You’ve met that someone special and have great online chemistry. Watch our video to learn the right time to take your relationship from online to offline.

Julie Spira is an online dating expert and online dating expert. Click here for more video dating advice and connect with us on Twitter @JulieSpira and at Facebook.com/CyberDatingExpert.

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with Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient Gary Kremen

You might have your favorite online dating site, but did you know the Internet dating industry actually has their own awards ceremony, similar to the Academy Awards?

iDate Conference organizer Marc Lesnick emceed the 3^rd Annual iDate Awards ceremony along with Mark Brooks from Online Personals Watch. It was an honor and privilege to also be a presenter at the event held in Miami Beach on January 24, 2012.

The Internet Dating Executive Alliance and dating site members and users had the opportunity to vote.for their favorites in 12 categories.

OkCupid walked away with 3 iDate awards, received by Sam Yagan, CEO and co-founder of the site. Gary Kremen, known for creating online dating back in 1993 by being the original creator of Match.com received a well-deserved special Lifetime Achievement Award. Gary was a Keynote speaker earlier in the day,

The complete list of winners are….

Best Dating Site – OkCupid

Best Dating Site Design – OkCupid

Best Dating Software Provider – White Label Dating

Best Mobile Dating App – Grindr

Best Dating Coach – Evan Marc Katz

Most Innovative Company – OkCupid

Best New Technology – Grindr

Best Up-And-Coming Dating Site – How About We

Best Marketing Campaign – Match.com

Best Affiliate Program – FriendFinder

Best Payment System – Paymentwall.com

Best Matchmaker – Julie Ferman, Cupids Coach/eLove

We’ll be posting video highlights from the conference with the latest in online dating safety, mobile dating, and letting you know about some of the new niche sites that might help while looking for love online.

Julie Spira is an online dating expert and founder of CyberDatingExpert.com. Follow Julie on Twitter @JulieSpira for dating advice and on Facebook.com/CyberDatingExpert

Do you believe that LinkedIn profiles are more accurate than most online dating profiles? If so, you’re not alone. On Friday the 13th, Hitch.me was officially launched using LinkedIn profiles as the basis for their site’s algorithms.

I had the opportunity to interview Hitch.me founder Navid Nadir, who is happily married with two children.  Nadir has a degree in computer engineering from Queens University in Kingston, Canada and although he isn’t interested in finding love online, both he and his wife have single friends who were frustrated with the process.

Nadir believes that over 50% of online dating profiles are fabricated. Nadir said,  “If you want to date someone, why lie?” That’s a question that many single daters struggle with as they hope there’s truth-in-advertising when viewing online dating profiles.

Nadir added, “It’s not just another niche site. It’s a niche site that is in demand. This is something we have been waiting for a long time. You can actually search for a profile based upon a skill-set, find someone based on specific industries, and search within groups that you are a member of on LinkedIn.”

The site is simple to use and there are no monthly fees.

Hitch.me members purchase credits in a pay-as-you-go format. Their 3 levels are:

• Beginner: $10 for 500 credits
• So Much for So Less: $25 for 2000 credits
• Guaranteed Satisfaction: $50 for 4000 credits

So how does the credit system work?

For 20 credits, you get just a “smile.” It’s their way of flirting.

For 50 credits, you get a “pitch,” the opportunity to send a 200 word email to the object-of-your-affection.

For 100 credits, Private Presentation: 100 credits. Can add youtube videos and images, 500 words and can add 3 images and one youtube video.

Does the site mix business with pleasure? Only if you want it to. You can select from finding a casual date, soulmate, friend, or a business partner.

For a limited time period, they are offering 200 free credits as they build their membership base. Click here to get started on Hitch.me

Do you believe LinkedIn profiles are more accurate than online dating profiles? Your comments are always welcome.

Julie Spira is an online dating expert and bestselling author of The Perils of Cyber-Dating: Confessions of a Hopeful Romantic Looking for Love Online. Visit her at CyberDatingExpert.com and Facebook.com/CyberDatingExpert for dating advice and follow @JulieSpira on Twitter. 

Are you ready to change your zip code to find love online?

Our friends at Chemistry.com have announced their Top 10 list of cities where you’re more likely to find a sensitive man.

Most of the cities on the list are on the east coast, except for Nashville, Indianapolis, and West Hollywood.

Dr. Helen Fisher, Chemistry’s Chief Scientific Officer and a former featured guest on Ask the Cyber-Dating Expert Radio Show said, ”Men do have a sensitive side.” Fisher added, ‘They want to please. They want to do the “right” thing.

The Top 10 list includes:

1. Popmano Beach, FL

2. Roanoke, VA

3. West Hollywood, CA

4. Nashville, TN

5. Buffalo, NY

6. Sarasota, FL

7. Greenville, SC

8. Wilmington, NC

9. Indianapolis, IN

10. Staten Island, NY

Ready to dive in and find a sensitive man? Click here to sign up and remember to share your online dating stories at CyberDatingExpert.com.

