Article 416

Online Matchmaking Services: Can They Help Find the Love of Your Life?
By David Kamau
Matchmaking can be defined as the process of bringing two people together for the purpose of marriage. The process involves an intermediary or facilitator who acts as the matchmaker.
With more and more people content at letting the Internet play cupid, online matchmaking services keep popping up left, right and center. But can they really help you find the person of your dreams?
And what's the difference between matchmaking and dating? Well, dating does not require marriage as the only end goal. Marriage is the end goal and purpose of matchmaking.
Often a person may be eager to start a family, without having to go through the hassles of dating and courtship, and the commensurate expenditure of precious time. For such a person, a matchmaking service may just be the answer.
Among many other types of matchmaking services available include:
1. Independent matchmakers or "experts"
2. Social networking services
3. Radio station datelines
4. TV matchmaking and dating services
5. Print personal ads and singles publications
6. Speed dating and singles events
7. Online matchmaking services
Of all the above and other methods out there, online matchmaking services may be the best way to go. Why?
Because of internet access, immediacy and anonymity, twenty four hours a day, as well as tools for interactive communication such as Instant Messaging and video chat, not to mention the huge number of available singles.
Plus, online matchmaking services offer the best value in cost. Usually the fee is charged monthly and cancellation is easy. Compare that with per-word newspaper/magazine ads.
How do matchmaking sites work? A true matchmaking site will require you to input lots of details about yourself as well as the type of person you are looking for. This in order to find your most suitable prospect(s), beyond mere physical attributes.
How do you find the right matchmaking service? Being a billion dollar industry that it is today, you can bet on scam and fly-by-night companies to be galore. Well, the answer is TTT (Tried, Tested and True). Always go with a reputable site that also offers a free trial.
Don't be tempted to go with a completely "free" site. Free usually means pay in other ways (like the site selling your information or bombarding you with advertisements).
Can you really meet quality, committed singles online? Many happy couples who have met online say their paths simply would not have crossed had they not met online. And, most are interesting, honest people who are successful in their careers. That they are paying the subscription fee demonstrates their commitment.
Though no guarantees are offered, online matchmaking services can be the fastest, most convenient way to get you connected with your soul mate.
About the author: David Kamau is webmaster of http://e-datecentral.com, which reviews dating and matchmaking services. Find reputable online matchmaking sites at http://e-datecentral.com/personals/matchmaking.htm

Article 415

Finding Your Soul Mate with Online Matchmaking Services
By David Kamau
Online matchmaking is hot. The continual growth in popularity of online matchmaking services has even some its harshest critics take a step back and say, "Well, looks like it works after all."
Indeed, the advantages of online matchmaking over other tried-and-not-so-true methods of meeting a mate, such as singles bars, blind dates, supermarkets and so on are undeniable and varied. These advantages include:
1. Matching: On many matchmaking sites you answer questions and specify what you are looking for in a mate. You can be very specific as to what you like and dislike, what you must have and what you cannot stand, and anything in between.
2. Convenience: You can search and communicate with prospective candidates at any time of the day or night.
3. Numbers: There are millions of people from whom to choose, of different ages, ethnicities, backgrounds, religions and geographical locations.
4. Interacting: While some people can say the right thing at the right time, some of us get the right ideas long after the fact. In online matchmaking, you have all the time to create opening lines or think up appropriate responses.
Exchanging email, instant/text messages, chatting, and phone calls help further in finding the right match as well as weeding out those who are incompatible to you or with whom you are uncomfortable.
5. Put Your Best Foot Forward: In online matchmaking you can broadcast your best talents and qualities by creating a profile that touches on all the interesting elements that make the real you.
6. Privacy: Online matchmaking services provide easy-to-use features as well as an environment that lets you communicate while maintaining your anonymity. You can remain anonymous until you are ready to reveal more about yourself to the right person.
You also get to check out any number of potential mates without their ever knowing you took a peek.
7. Familiarity: You get to "know" the people who seem promising before meeting in person. This eliminates the awkwardness of first introductions. You also have an idea of what your prospective mate looks like, as you will have exchanged photos.
8. Minimizing risk: Meeting strangers in bars, clubs and other similar places carries an element of risk. Though risk cannot be entirely eliminated in online matchmaking you can maintain safety with caution and commonsense.
The fact that you have been communicating with the person for some time minimizes risk as you already know the person to a certain extent.
All in all, online matchmaking services offer many advantages over other dating methods. A reputable service can offer you a way to meet lots of compatible singles who are also looking for serious partners. Reputable matchmaking sites offer free trials.

