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The year 2020 will go down as one of the most challenging and gut-wrenchingly painful years in history with COVID-19 at heightened levels on New Year’s Eve, but it turned out to be one of the most active years for singles looking for love online.

The New York Times reports singles who are quarantining are proposing, and engagement ring sales are up, and OkCupid predicts more than 15 million new conversations around Dating Sunday this year, with 25 million new matches expected in January alone. 

Virtual dating took center stage as we zoomed and FaceTimed our way to navigate love.

Today, on Dating Sunday, 2021, the activity level for singles on dating apps is expected to hit record numbers, and you won’t want to miss this worldwide digital party.

What is Dating Sunday?

Every year, the first Sunday after the New Year is the day where singles who decided to put finding love at the top of their resolutions list, log on looking for love. For those who rang in the New Year solo, had a recent breakup, or have Valentine’s Day on their minds, Dating Sunday is the day where your digital dreams can come true. 

Due to the pandemic, I’ve found the perspective on finding a meaningful relationship is magnified.  Many of us are still stuck at home with travel and fine dining on the back burner, so today’s the day to revise your dating profile, add a few photos of your socially-distanced walks, post one with your favorite mask, and get ready to start chatting.

Our ongoing poll on DatingintheAgeofCovid19.com shows that 82% of singles want a long-term relationship more than ever. 

Tonight, you might even want to dress up from the waist up, with the likelihood of your conversation moving to an impromptu video date. (Hint: Keep lipstick handy). 

The most active time to be online is approximately 9pm, local time. 

With this in mind, here’s how to master Dating Sunday.

• Update Your Profile  – Last year’s story shouldn’t follow you into 2021. By showing that you’re active now, it sends the message that you’re taking finding love seriously. If you’re listing vacations or group events, it’s time to update your profile to show you’re dating responsibly and have high hopes for the New Year.

• Reach Out and Connect – Don’t play the waiting game. Initiate contact first, respond quickly, and even reconnect with someone where the conversation faded in 2020. It’s still a good time to wish someone you previously chatted with a “Happy New Year,” because we could all use some joy and happiness right now.

• Use Spell-Check and Grammar Check – Sloppy messages that say, “Hey,” won’t cut it. You’re home, and you have time to craft the perfect five-sentence message. Remember to ask a question so that you can create a dialog and develop a flirty rapport.

• Create a Fun Virtual Background – Dating should be fun, and both you, and your surroundings need to look your best. Find a virtual background that matches your personality, and if you prefer a virtual date on the fly, make sure your surroundings are free of clutter. Bumble reports in-app video calls increased by 70% since March, so you can easily chat within their platform.

• Know Your Intentions – A new year is the time to take inventory on the type of relationship you truly desire.  If someone’s profile states they’re looking for something casual, swipe left if your goal is to find a serious relationship or marriage.  It’s time to toss the crumbs in the trash, because wasting your time with someone who doesn’t have the same relationship goals will prevent you from having the amazing love you deserve. 

Put a smile on your face, and think about some of the positive activities you experienced in 2020 to share with someone new. From binge-watching Schitt’s Creek to taking a painting class or bike riding, it’s time to push the restart button with the help of your mobile phone. 

The Match Group saw a 40% increase in usage on Dating Sunday last year and Coffee Meets Bagel saw a 60% spike in new sign ups on Dating Sunday in 2020. Tonight is show time. It’s the “Super Bowl” of dating, leading up to Valentine’s Day.

If you need some hand-holding, find out how our Irresistible Profiles and VIP Digital Matchmaker programs can help you find love online in the new year. 

Wishing you much love and joy in cyberspace, or wherever you may swipe or roam. 

Julie Spira is America’s Top Online Dating Expert and the founder of Cyber-Dating Expert. She’s been coaching singles on finding love online for over 25 years. Follow @JulieSpira on Twitter and Instagram. Sign up for the FREE Digital Flirt Newsletter. 

With the combustive election cycle heading into high gear, you have to be living under a rock to avoid the topic of politics.

In fact, not having an opinion can hurt your chances of finding a date or a romantic partner, according to a new report from OkCupid.

The site reports that politics continues to be the top deal-breaker in dating, with 76% of singles saying how their date leans is vital to them.

According to the OkCupid Voter 2020 report, 500,000 people responded they could not date someone who didn’t vote, with 85% of registered voters more likely to receive a message from a potential date, and 63% of registered voters more likely to get matched.

“Now more than ever, daters want to connect with people who share their values,” says Ariel Charytan, OkCupid’s CEO. “We have always empowered people to match on what matters to them, and our millions of daters across the United States overwhelmingly prioritize civic engagement when it comes to finding someone they are compatible with.”

RELATED: Love at the Polls: Close to 90% Won’t Date Someone Who Didn’t Vote

To help single daters during this gut-wrenching and unprecedented time, OkCupid has created a new voter badge that will automatically be added to members’ profiles if they answer the question, “Are you registered to vote in the 2020 election?”

This voter badge shows you care about this divisive country we’re living in. By including this badge, along with a previously released badge for Black Lives Matter displayed on your profile, is, in my opinion, a magnet for love.

Singles who say they aren’t registered to vote will soon be redirected to a page on OkCupid in partnership with “When We All Vote,” to register to vote in real-time. The WWAV initiative was launched by Michelle Obama, Tom Hanks, Lin Manuel-Miranda, and Janelle Monae, among others, to help singles register to vote in the 2020 election.

Love is at stake, and now is the time to show your values to connect with someone during this critical and historic election.

