

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The book gets its name from the website Reed’s buddies set up for him. Fittingly, Robin Friedman, the author of PROJECT, contacted me after she found my blog online. I hope you have as much fun reading this interview as I had conducting it, and that you have as fun reading the book when it comes out in April as Robin had writing it!

Was it easy or difficult for you to get into the mindset of a seventeen-year-old guy?

It was easy for me to write from a boy’s point of understanding, but it was hard for me to trust my own instincts, which is why I showed the novel to several teenage boys, for their feedback. My editor, who very conveniently has a seventeen-year-old son, did the same, and I was thrilled to get “the okay” from this audience, whose input I value so much.

Throughout all of Reed’s dates and mistakes, he doesn’t do anything really beyond kissing. The story’s focus is on the emotional aspect of dating rather than the physical. (I’d give this book a PG rating only because of the beverages served at the party.) Did you intend to keep the snarl and tone light and clean?

That was a deliberate move on my part. I wholeheartedly support authors who write mature content and language, but I wanted my anecdote to be wholesome, sweet, and innocent, because it seemed to best deem my main character’s personality.

Ronnie and Lonnie, Reed’s best friends, create THE GIRLFRIEND PROJECT website: http://www.thegirlfriendproject.com The book contains posts made at the plot as well as IM conversations between the teenaged characters. What tips can you give young readers regarding internet safety?

This is a very important issue for both teens and adults, with so grand of our world today being “wired.” I would advise teens to never reveal any personal information online, to turn to an adult for help when something seems bizarre, intrusive, or uncomfortable, to never meet anyone in person that they met online without thoroughly discussing it with adults first,and to always realize people on the other end of the computer may not be who they say they are.

The real site includes Dating Disasters. How did you entice authors to submit their ultra-embarrassing real-life stories?

I am so fortunate to belong to several online communities of terrific fellow-authors, and they are always adventurous, generous, and helpful! I admire their courage and creativity . . . you’ll behold I didn’t reveal a Dating Disaster of my own!

As opposed to PYGMALION and stories of that nature, where the character changes to be more socially acceptable, Reed’s physical changes were more natural and accidental. How principal was it to you to convey that he did not intend to be well-liked nor to change his appearance?

This was very indispensable to me. Reed says several times in the novel that he’s still the same person inside, and in the end, that’s the part that matters. I wanted to show the superficiality of appearance, but also its realism. Study after study shows “beautiful people” get better breaks in life. That said, our standards of beauty are always evolving, and while it’s certainly admirable to take pride in one’s appearance, it’s more necessary to devote the same energy – or more – to our insides.

I love that your email address ties-in with the book, but I don’t want to give too much away. Feel free to address it – no pun intended – if you’d like.

I love to garden, and one of my popular plants is flowering onion, which is an astonishingly huge purple globe that sits on a tall green stalk. But that name was taken! So I impulsively chose something else.

You have three published books now, having previously released the tween novel HOW I SURVIVED MY SUMMER VACATION and the picture book THE Peaceful WITNESS. Who is the intended audience for your next book, FINDING WONDER WOMAN?

FINDING WONDER WOMAN is another tween novel with a female protagonist.

Roxanne, who is thirteen years old and was born in Israel, wants nothing more than to be American. As American as Wonder Woman and all the other All-American people she sees on TV – The Brady Bunch, Little House on the Prairie – which Roxanne prefers to real life.

But when new neighbors move into the house next door – called “The Cursed House” because something terrible always happens to anyone who lives there – Roxanne learns the true meaning of fitting in.

Intriguing. Will you ever tackle adult fiction?

I would like to write adult fiction someday. I’ve got some ideas, but first I need to get all these tween/teen stories out of my system. I love being able to write both tween and teen novels – and the occasional picture book. I just sold a teen fresh, PURGE, which is about a seventeen-year-old boy who develops bulimia. It will be published by Flux in 2008.

Congratulations! I will definitely be reading that book.

As a journalist, do you select to write freelance pieces, throw them to the wall, and see what sticks, or work on specific assignments?

Both! Working on assignment is more secure, like being under contract with a book, but is often more deadline-oriented and topic-narrow. Writing “on spec” is risky because your submission may not be accepted, but that’s what persistence is for! Journalism is the perfect point/counterpoint to being a fiction writer. Many novelists, in fact, started in journalism – or remain in it. It constantly exercises the writing muscles, teaches you to meet deadlines, forces you to interact with all kinds of people (helpful and hostile), and makes you a stickler about spelling, grammar, and punctuation. It makes writing seem like a comfortable second nature rather than a scary foreign activity.

It’s evident that you love New Jersey. Your novel, set in Jersey, is peppered with state factoids and incorporates the state motto contest. What’s the most hilarious piece of Jersey trivia you can think of?

I didn’t always love New Jersey! Like most Modern Jerseyans, I considered our set to be a joke. But the more I traveled, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized I was being unfair to the Garden State. It was like that old saying: “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em,” or, “The grass is always greener on the other side.” So I totally embraced my Jersey-ness and have never looked assist!

Indeed. Your website and business card proudly state, “Author, Journalist, and Jersey Girl.” What makes a true Jersey Girl?

- She had to have big hair at one point in her life (and admit it).

- She has to love pizza.

- She has to be able to name at least three Jersey celebrities.

- She has to have a favorite Shore position.

- She has to maintain a healthy distrust of New York.

What are your ten favorite books of all time?

