Bumble, the mobile dating app that lets women take the lead to find a date, has expanded their services to help you find new friends.

It’s a clear way to keep you attached to the app if you’re in a relationship, but are looking for new friends to hang out with, or are just taking a break from dating.

It’s safe to say, this expands their services to be truly called a social networking app.

With their new feature, you can flip back-and-forth from seeking a date, to the BFF mode if you’d like to be in the friend zone.

Here’s how Bumble’s new features work

1. Open the Bumble App or search for it in the iTunes store.

2. Click on the update to get the new features.

3. Go into your settings, where you can search for men, women, men and women, or BFF.

4. Click on BFF, where you’ll officially enter their “Friend Zone.”

5. Remember you cannot look for dates and BFF’s at the same time, as you’ll only be able to search people looking for friends with the BFF feature, not those who are looking for dating.

6. If you’re really looking for a BFF, make sure you set your push notifications to the position.

Plus, like Tinder, Bumble has just added the Giphy feature to this new update. This allows you to send fun and flirty GIFS to other Bumbler’s.

Related: Tinder Update Ignites GIFS and New Flirting Features

At the end of the digital day, we know that relationships can come and go, but having a BFF can help you weather all of your relationship stages.

Remember, this feature was just announced, so you might not be flooded with new friends just yet, but if you find yourself burned out one day and want to take a break from swiping on potential dates, maybe your plus one can be a new friend to hang out with.

In a recent interview on ABC News in Why Women Like Bumble, I discussed how Bumble works.

Watch the ABC News segment

Will you use Bumble to find new friends instead of filling your date card?

Follow @JulieSpira on Twitter and Instagram

Julie Spira is America’s Top Online Dating and Mobile Dating Expert. She’s the CEO of Cyber-Dating Expert and has been coaching singles on finding love online and on their mobile phones for over 20 years. Find out how Irresistible Profiles and Swiping Right can help you find your dream date and sign up for our Free Weekly Flirt newsletter.

Just released! Our newly revised edition of our bestseller, The Perils of Cyber-Dating: Confessions of a Hopeful Romantic Looking for Love Online, with bonus audio dating advice and a magical epilogue with a fairy tale ending to help you believe in love.

Buy it on Kindle  Buy it on Audible

A new study from Pew Research shows that online dating has risen in popularity. While most of us realize this from the everyday conversations we’re having with singles on the dating scene, we really need to credit the introduction and rise of mobile dating apps for the increase in acceptance to digital dating.

When Pew conducted their research study in 2005, more singles hid the fact that they were dating online. Eight years ago, 29% thought that dating on the Internet was just something those who were desperate had to do. Fortunately, the number has shrunk to 21% today.

So who’s dating the most online?

According to the study, single men and women from 25-34 are the most popular demographic for Internet daters.

Other important statistics from the survey include:

• 42% know someone who has used online dating

• 29% know someone who has been in a long-term relationships or marriage with someone they’ve met online

• 66% of online daters have gone out on a date with someone they met on a dating site

• 11% of adult American Internet users have used online dating sites

• 38% of those who are single and looking have used online dating sites and mobile dating apps.

While these numbers continue to rise from Pew?s survey in 2005, over half of those who have dated online have had a bad experience. From misrepresentation of age, weight, marital status and more, we wish there was more truth-in-advertising with Internet dating.

Along with looking for love online, the Pew survey showed that many still felt the need to research their past relationships online. It’s hard not to be curious about what your ex is up to when he or she continues to post photos on Facebook or update their status on Twitter publicly. Suddenly social media makes it easy to do an impromptu background search to see if you’re former flame is single or in a relationship. The study showed that 30% of social networking users were researching those they were interested in dating. This proves that singles really need to make sure they keep their Facebook pages and date-friendly.

On Facebook Love Stories, we teach singles how to keep their Facebook pages more dateable. Think about it, your Linkedin Profile needs to help you find your dream job by being professional. It would make sense then that your Facebook page needs to reflect your single status.

*Hint: It might be time to do some digital housekeeping to remove photos of you with your kissing cousin or ex BF or GF.

At the end of the digital day, we’re creating a permanent digital footprint whenever we post. If you’re single, make sure you’re reflecting the real you, not the idealized person you think your date is dreaming to meet.

Julie Spira is a top Online Dating Expert and was an early adopter of Internet dating. She’s been helping singles on the dating scene for 20 years with her Irresistible Profiles. For more online dating advice, follow @JulieSpira on Twitter and sign up for the Free Weekly Flirt newsletter.