If the pandemic and civil unrest haven’t widely opened your eyes, perhaps OkCupid’s state-by-state interactive map will show how singles feel about serious issues of families separated at the border, prison reform, climate change, and stricter gun control. At least they’ll give you topics of conversation to discuss when you match with your date.

Wishing you much love and joy in cyberspace, or wherever you swipe and roam leading to election day.

Julie Spira is America’s Top Online Dating Expert and the founder of Cyber-Dating Expert. She’s the author and creator of Love in the Age of Trump: How Politics is Polarizing Relationships, and has been helping singles navigate love for over 25 years.

FOLLOW @JulieSpira on Instagram and Twitter.

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On NBC Today in LA, I was a guest with Daniella Guzman and Jonathan Gonzalez to talk about quarantine love and Dating in the Age of COVID-19: How to Find Love in a Pandemic.

I explained why dating is a hot topic in a pandemic, and where singles originally pushed the pause button; Not anymore.

Here’s an excerpt from our interview.

Daniella: The pandemic has put a hold on a lot of things, including dating, in person. Singles are heading to dating apps and websites to meet new people.

Jonathan: Dating is hard enough as it is. Have you seen more people turning to dating apps during this time?

Julie: I have. As a matter of fact, the numbers have really skyrocketed! I have an ongoing poll on my site, DatingintheAgeofCOVID19.com, with the question, how has COVID-19 changed your dating life?

The majority, 83% said they were looking for a meaningful relationship more than ever, with less than 3% looking to hook up.

Daniella: So how does this work? You start with a Zoom meeting, and what’s your suggestion on how this works to date during the pandemic?

Julie: We do go in stages, and I’m a big fan of virtual dating. I created something called the Dress Rehearsal, where I actually go on “mock date” with people to get them ready for their date.

I check their lighting and what they’re wearing. As you can see I’m wearing red, and red pops on a video video date. 

We start slowly, with the first date being just a virtual drink. So I suggest bringing something bubbly, and putting on something that you’d wear if you were going to meet for happy hour, and do come with a happy face.

Daniella How can people stay safe if they do choose to finally make that next step and meet in person?

Julie: Right now, I’m not recommending meeting in person. I believe you’re better off safe at home, having virtual dates and doing fun thing for each other; sending deliveries.

I know some people send Venmo payments so they can pick up the tab from for their date’s dinner from their favorite restaurant.

Do things that are actually fun. Take a painting class together.

Start thinking about things you might want to do when the coast is clear to meet up in person.

Daniella:  It can get really lonely. This is a really good way, if not anything, to make a new friend as well. But, there are risks involved, always.

How can users make sure the person they’re talking to is the same person as their profile pictures. Does it make it more difficult when you don’t see that person?

Julie: This, Daniella, is the reason I believe in virtual dates. Whether you’re using Skype or Zoom or FaceTime, here’s an opportunity to make sure that someone’s not a “catfish.’ If their profile photos look a certain way, and then you get on a date or hop on a call, and they’re not recognizable, well, they’re probably hiding a lot more than just old photos.

Jonathan: Thank you Julie Spira for joining us today. You can find Julie on Instagram @JulieSpira and on her website at CyberDatingExpert.com.

With dating app usage on the rise during the coronavirus, and stay-at-home orders continuing to extend, it’s time to look at adding a new site to your arsenal.

Free.Date, describes themselves as a completely free dating site. They’ve got over 300,000 registered users, and there’s no freemium to premium model for members on their website.

Their founder explains that their site was created for the user experience, and they believe their service is unique in the world of free dating sites.

Their platform is based on an advertising model that runs with Google Ads so that you can leave your credit cards behind.

Here’s a tutorial on how to use Free.Date

Sign Up

Signing up is simple. Visit their website, where your options are to sign up using Google or to log in with your email address.

For using Google, click on the social login button, which will direct you to the registration page.

For Email sign up, you’ll need to include your birthday, gender, a valid email address, pass through the Recaptcha, and then start filling out your profile. You’ll get an email confirmation, and will need to confirm your email address to complete your registration.

Once you complete your registration, then you can start using the site.

Users can update personal details such as username, password, location, age, who you’re interested in, and your about section. You’ll also need to upload a minimum of three profile photos.

Here’s a tour of the site.

Home – The home section after login shows you profiles of users from the city and state where you registered when you signed up.

Edit Profile – Once you’ve created your profile, you can update it to change your location, photos, and About section. There are 30 boxes you can check to describe your profession or astrological sign.

Search – The fun part about the search feature is you can search for registered users in any city or another part of the world.

States – Users can explore American singles across the U.S.A.

Mail – The inBox and Outbox are separated, allowing users to check both sent messages and those they receive.

Pledge – The pledge section encourages users to follow the correct actions while using free.date. They have photo policies to help you feel safe, including messaging, and reporting users if necessary.

Members Online – This feature allows registered users to view the available members currently online.

FAQs – A place for all questions related to the site, including how to join, message, upload pictures, use their features, and report inappropriate users.

Settings – In settings, you can change your username, update your email address, change your password, and email preferences.

Match Me – This advanced feature option is available to all registered users.

Highlights

• Send Free Messages to other profiles.
• Unlimited Winks, Add Favorites, and Meet Me.
• Search Singles from various regions (Australia to United States).
• Find Profiles who are interested in Female, Male, or Female-to-Female and Male-to-Male matches.

Unregistered or guest users can still explore the site using search functions while looking at profiles from different cities, as listed in their footer.

Conclusion: Is it worth trying?

Free.Date is a genuine free dating site that stays true to its promise. User profiles and transparency is what makes them unique and attracts thousands of users every day.

You can feel safe when accessing their site since it uses a secure SSL connection.