Article 414-Matchmaking Articles

Online Matchmaking Articles
Looking for your soul mate? The following articles about online matchmaking are meant to help the serious single seeking a long-term relationship or marriage find a partner online.
A Short Guide to Succeeding in Online Matchmaking
Looking for love? When looking to meet the person of your dreams, online dating may just not be enough. What you need is online matchmaking. Just what is online matchmaking?

Finding Your Soul Mate with Online Matchmaking Services
Indeed, the advantages of online matchmaking over other tried-and-not-so-true methods of meeting a mate, such as singles bars, blind dates, supermarkets and so on are undeniable and varied. These advantages include...

Online Matchmaking Services: Can They Help Find the Love of Your Life?
With more and more people content at letting the Internet play cupid, online matchmaking services keep popping up left, right and center. But can they really help you find the person of your dreams?

Article 413-Dating Articles & Tips

Dating Articles & Tips
We are pleased to bring you online dating tips, dating advice and articles to help make your online dating experience easy, fun and safe.
Please Note: This page will no longer be updated. In keeping up with the times all new articles will now be posted at our online dating blog
Article Categories
In order to avoid confusion we have categorized our dating articles and given each category its own page. Adult dating artcles have been moved avoid offending some of our esteemed readers. Below are the links:
Dating Articles | Online Dating Articles | Online Matchmaking Articles Adult Dating Articles
Dating and Matchmaking Articles
Tips on How to Write the Best Personal Ads
There is one thing that will make or break your online dating efforts – your personal ad. This article offers tips on how to write the best personal ads that come alive and get responded to.

Internet Dating Scams: Don't Be a Victim
The growing popularity of online dating coupled by the anonymity has led to an increase in Internet dating scams.

Seven Tips for Improving Your Relationship
What makes relationship last long? Why do some people seem to have happy and long-lasting relationships while others simply can’t seem to hold it together? Is there magic to what makes some relationships last longer than others?

A Short Guide to Succeeding in Online Matchmaking
Looking for love? When looking to meet the person of your dreams, online dating may just not be enough. What you need is online matchmaking. Just what is online matchmaking?

Finding Your Soul Mate with Online Matchmaking Services
Indeed, the advantages of online matchmaking over other tried-and-not-so-true methods of meeting a mate, such as singles bars, blind dates, supermarkets and so on are undeniable and varied. These advantages include...

Writing an Online Dating Profile: Common Pitfalls to Avoid
When writing an online dating profile, there pitfalls that you should avoid as they may well cost you love of your life. Some common pitfalls include:

Christian Dating Online: Worth Trying?
In this day and age, as people get more content at letting the internet play matchmaker, Christian dating online continues to gain acceptance and popularity. But is it worth trying?