1.
Charlotte’s Web

2.
Gone with the Wind

3.
The Once and Future King

4.
Truman

5.
The Laura Ingalls Wilder books

6.
The Power of One

7.
Speak

8.
Looking for Alaska

9.
Breathing Underwater

10.
Twilight

Visit the author’s official website and MySpace. At the book’s website, thegirlfriendproject.com, you can read the first chapter of the book, discover the dating disasters of other YA authors, and read an interview with the author conducted by the book’s main characters.

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Monster.com

This employment website is one of the 20 most visited websites out of 100 million websites worldwide. It is the largest job search engine in the world, with over a million job postings and over 95 million resumes submitted. You use this website to derive job offers that match your unique skills and location. It is a free job search engine. You sign up, search for jobs in your area, apply for the jobs online, have job offers emailed to you, and even let prospective employers acquire you based off of your resume. There is also a section of the website devoted to offering career advice, as well as a section for information on job fairs and education.

Career Builder

This employment website is the largest online job site in the United States, with more than 23 million unique visitors each month. Much like the previous website, you use the set to find job offers that match your skills and location. You can post your resume and employers can bag you. You can get “job recommendations” from Career Builder also by uploading your resume. There is a feature that allows you to input your “dream job” into the system so that you can rep alerts when a job fitting that description is posted. An advice and resources section is also available, offering general career resources, career fair information, a salary calculator, career testing, and skills training.

Yahoo Hot Jobs

This employment website was voted “Best General Purpose Job Board for Job Seekers” and “Most Recruiter-Friendly General Purpose Site” by job seekers and job recruiters. Also free, it allows users to post up to ten versions of a resume. Job searches can be saved and results can be emailed to users when a posting matches given criteria. Job seekers can also pull up statistics regarding the number of times an employer reviewed their resume, along with a history of sent resumes. There are other sections devoted to career tools like salary calculators, resume building, interview advice and an education center. This website offers “Job Tip of the Day” emails as well.

Job-hunt.org

This website will also relieve you to find possible employers and search jobs. Support groups are available to help you network. Job-Hunt has over 8,000 links to employers and job search resources, including over 6,800 job sites and employers listed by state. You can net online classified ads from local newspapers as well as links to various Craigslist sites, state and local government jobs, educational facilities, state employment offices and a number of other employers and career resources. This website was said to be the “Top Site for Finding Work” according to US News & World Report and is reportedly the “best” site for job hunting according to Forbes and PC Magazine.

Indeed.com

Also a free job search engine, this website takes a “radically different approach to job search.” The site collects jobs from other job sites (Monster, Hot Jobs, CareerBuilder, etc.), employers, major job boards, company career pages, associations, and newspapers, to make one central place to search for jobs and cover online job resources you might not even know about. Indeed.com has reportedly indexed over 50 million jobs a year. You do not apply for the jobs through this website however. You are simply locating the listing to seek where the job is posted. You would then have to go to the correct site to apply if you decided you were enthusiastic in a particular listing. Search for any kind of job you want and find positions within a specific area.

www.craigslist.org

You may have heard of this website before. It has proven quite useful for people successfully finding jobs recently. Craigslist is a giant online classified status that is broken up by situation. In each location employers can post jobs listings. There are over 400 locations to look at on Craigslist. You pick your location and browse the listings. The newest listings will be found at the top of your search. Each location will bring you to a different Craigslist set however, and the quality can vary dramatically. You can also encounter scams on this situation since posting an entry is free and scammers catch advantage of that. There is a place where people can post their resumes also, but understand that this will be visible to anyone who visits the site, including your current boss and possible identity thieves. You want to protect your contact information and any personal details you include if you choose to post your resume.

Simply Hired

This website is a lot like Indeed.com. It gathers job posting for various sites and then structures the findings, allowing users to search for specific keywords, titles, companies, locations, etc. Searches can be further refined to include listings that are newest. You can set criteria for the job listings you’re interested in and can then receive email alerts. An interesting feature is the ability to rate postings. The idea here was to generate enough user ratings to be able to recommend job listings based on how you and others have rated other listings.

Jobster

Here you have a job search engine that allows users to search postings on the site and on job boards and employer sites across the web. Users can create “professional profiles” that contain information about employment and educational history. They can also “ticket” key attributes at Jobster that portray their skills and background. Employers can post for free at Jobster, and each job listing is tagged with key candidate attributes. This allows the website to compile a list of candidates that match employer specifications. Video profiles can be implemented on this site as well, allowing job seekers to add video resumes and other career related videos.

JuJu

This job search website has a “simpler” feel to it. They’re stated goal is to make job searching easier. It is said to provide quick access to jobs found on thousands of employer’s websites and job boards all around the web. It also offers features that help users find jobs they are looking for efficiently in just one place. Once you enter your search criteria a list of possible job positions is compiled. If you find something you like, one click will bring you to the corresponding website so that you can learn more about the job and possibly apply.

Oodle

This website is not only a job searching website, it is the largest classifieds aggregator available online. It collects data from sites like eBay, Rent.com, MySpace, as well as local listings from local newspapers and websites. The dwelling searches in the classifieds categories of cars, real estate, renting, services, personals, merchandise, tickets, pets and jobs. When searching for jobs, you can browse by the site, job title, job category, industry, and company. The more criteria you specify the shorter your list of possible jobs becomes. It is a very simple website to use when searching for a job.

There are many other job searching websites out there. These ten should get you started however.

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