Oz Dating

The speed dating event for book lovers looks set to be one of the more popular variations on that theme. An event very much like this "read dating" night was held in the National Library of Australia.

I wrote earlier about how the old fashioned Aussie bloke is making a comeback with women, becoming more popular than the ubiquitous metrosexual.

So popular, in fact, that one of Australia's leading dating sites has held a competition to find the nation's hottest tradie. Turns out he's a carpenter from New Norcia, a small town in Western Australia. 

Kissing is sometimes called "swapping spit". That's a fairly unromantic way to describe it, to say the least. But it turns out to be pretty accurate!

The kissers are finding out vital information about each other's DNA through the contents of their saliva. If the clues they are seeking cannot be detected after the first long pash, that can spell the end of the relationship.

Many people are shocked that someone as beautiful, talented and successful as Rihanna could be in such an abusive relationship. But she's certainly not the first famous woman to be assaulted by her partner.

Here's another story highlighting the possible dangers of becoming emotionally involved with someone online: A German woman went to New Zealand to meet a man she met via the internet. It turned out that he was not the person he claimed to be.

Thankfully the situation ended well, unlike this sad case.

The city of Sydney has been in the grip of a rental crisis for quite some time. Rents are sky high and the vacancy rate is extremely low.

Depressingly, many men are exploiting the desperation of women seeking accommodation by offering it to them rent free in exchange for sex.

People continue to play variations on the speed dating template. The latest is "read dating", a speed dating event for book lovers.

Several months ago there were many online articles and blog posts about how free social networking sites like Facebook and Myspace were eroding the membership bases of the big matchmaking sites, thereby reducing their revenue.

But it seems that was just a temporary trend. There has been a 31% boost in dating site membership due to people returning from the social networking sites.

Perhaps Facebookers became sick of so many members using it as a dating site, and the lovelorn just gave up and went back to sites where their advances were more welcome.

Before the internet came along, you could only be in one place at any one time. If you wanted to find a mate, for instance, you could go bar hopping to meet as many people as possible. It was tiring, expensive and frustrating - particularly if you had specific requirements in mind.

But now, with thousands of online matchmaking sites to choose from, you can be in many places at once. In theory at least, this approach (which involves posting profiles on many dating sites) considerably increases your chances of finding the right person. That's why so many people are using it.

Much has been made about the dangers inherent in using dating sites, particularly for women. Here's an example of the worst case scenario:

UK woman Clare Wood met a man named George Appleton on a dating site, and subsequently became involved with him. He murdered her and went into hiding. Police feared he might find new victims via popular dating sites.

Appleton has just been found hanged, so at least there is some closure to the story.