Article 412- Online Matchmaking

A Short Guide to Succeeding in Online Matchmaking
By David Kamau
Looking for love? When looking to meet the person of your dreams, online dating may just not be enough. What you need is online matchmaking. Just what is online matchmaking?
Matchmaking can be described as a process of introducing two people with a view towards marriage. Online matchmaking is simply matchmaking via technology. How does it work?
A matchmaking site requires one to input lots of details about yourself as well as the type of person you are looking for. This is in order to find your most suitable prospect(s), beyond mere physical attributes.
Advantages of Online Matchmaking
There many advantages to online matchmaking but the top ones are:
1. Numbers: A large and wide network of people all seeking mates. This offers you the best chance of finding someone who is also looking for somebody just like you.
2. Convenience: search for your soul mate any time of day or night, in the privacy of your own home.
Now let’s look at what you need to do in order to find a soul mate online.
Getting Started
In order to succeed in finding your soul mate online, you need to compile six lists. These six lists will help you come up with a lively, attention-grabbing profile.
Not only that, but this will also help make answering online matchmaking questionnaires much easier. The six lists are as follows:
1. Things you must: these are things that your partner must have (personality-wise as opposed to material-wise) in order for you to be happy with him/her.
2. Things that would be nice to have but you can do without. You know, are the icings on the cake.
3. Things you cannot stand (your “no-no’s”). These are characteristic that you absolutely will not tolerate.
4. Your endearing characteristics and attributes.
5. Your activities, interests and hobbies.
6. Things you must improve in yourself.
A look into your lifestyle and activities will help you come up with the above lists. If necessary, enlist the help of a close friend or relative. This might seem to be a lot of work, but it is well worth the effort. Remember it is your soul mate that you seek.
Another way to come up with a list of things that you want or don’t want in a partner is to take a look at your past relationships. What are the things that you really liked? These are things you want. What did you not like or what made the relationship(s) flop? What characteristics caused problems in the past? These are the things you want to avoid.
Once your six lists, you are now ready to begin searching for your soul mate. The best route is through a reputable online matchmaking site. Not to be confused with a general dating site, a matchmaking site is tailored towards serious relationships.
Types of Online Matchmaking Sites
There are, basically, two types of matchmaking sites:
1. Those that do the matching for you. You cannot view other members’ profiles. They inform you when a compatible match has been found. With this type, you have little control over whom you get matched with. Some of the most successful matchmaking sites operate this way.
2. Those that do the matching for you as well as let you do the searching. With these, you have more control and flexibility, though this does not necessarily guarantee greater success.
Which Type of Matchmaking Site?
It is not the place of this article to tell you which type of online matchmaking site to go for: that is a personal decision. But you cannot compromise on the quality of the site as you would be compromising on the quality of your love.
In this day and age of quick fixes, some people expect to sign up with a matchmaking site today and find the person of their dreams tomorrow. This is possible, but unlikely. Patience is a virtue.
Expect to communicate and meet with several prospects before finding the right one. It might take days, it might take weeks, or it might take months. It’s all worth it if you finally nail “the one”, don’t you think?
Now don’t waste time. The sooner you start your search, the sooner you’ll be able to find him or her. Find a reputable online matchmaking site and sign up for a free trial today.
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About the author: David Kamau offers objective dating site reviews and online dating tips at his website. Find reputable online matchmaking sites at: Online Matchmaking Services
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Article 411