Photo credit: ? erinphoto10 – Fotolia.com

My how times flies when you’re having digital fun. To celebrate Social Media Week, we’re once again announcing the annual Cyber Dating Expert Top 10 Mobile Dating Apps.

According to Comscore, over 14 million people worldwide are now using mobile dating apps. Since last year, time spent on mobile dating sites has surpassed web dating.? Mobile analytics firm Flurry released a report in August, 2011 showing mobile usage surpassing web usage. Their study showed that mobile usage rose from an average of 3.7 minutes in June of 2010 to 8.4 minutes in June or 2011.

Since last year, a handful of new mobile apps, updates, and sites have been launched, so without further digital adieu, here’s our list of the best mobile dating apps for 2011.

The 2011 List

1. eHarmony – iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, and iPad

eHarmony mobile app downloads have now surpassed the one-million mark. Their iPhone app was launched in August, 2010 and has grown rapidly in popularity. Their members are using their mobile apps over 10,000 times a day. eHarmony reports that more than 30% of their user registrations are currently taking place in the mobile environment.

To make things sweeter, they just launched eHarmony HD, an iPad app on September 19, 2011. This new user-friendly and freshly designed interface is customized for the iPad user, which makes you feel at home as you reminisce with handwritten notes and Polaroid pictures. It’s currently the leading iPad dating app in the Apple store and worth downloading. Features include Facebook connect, full-size high definition photos, and a power photo slide show experience.

2. Match Mobile – iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, and iPad

Match.com’s mobile apps are available on the most widely used mobile platforms including the three above as well as on Windows phone and Palm. Match reports that they’re seeing 2.5 times more activity on their mobile apps than on the web. According to Match.com, nearly 32% of their active subscribers are mobile daters, with 56% of singles aged 25-54 going mobile. Features include the ease of deleting or changing your photos and staying in sync with their web version. Their mobile apps make it easy to wink and flirt on the go.

3. Are You Interested? – iPhone, Blackberry, and Android

With over 49 million installs, Are You Interested offers a fully-integrated Facebook, iPhone and web application.? Are You Interested ranks as a Top 10 Grossing application for U.S. Social Networking in the App store, and launched their web version on September 20, 2011 to help widen your search. As of July, 2011, their iPhone app had 750,000 users and the latest version includes real-time push notifications, premium spotlight, and a front-facing camera to send photos while using their live chat feature.

4. Skout – iPhone and Android

One of the earliest mobile dating apps, Skout was created in 2007 as a mobile dating app without a web element. To date, they have over 8 million downloads. Skout members are sending 150 million messages every month an their membership base is growing by 30-40% month over month, with over 25,000 new members joining every day. Skout’s premium app, Skout+ costs $3.99 and does not include advertising.

5. Plenty of Fish – iPhone and BlackBerry

POF is one of the largest free dating sites in the world with over 33 million members. On September 1, 2011, Plenty of Fish released updated versions of their mobile apps promising a faster experience for their users. The new increase in speed makes it easier to edit? online dating profiles and photos from a mobile phone. One of the new features includes a “mobile users” section, which displays the members presently using the mobile app and lists them according to distance from the user. According to POF, over 1-billion pages are viewed month.

6. OkCupid – OkCupid Locals – iPhone and BlackBerry

OkCupid, with 8-million members,? launched OkCupid Locals on August 11, 2011 to help singles meet in-real-life. Their location-based app combines a Twitter-like broadcast feature with a FourSquare type location database. Users can broadcast their intentions, such as meeting at a bar or a sporting event, which will appear on the mobile phones of singles near by with like-minded interests.? You can meet people near by, and receive suggestions from their database. It’s flirting on-the-fly.

7. Zoosk – iPhone and Android

Zoosk is a leader in social dating. At the beginning of the year, they had over 2 million downloads on their iPhone app. By June of 2011, singles had uploaded more than 12 million photos using Zoosk Mobile.? In the past year, singles have sent more than 7 million ?flirts? to other singles via Zoosk Mobile. Zoosk serves 0ver 50 million singles with their web, facebook and mobile services available in over 25 languages in 60 countries around the world.

8. SpeedDate- iPhone and iPad

SpeedDate is the world’s largest online speed dating site, having launched in 2007.?? Their mobile app features includes a location-based search of their 17 million members, to help you find someone to go on a SpeedDate with close by. Downloaded by over 1 million users, 50% of their iPhone app users come back more than three times a day to check in and chat. SpeedDate was one of the first iPad dating apps, having launched in April of 2010.