Chemistry.com Free Communication Weekend 1/13 – 1/15

Full article @Chemistry Blog

Watch online dating expert Julie Spira in a conversation with GenConnect’s Nancy Spears. Julie shares her favorite and best Internet dating profile tips to help you get noticed while looking for love online.

Remember to have a catchy screen name, wear colorful outfits in your profile photos, and join more than one online dating site to cast a wide net.

For more dating tips, visit CyberDatingExpert.com and join our conversation at Facebook.com/CyberDatingExpert and follow Julie on Twitter @JulieSpira.

If there were Academy Awards given for the best Internet dating sites, it would be at the annual Internet Dating Conference, held in Miami Beach, Florida on January 23 -30, 2012.

This year, you can vote for your favorite online dating site, favorite mobile dating app and more. The last day to vote is January 4, 2012, so grab your iPad, iPhone, BlackBerry and log onto InternetDatingConference.com to cast your vote.

This year, iDate will include a special post-conference cruise to the Bahamas.

Winners of the iDate Awards will be announced at the 9th Annual iDate Super Conference on January 24, 2012. Cyber-Dating Expert is proud to be a media sponsor of the iDate 2012 Conference. We’ll be reporting on the latest dating trends and will keep you posted on the latest developments.

There are many recipes on the Internet for the holiday season, but some of my favorites can be found on the Williams-Sonoma website.

This year, they’ve curated a list of recipes guaranteed to spice up your love life. The recipe that made it to the holiday edition of Love Potions is the simple ginger cookies. They say these ginger cookies are irresistible.

Ginger is also high in potassium and is known to improve your immune system.

Photo Credit: Williams-Sonoma

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups pecans or macadamia nuts
• 14 Tbs. (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups sugar, plus more for sprinkling
• 1 extra-large egg
• 1/2 cup dark molasses
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 1/2 Tbs. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground white pepper
• 1/4 cup minced crystallized ginger

Directions:

We’re in the middle of the holiday season, and while romance is alive and well, sometimes our wallets will feel the pressure.

Our friends at She Knows created a fabulous list of 10 affordable holiday dating ideas and asked me to chime in.

“It’s important to date your mate,” advises Julie Spira, Cyber-dating expert. “Creating rituals together such as a weekly date night will enhance your relationship and give you something to look forward to,” even through the busy holiday.

And, regardless of how busy holidays with kids can be, Spira urges couples to honor your date night. “It will keep your relationship alive!” With these 10 cheap date holiday date ideas, romancing your mate is not only important, it can also be affordable!

Michelle Maffei suggested ice skating, tree lighting ceremonies, watching the Christmas lights, and visiting Santa Claus in her fun list of 10 cheap dates during the holidays. I’d like to add if you live near the water, see if you can attend a local boat parade, where boats are decorated like Christmas trees with different themes and music.

Even if you find yourself dateless, grab a friend and enjoy the same events. You never know who you might run into who is in the same digital boat.

Read the full article on SheKnows and remember to like us at Facebook.com/CyberDatingExpert and @JulieSpira on Twitter.

Every day we create a digital memory book of our experiences when we log onto Facebook, send a tweet, or even snap a photo and email it to our friends and family.

The largest and most exciting addition to my digital scrapbook was the most recent BlogWorld Conference and New Media Expo held in Los Angeles.

It was an honor to be selected as a featured speaker where I spoke about The Rules of Netiquette: How to Mind Your Digital Manners.  Following my session, I signed copies of The Perils of Cyber-Dating at the BlogWorld Barnes and Noble Bookstore on site.

For those of you who could not attend the 3-day conference, I encourage you to sign up for the BlogWorldExpo Virtual Ticket, complete with over 100 audio recordings of all of the sessions. You’ll learn an incredible amount about how to connect and relate in a Web 2.0 World from some of the most influential people in social media.

I also had the opportunity to be interviewed by Nancy Spears of GenConnect, Abby Johnson of WebPro News, and Sandi McKenna on Dot TV.

Watch our videos:

Genconnect - How to Find Love in Cyberspace

WebPro News – What is Netiquette?

Julie Spira is an online dating and netiquette expert. She’s the author of The Perils of Cyber-Dating and The Rules of Netiquette. Follow Julie on Twitter @JulieSpira. Like her at Facebook.com/RulesofNetiquette and Facebook.com/CyberDatingExpert.

We’re jumping for joy at Cyber-Dating Expert Headquarters as we celebrate our IRRESISTIBLE anniversary all weekend long.