Borrowers Abandon
Mortgages as Prices Drop
By Ruth Simon and Scott Patterson
From The Wall Street Journal Online
As home prices plummet, growing numbers of borrowers are winding up owing more on their homes than the homes are worth, raising concerns that a new group of homeowners -- those who can afford to pay their mortgages but have decided not to -- are starting to walk away from their homes.
Typically borrowers who turn in their keys are those who have run into financial trouble or need to relocate but can't sell their homes. But mortgage-industry executives and consumer counselors say they are starting to see people who aren't in dire financial straits defaulting on their mortgages because they don't want to pay for properties that have negative equity.
Many are speculators who had planned to quickly flip the home, but others appear to be homeowners who had second thoughts about their purchase.
"It may not be a big thing yet, and hopefully it won't be," says David Berson, chief economist for mortgage insurer PMI Mortgage Group Inc., of Walnut Creek, Calif. But if it turns out to be a significant trend, he says, it means that "delinquencies and defaults could be higher than the industry is estimating."
Some borrowers feel they have no good alternative. A tight credit market has made it tough for would-be sellers to find buyers or for borrowers looking to lower their mortgage costs to refinance.
Other borrowers are walking away in frustration because they can't arrange a workout with their lenders, says D.J. Enga, director of outreach services for Auriton Solutions, which counsels homeowners nationwide. Mr. Enga expects that 10% to 15% of the roughly 4,000 callers counseled this month by Auriton, of St. Paul, Minn., will walk away from their mortgages.
Sgt. First Class Nicklaus Skaggs is among those looking to walk way. Mr. Skaggs bought his home in April 2005 shortly after returning to California from a one-year tour of duty in Baghdad.
The $455,000 three-bedroom home he and his wife purchased in Vacaville, about one hour northeast of San Francisco, is worth an estimated $285,000 today, well below the $453,000 he owes on his mortgage. The monthly mortgage payment, which jumped after its interest rate increased, is now $4,000, up from $2,980 when he bought the house.
Mr. Skaggs expects to be redeployed to Iraq again later this year. But he can't sell his home, since there are few buyers, and he can't refinance because lenders require a large down payment he doesn't have. Now, the 18-year Army veteran has decided to walk away from his mortgage. He hopes in a few years lenders see his decision as a unique situation created by the housing meltdown. "I don't think that house is going to recover in value any time soon," said the 40-year-old. "I'd just be throwing the money away."
A rise in the number of people choosing to default on their mortgages would represent a significant departure from past behavior of American homeowners, who during past housing downturns tended to walk away only as a last resort, often because they couldn't afford to pay because of unemployment, illness, divorce or other life-altering changes that reduce income. And even then, the number of people who walked away was relatively small. During the oil bust in the Houston area during the 1980s and in California during the early 1990s, for instance, there was a brief spate of people sending in their keys to their lenders.
What's different now, analysts and economists say, is that home prices have fallen so far so quickly that some homeowners in weak markets are concluding that house prices won't recover anytime soon, and therefore they are throwing good money after bad. Also, many borrowers who bought in recent years have put down little if any equity. "If they haven't lived in [the home] very long and haven't put any cash in it, it's a lot easier to walk away," says Chris Mayer, director of the Milstein Center for Real Estate at Columbia Business School. He also notes that new homeowners may not have strong ties to the community.
Some borrowers, says Mary Kelsch, senior director at Fitch Inc., are less willing to make the sacrifices needed to stay in their homes, given the current environment. "It's a change of mind-set" she says. They are "looking more at their home as an investment that has lost its appreciation potential and don't really want to continue to pay."
Some in the industry want to toughen the consequences for borrowers who walk away. Executives at Fannie Mae say they are working to create harsher penalties for people who walk away from mortgages, and they plan to pursue some borrowers in court. They also want to extend the amount of time between when borrowers default and when they become eligible again for a Fannie Mae-backed loan.
"Of course, we will make exceptions for extenuating circumstances, like divorce or death," says Mike Quinn, a Fannie Mae executive. "But who we are trying to get are the people who can afford to make payments but have decided not to."
Goldman Sachs economists estimate that as much as $3 trillion in mortgages could be underwater by the end of the year, leaving 30% of the country's outstanding mortgages in negative equity. Since there is roughly $1 trillion in subprime mortgages outstanding, that means a large amount of better-quality mortgages, such as prime and Alt-A -- a category between prime and subprime -- will be attached to negative equity.
"The focus has been on the [interest rate] resets," said Goldman Sachs economist Andrew Tilton. "But if you're in a deep enough negative-equity position, defaulting has its own kind of logic."
In the Phoenix area, where home prices were off 15% in the fourth-quarter when compared with a year ago, accountant Steven Ulrich says several of his clients have recently said they plan to walk away. One client's home is now worth $100,000 less than the mortgage and the other is $60,000 underwater.
"It surprised me," said Mr. Ulrich, who works at The Focus Group in Scottsdale. "I'd never had people doing that before, if they had to it was something they were forced into. But these people are choosing it as a strategy, and I think it's going to be happening a lot more."
Some financial advisers are even encouraging homeowners who are upside down to consider foreclosure, which they see as a purely financial decision with limited negative consequences. YouWalkAway.com, a Web site started in January that offers foreclosure counseling to homeowners, advises that borrowers who default on one mortgage can typically get another mortgage between two and four years after a foreclosure. Then, "before you know it, you will have this behind you and a fresh start!" the site says.
A foreclosure will stay as a "strong negative" on your credit report for as long as seven years, though the impact on a borrower's credit score declines over time, says Mike Campbell, chief operating officer of Fair Isaac Corp., maker of the popular FICO credit score.
"Every single person we talk to either owes 100% [of their equity] or is upside down anywhere from $10,000 to $300,000," says John Maddux, co-founder of YouWalkAway.com, which charges borrowers about $1,000 for advice. Mr. Maddux says the site has received more than 190,000 visits and about 20% of their clients are investors.

