As internet use increases in Australia, so do the numbers of people who are defrauded online.

Online dating sites continue to be favoured by scammers. One of the reasons is that many people who use them are emotionally vulnerable, and therefore conducive to manipulation. Thousands of Aussies have been tricked into handing over money - sometimes huge amounts - and the problem has risen by a factor of 30 percent from last year.
 
 
The Lara Bingle nude photo scandal - and subsequent highly publicized interview with Woman's Day - has ended up creating a total train wreck. It looks highly likely to end up destroying her relationship with Michael Clarke. (That's something I thought was likely, but didn't expect to happen quite so quickly.)

Interestingly, as this article states, Clarke was less annoyed with the photo in question than the dredging up of all that old stuff about a previous relationship with Brendan Fevola. As anyone who's had a few dates knows, it's a real drag when someone keeps talking about their ex. It shows that they haven't quite moved on from it yet! The fact that Bingle was telling the whole nation about it must have magnified the negative effect a thousandfold. No wonder Clarke wants out.
 
 
An art gallery in Vienna has done something very unusual: It has attached a swingers' club to one of its exhibits. Not surprisingly, this has proved to be quite controversial (which was clearly the intention!).

Gallery visitors have to walk through the dimly lit makeshift club to see the featured painting. Somehow, I think a lot of people aren't going to complete the journey!
 
 
Contrary to commonly held stereotypes about users of online dating sites being more likely to exaggerate their achievements while online, in truth there seems to be little such a tendency, or even none at all. Apparently those who "big note" themselves in their online profiles are just as likely to do so in real life.
 
 
One perennial complaint of feminists is that the media often fixates on aspect of the lives of prominent and powerful women that they simply would consider covering if they were men. That's probably not so true now. However, evey now and then it is definitely valid, particularly in the case of young and attractive women.

Take the case of Hajnal Ban. She is a Queensland politician who is now in the news simply because there are rumors that she's in a relationship with another politician.
 
 
While Lara Bingle is claiming that she is suing Brendan Fevola because she felt violated by those nude shots of her in the shower, it seems that her desire for publicity is paramount. And while Fevola himself clearly wouldn't be too happy about it, I can imagine that Bingle's beau Michael Clarke must find the legal stoush all very stressful as well. Who would want to be emotionally involved with someone who is exacting revenge against a former lover, and in such a public way? Wouldn't you want to "move on" and try to build something meaningful in the present? (Of course, you could say that Fevola's leaking of the shots - if that is what actually occurred - was an even lower act. That's true too. Still, why give the issue any more oxygen?)

While Lara Bingle herself clearly thinks that she's doing the right thing, it will cost her in the long run. I suspect that her current relationship and maybe even subsequent ones will suffer greatly because of this and related issues. When you continue to exploit your private life for public exposure (and ultimately monetary gain) you end up trashing your own soul, and hurting people who are close to you.
 
 
Twitter is now being used as a dating tool in "Flitter" events, in which users of the social networking site congregate and connect with those they are attracted to via their mobiles and Blackberries.

This does seem to be a convoluted approach. I mean, they are in the same place as other single people. Why not just cut to the chase and go up and talk to them directly?
 
 
The whole point of social networking sites is that they help people connect with others. Which is why it's ironic that they are often being used to end relationships.
 
 
You can find lots of information about how to write dating site profiles, and what sort of photos are the best to use. But there's one ingredient that people often give little thought to which can still be quite influential. That's your username.
 
 
I just learned about another niche dating site, probably one of the most unusual ones out there. (And that's saying something.)

It's for people with chronic diseases.