It’s been 3-years since we launched CyberDatingExpert.com as a site to help singles while dating in a Web 2.0 World. We’d like to thank you for helping us remain the #1 online dating expert site!

In honor of our birthday, we’d like to give you a gift to help you with your love life.

From Friday, October 14th through Sunday, October 16th, we will be giving our readers a free .pdf copy of our bestselling online dating book, The Perils of Cyber-Dating. Click here to reserve your copy.

In addition, we’ll be answering your dating questions for FREE all weekend long. So do take a moment and join in on the fun. If you have a dating dilemma, let us know!

Now for a few bragging rights and in case you missed some of our highlights, we’re sharing our year-in-review for you.

  Best Dating Blog Finalist

You voted for us for the best dating blog in the world and we became a finalist. Yes, there were thousands of votes and the competition was steep. CyberDatingExpert.com was a finalist in the 2011 Readers’ Choice Awards from About.com, a New York Times company. It’s with heartfelt thanks that we acknowledge your support.

In the News

From tips on using digital coupons on a date, online dating safety, breaking up in a facebook world, and our latest article on CNN, which was shared over 450 times on facebook, we were featured in many articles and programs about dating in a web 2.0 world. Our dating advice reached millions on multiple continents!  Most of our media can be found in our press room. Here’s a sample of media outlets we’re so proud of being a part of this past year.

ABC TV, Ai inSite, Always New You, BBC, Bad Online Dates, Business 2 Community, CBS News, CNN, College Times, Columbia News Service, Cupid’s Pulse, Daily Buzz, Daily Kansan, Date Night Magazine, Dating Marketplace, Elle magazine, Examiner, Fabulous Living, Fast Company, First Wives World, Forbes, Forces PenPals, GalTime, GenConnect, Heartbeat Radio, Her Campus, Huffington Post, In York, JDate, John Tesh, KCSF, KFI Radio, KFWB Radio, KPSP-TV, KZSB Radio, Love to Know, Mancow Radio Show, MarketWatch, Match.com, Men’s Health, MSN Glo, NBC TV, North by Northwestern magazine, Pink Kisses,  Pittsburgh Better Times, Planet Love Match, Power Connection show, Psychology Today, Redbook magazine, Romance Files, Safer Dates, She Knows, Single Edition radio, Single Minded Women, Singular City, The Joe Show, The Kilgore News Herald, The Look TV, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Times Herald, The Toronto Sun, TodayShow.com, Top 10 Blog, Uniquely You magazine, Wall Street Journal, WCHE Radio, WHK Cleveland, WLW Radio, Woman’s Day, Women’s eNews, Yahoo! Shine, and YourTango

In Real Life

I had the opportunity to meet many of you when I was a speaker at the Internet Dating Conference in Miami, 140 Conference in LA, West Hollywood Book Fair, as well as seeing you at BlogWorld, where I’ll be speaking about the Rules of Netiquette at 1:45pm on Friday, November 4th this year in Los Angeles.

Videos

During the past year, YourTango came to my home to shoot several dating advice videos for their Ask the Expert and He Said/She Said series. I was joined by colleagues Charles J. Orlando and Adam Sheck for the guys point of view. In case you missed them, here’s a list of videos for your viewing pleasure.

• Cell Phone Netiquette: Help My Boyfriend Won’t Put His Cellphone Away
• Should You Google a First Date?
• Can a Couple Get Past Infidelity?
• Should a Woman Propose to a Man?
• When Should You Change Your Facebook Relationship Status?
• Should You Kiss on the First Date?

Online Dating Minute Videos

Our Online Dating Minute featured social dating site Jazzed, which you can now see on the dating TV show Excused, as well as Match.com’s study about the relationship between dating and money, and more.

Top 10 Mobile Dating Apps

Back by popular demand and in conjunction with Social Media Week, we announced the Cyber Dating Expert Top 10 Mobile Dating Apps for 2011. According to Comscore, over 14 million people worldwide are now using mobile dating apps. They are now more popular than web dating on your computer. Why wait until you get home? It’s time to start dating on your cell phone. We included the super eHarmony iPad App, which ranked high on our list for iPad. View our post to see all the features of our favorites this year.

Online Dating Safety

We tackled a subject that breaks my digital heart, online dating safety. I was interviewed by ABC News, KESQ-TV, KPSP-TV, Online Dating Awareness, Sympatico.ca,  The Sudbury Star, and Your Tango.

 Your Online Dating Stories

We thank you for submitting your online dating stories for consideration in the Cyber Love Story of the Week and the Peril of the Week. Thank you for sharing your stories.

Irresistible Profiles

We’ve enjoyed working with singles looking for love online and have created irresistible profiles all year long. Contact us if you’d like to find the man or woman of your dreams!

From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for another amazing year of support. If you get a moment, do like us on Facebook and follow me on Twitter @JulieSpira.