Article 410

Ancient Italian Abodes Spur
An Unlikely Real Estate Boom

By Rosamaria Mancini
From The Wall Street Journal Online
In Puglia, at the heel of the Italian boot, a centuries-old architectural peculiarity has turned into an unlikely real-estate boom.
To the locals, the trulli -- the cone-roofed structures that dot the countryside -- are a reminder of the region's humble past. The most basic trulli are one-room, round huts constructed of stacked, dry stones, which form walls and a simple vaulted cone roof. They date back to as early as the 14th century, and most housed peasants or livestock -- or both. Dimensions are snug: The average cone is slightly bigger than a four-person camping tent. Many lack necessities, such as running water or toilets. Trulli, quirky structures in Southern Italy that once housed peasants and livestock, sparks an unlikely real estate boom. But to a growing number of British, Dutch and Germans, they are the ideal fixer-upper. "Our kids thought we were crazy," says Stephen Snooks, who moved from Derby, England, to a 300-year-old trullo (from the Greek troulos or tholos, meaning dome) about four years ago. "They couldn't believe we were going to live in it."
Mr. Snooks first saw a picture of a trullo on the Internet, then headed to Puglia with his wife to see what they were all about. To them the trullo was romantic, it was steeped in history and it was a property they could fix up. It reminded them of the cone-shaped coast houses in the English countryside that were used for drying hops for beer. They also fell in love with the region and the simple way of life they could have in Puglia, where people still take siestas in the afternoons and Sundays are for relaxing.
They laid down a deposit on a five-cone trullo -- each room has its own cone-shaped roof -- on about two acres that cost a total of €57,000 ($85,570). Three months later they moved to the small town of Martina Franca and lived out of their camper while they gave the trullo a thorough cleaning and installed a bathroom. "I thought, 'I need my bloody kitchen,' " says Mr. Snooks's wife, Jo Waters, but after sinking another €30,000 into renovations after moving in, she says she got used to life in a trullo. The renovations included connecting a power line for electricity, and repairing the pump for a rainwater tank to provide water for the bathroom. (They bring in bottled drinking water.) They also added appliances to the kitchen and painted inside and out.
There are about 5,000 trulli in various states of disrepair scattered among the olive groves and prickly pear cacti in the Valle d'Itria, on the strip of land flanked by the Adriatic and the Ionian seas. Stone was plentiful in the area, and according to local legend, the trulli were built without mortar so they could be quickly disassembled into a pile of bricks when the tax collector came. About 1,400 of them are located in the town of Alberobello, designated a Unesco World Heritage site because of the structures.
During the 20th century, the trulli were abandoned by their owners, who fled to the city in search of modern conveniences. Some were used as occasional country homes by locals, while some of the larger ones were turned into rustic country inns or restaurants.
Then, foreigners started coming. About five years ago, low-cost carriers, such as Ryanair, began ferrying people to nearby Bari from Frankfurt and London. Visitors were intrigued by the oddly shaped structures, many with Christian or astrological symbols painted on their roofs.
Sensing opportunity, local real-estate firms started advertising in British magazines, and pushing the trullo as a unique country-home investment. Pietro D'Amico, who owns a local property firm, says he sold 200 trulli to British buyers last year, a 10% increase from the year before.
The recent trulli boom is partly a continuation of the foreign-fueled real-estate speculation that began in Tuscany several decades ago, where so many British began buying second homes that it was given the nickname Chiantishire. As the values of country homes in Tuscany soared, the more adventurous wandered into nearby regions such as Umbria, and then farther south to the Marche and Abruzzo, buying up abandoned farmhouses or run-down villas. Puglia is the end of the line.
"These are properties that are still affordable, in spite of the soaring real-estate prices in Italy," says Lucia Bruno, an architect whose company helps restore trulli.
While a trullo might be cheaper than a Tuscan farmhouse, prices have risen in recent years. Today, unrestored trulli with three cones go for around €80,000, an increase of about 30% from five years ago, according to Mr. D'Amico. The cost of fixing one up has also surged. Adding the basics -- bathroom, kitchen and electricity -- can cost at least another €80,000, he says.
Gregory Snegoff, of California, was living in Rome for several years but grew tired of its big-city chaos and, along with his wife, decided to move to the country. The actor/director first learned about Puglia and its trulli from friends. He initially rented a trullo and then decided to buy one in the small town of Ceglie Messapica, where they have lived for four years.
"For us, it's wonderful," says Mr. Snegoff, who bought a one-cone trullo and another small structure, which sit on six acres, for €25,000. "We are interested in a self-sustaining way of life where we can eat the fruit and vegetables we grow and enjoy the peace and tranquility of the country."
As more foreigners have bought trulli, businesses have popped up to service them. Ms. Bruno, who is from Turin and now lives in a restored trullo powered by solar panels, heads a small firm called Trullishire (after Tuscany's Chiantishire) which tries to help foreigners find qualified local craftsmen and offers assistance in navigating the thicket of red tape that comes with restoring a trullo. Trulli have to be restored in accordance with strict building-code and planning regulations, which can be a tangled bureaucratic process. Common requests that are denied include enlarging or adding to the trulli's small windows, or adding sunrooms or expansions using wood or terra cotta.
There are a few new trulli owners who have pushed the envelope, turning what was once a humble abode into a luxury residence. Ms. Bruno is handling the construction management of a five-bedroom, three-bathroom trullo, with an underfloor heating system powered by solar energy, for a London resident. It will also feature a 16 ½-foot-by-26¼-foot in-ground pool. The owner paid €90,000 for the trullo but is spending €300,000 on the restoration and expansion, says Ms. Bruno. It took more than a year and several revisions of plans to get a building permit, Ms. Bruno says.