Here's more confirmation of just how entrenched online dating now is in Australian society: A survey commissioned by the dating site RSVP has found that a quarter of Aussies had used an online dating site.

The data also showed that 9% of internet daters found their spouses online. That's notable, because there is a widely held view that most of the people using this method to meet people are just after a one night stand, or at leanothing serious.

The Australian Sex Party is in the news again. This time it's for their quite surprising condemnation of a stripper who performed on Ayers Rock after her widely shown act outraged Aboriginal activists. The party has said the stripper was thoughtlessly seeking publicity.

But perhaps the same accusation could be made against them? They are a political party, after all, and adept at getting media attention.

Also, the Australian Sex Party's very existence would be seen as culturally insensitive by many religious groups. That's quite ironic. Still, such huge contradictions often occur when people try too hard to be selective and politically correct

Every week there seems to be yet another horror story related to people who met online. There are murders, rapes, abductions, thefts and other terrible events. And while at the moment social networking sites seem to be more of a magnet for this kind of activity, online dating isn't far behind.

That's why anyone who is using such sites should not only follow sensible precautions, they might also want to check out who they are communicating with online before they actually meet them in person. Here are some good tips on how to do this.

Hot on the heels of the romance-themed comedy Dating in a Disposable World comes another show dealing with similar subject matter. It's called Love Bites, and has been successful in Sydney and overseas.

The idea that women like bad boys is a bit of a cliche. But there certainly is a lot of truth to it.

And it's not just the rebellious and moody James Dean types that women swoon over. A surprisingly high number of them are strongly attracted to criminals - even the very worst of them.

The pressures of celebrity really are huge. It's not surprising that more than a few famous people go mad, have nervous breakdowns or end up as alcoholics or drug addicts! Then there are the relationships ...

They often start out well. But they go belly up at a very high rate - and quite quickly too. Take Mel Gibson. His marriage is over, and the breakup was acrimonious. And now he's at loggerheads with the woman he left his wife for, and had a child with!

Being famous really is a poisoned chalice.

Australia's newest political party, the Australian Sex Party, has been busily expanding its base over recent months and launching new branches. The latest is in Darwin.

Here are more posts on the subject.

Not surprisingly, the rise of the iPhone has spawned a dating spinoff. Here's an article about a recent business convention related to this niche.

What's notable in the article is the article's snarky tone. The writer clearly finds the whole idea of people being so technological, specific and calculating in their quest for love quite offensive. This seems to be quite a common attitude, and it's understandable.

It appears that it's not just Aussies whose dating behavior has been hugely affected by today's amazing technology. A recent study in the US has shown that around 30% of relationships in that country begin online through online dating and social networking sites, chat rooms and classifieds.

As I've written before on this blog there are niche dating sites popping up everywhere. But what usually happens is that they start up independently. Sometimes, however, they come as an offshoot of some other site that already caters to a specific niche.

The dating site being launched by Here is the City is a good example.