9. Grindr – iPhone, Android, BlackBerry and iPad

Grindr is the #1 location-based mobile only app for gay, bi and curious guys with over 2.3 million users in 192 countries around the world.? The average time spent on Grindr is 1.5 hours with the typical user logging in 8 times a day. Grindr Xtra is the premium paid version without any banner ads that utilizes push notifications when the app is closed. Users have sent over 454,000 photos and engaged in over 5.4 million chat messages.

10. Jazzed – iPhone and Android

Jazzed is the newest entry to the Top 10 mobile dating apps list. Created by eHarmony, the Jazzed mobile dating app launched in May of 2011 and has already been downloaded by over 250,000 mobile users.? Jazzed is the featured online dating site on the new dating reality show, Excused. Many of the former contestants on the TV show have online dating profiles on Jazzed. The social networking mobile app provides an option to view the participating contestants and is free of charge for a limited time period.

Honorable mentions this year go to location-based check-in site, FourSquare with over 10 million members who might not want to admit they’re spying on their favorite crush and to Blendr, a free location-based social networking app launched by Grindr in September, 2011, where you can meet new friends based on common interests in September, 2011.

CyberDatingExpert.com is a social networking and online dating advice site created by Julie Spira. Spira was an early adopter of the Internet and created her first online dating profile in 1994. She is the bestselling author of The Perils of Cyber-Dating: Confessions of a Hopeful Romantic Looking for Love Online and creates irresistible online dating profiles for singles on the dating scene. ?Spira reports on the latest trends in the online dating and social networking industry.

View Top 10 Mobile Dating Apps in 2012

Top 10 Mobile Dating Apps in 2010

Top 10 Mobile Dating Apps in 2011

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Ask the Cyber-Dating Expert

Have you ever tried virtual dating?

In this episode of Ask the Cyber-Dating Expert Radio Show, host Julie Spira spoke with Michael I. Norton, Associate Professor at Harvard Business School about research that shows that going on a virtual date increases your chance for success when you meet in real life.

So what exactly is a virtual date?

Learn how you can go on a simulated date with avatars to benefit and help improve your online dating search. You’ll also hear about how social networking sites can improve your chances of finding love online.

Listen ?for dating advice and to hear more about dating, love and romance in a Web 2.0 World.

Writing about dating, love and romance in a Web 2.0 World is a passion of mine. Giving hope to singles with an email address that they can successful find love online has become my mission and calling. Experiencing the real time web through social networking, mobile apps, facebook apps, and reconnecting with high school sweethearts and long lost friends while meeting new ones IRL has changed the world we live in, mostly for the good.

When my friends at ?Zoosk asked me to be their first dating expert to be featured in ZooskTV’s new interview series, I was more than flattered. The Zoosk team came to my home, and I had the opportunity to meet my virtual friends and talk about one of my favorite subjects, how to use the real time web to find love and friendship online.

ZOOSK now has over 1 million fans on their Facebook Page and their social dating app is used by over 50 million people around the world.

View the video for dating and relationship advice and some personal thoughts of my own. Comments are always welcome. Thank you Zoosk for helping me spread my message to your vast universe of members.

ZooskTV Interviews Online Dating Expert Julie?Spira

Visit the Zoosk blog for more>>>

Cyber Love Story of the Week

It?s true what they say that people pay close attention to the relationship status feature on Facebook. Meet Tyler and Alan and find out how his crush came true in real life with a little help from Facebook.

Alan first discovered Tyler when she was being interviewed as an up-and-coming pop singer on television in Fall of 1989.? ?I?m glad my first exposure to Tyler was her answering questions,? said Alan.? ?Otherwise, I would have just emphasized her gorgeous looks and sex appeal.? Instead, because of the interview scenario, I was immediately smitten by how intelligent, articulate and down-to-earth she seemed.? She was my first true ?celebrity crush? from that point forward,? added Alan.

Later, in 1995, Alan worked in Beverly Hills, California with a friend named Robert whose girlfriend, Tamar, just happened to be best friends with Tyler.? Robert offered Alan the opportunity for a formal introduction, but Alan respectfully declined when Robert informed him that Tyler was already romantically involved with another gentlemen.

Fast forward to 2009.? Alan noticed Tyler on the friends list of an acquaintance on the popular social networking site, Facebook.? Alan sent Tyler a friend request, and Tyler accepted.? Once again though, Tyler was categorized as ?in a relationship.?? To Alan?s pleasant surprise, her relationship status changed to ?single? approximately two months later, and Alan did not waste any time expressing his interest and attraction for Tyler.? After exchanging phone numbers, the romantic chemistry between Alan and Tyler took off immediately.

After close to six months of constant phone conversations and endless emails, Alan and Tyler finally met face to face on December 29, 2009.?? The two shared their now solidified love affair with all their Facebook friends and made it ?official!?

Even though the new couple is maintaining a long-distance relationship for the time being (Alan resides in Northwest Indiana while Tyler lives in Southern California), the two plan on being together permanently before 2010 comes to an end!

Congratulations to Tyler and Alan, proof-positive that sometimes the best things in life are worth waiting decades for.

Click here to read more Cyber Love Stories

Listen to Ask the Cyber-Dating Expert Radio Show where my guest, Alan Roger Currie, talked about his book, Mode One: Let the Women Know What You’re REALLY Thinking.

Currie provided dating advice for men with his four modes of verbal communication from his book. Listen and find out which mode you may fall into and how to make changes to successfully end up in MODE ONE.

We also heard from Alan’s girlfriend, Tyler. The couple met in true social networking style on facebook where he took action on his own personal crush and became a facebook dating success story.

Find out what Alan Roger Currie thinks about online dating by listening to the radio show.

Listen to Ask the Cyber-Dating Expert Radio Show, where Tasha Cunningham founder of the popular social networking site Don’t Date Him Girl gave dating advice for women to help them date safer and smarter.

You’ll hear about how a woman can take her love life and destiny into their own hands as well as:

• How to turn a guy from friend to boyfriend in 10 days or less
• Clever ways to make him remember your anniversary
• Should a woman ask a man on a date?
• Her views on texting and emails while dating

Tasha’s first book which will be released in February, 2010 and is now available for pre-sale on Amazon.com.

I have attended Twiistup several times. Their latest gathering took place at the Universal Hilton Hotel on July 30th and 31st. This group of technology leaders and entrepreneurs meet to showcase new technology companies and incubators. Members of the VC world look at the prospects for investing.

Twiistup Music and Technology Panel

The highlight is always the Twiistup Evening party. Prior to the evening festivities, I attended the Music and Technology panel with rap star and recording artist Chamillionaire, Topspin’s Ian Rogers, and QD3.

Chamillionaire clearly rocked the show and was passionate about using Twitter, giving back to the community, and paying it forward. He gave his Twitter tips to the group and said it was a “must” for?anyone who wants to connect with their audience. He added that “Authenticity and passion are keys for success for social networking.” At the time of this writing, he has over 45,000 followers!

Chamillionaire and Julie Spira

The theme for the evening was 60s and many dressed up for the occasion and enjoyed listening to music from that decade while nibbling on cupcakes from Crumbs Bake Shop at the BakeSpace booth. It was a social networking crowd and everyone was enjoying the festivities while tweeting away and watching their tweets on the PeopleBrowsr monitor.

Julie Spira is the author of The Perils of Cyber-Dating: Confessions of a Hopeful Romantic Looking for Love Online. Visit her at www.CyberDatingExpert.com

I am enjoying the first week of my two week media trip to New York. I have made many new friends and have reunited with childhood and college friends through the magic of social networking on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

On Tuesday, I stopped by Lord & Taylor for Matt Titus and Tamsen Fadal’s Dating Boot Camp. The two are the authors of Why Hasn’t He Called?: New York’s Top Date Doctors Reveal How Guys Really Think and How to Get the Right One Interested??and Why Hasn’t He Proposed?: Go from the First Date to Setting the Date.

They entertained the crowd with a panel of high profile men who answered questions about love, relationships, and that confusing boy-girl thing. ?The couple will be featured guests on my radio show, “Ask the Cyber-Dating Expert” sometime this summer.?

On Wednesday, I was interviewed by Crain’s New York Business. ?You can pick up a copy of the paper on June 8th.

Diana Falzone and Julie Spira at Cosmo Radio

Later that day, I appeared on Cosmolicious with Diana Falzone on Cosmo Radio, where I shared some secrets from my book, The Perils of Cyber-Dating. I hope you were listening as it was a fun and flirty show.

It seems that I spend most of my time watching Taxi TV, my latest companion going from uptown to downtown and from the east-side to the west-side. Of course, being out of town, one becomes digitally-challenged, and I’m constantly in search of negotiating a spot next to the AC outlet at the local Starbucks.

Next week will be another busy one with a few more media appearances including a visit to 98.7 KISS-FM, and then I will be attending the Writers Digest Conference prior to BookExpo America where I will be signing copies of my book on May 29,2009.

If you are in New York or are planning on attending BookExpo America, please give me a shout and follow me on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. I’d love to hear from you and will follow you back.

Julie Spira is an author, and radio show host and cyber-dating expert. ?She is the author of The Perils of Cyber-Dating: Confessions of a Hopeful Romantic Looking for Love Online. Visit her at www.CyberDatingExpert.com.