The stigma traditionally attached to online dating mainly sprung out of an uncertainty of the unknown – a fear of what we are unsure of – and it is only when that brave few of us give it a go – and think, well actually I quite enjoyed that! –t he stigma and uncertainty begin to disappear. Across the UK alone 1.1 million of us are using online dating and here at Dating Agency we have seen our members increase almost half since January this year. More and more of you are using internet dating to meet your own needs – and why shouldn’t you?!

And here’s why Dating Agency rate online dating: it’s convenient, you can search and chat to people in the comfort of your home. It is so important to feel comfortable and when you’re in your own environment, you can be. You don’t have to rush – you can really spend your time getting to know someone, in turn making sure you feel happy before you take things any further and meeting face to face. Part of the original stigma questioned how you could get to know someone online – a lot of us, especially online daters are beginning to realise how powerful the written word can actually be – it is an insight into a person that may not come across over a face to face meeting, it is also a great way to loose your inhibitions and be yourself! Not only is it a great way to meet a potential love match – it’s a great way to meet new friends that you can share your interests with!

It’s a no brainer – Dating Agency gives Internet Dating a massive thumbs up!

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Get better matches on DatingAgency.com with our clever match-making tool

We’re using a clever new match-making tool on DatingAgency.com called Recommended Members which will transform your experience of dating completely!

Recommended Members is our clever new match making tool that gives you a personalised list of matches based on the profiles you visit, who you wink at and who you add to your favourites.

The more you use the site the better your matches become, because we learn your ‘type’ and will suggest others just like them.  Dating has never been easier or as personalised as this.

Recommended Members means you’ll:

- Spend Less Time Searching: Use the new ‘See More Members Like’ link on the profile pages to view others similar to the person you just looked at.

- Get Better Matches: Look out for two-way matches among your Recommended Members. These people will see you among their recommendations too.

- Widen Your Net: Recommended Members includes people outside your area that you might not have noticed otherwise, so you widen your net!

So login to DatingAgency.com and see who has been recommended to you – there might even be several two-way matches waiting for you! You’ll find your Recommended Members in the search menu and also on your member homepage when you login.

Between 7pm and 9pm on Tuesday 12th January, all members of DatingAgency.com will be able to send and receive private messages for free!

So if there’s someone you really want to get in touch with or messages in your inbox that you’re dying to read, login to DatingAgency.com tomorrow evening.  There’ll be thousands  more members online, so be prepared for a chocka-block inbox and the opportunity to get in touch with hundreds of new people!

Christmas might be hurtling towards us but there’s still plenty of time for dating before the festivities take over!  And you still have seven weeks to get to know some of our wonderful members before Santa comes tumbling down the chimney, so login to DatingAgency.com and see who’s online. You never know, you might be enjoying a mince pie with one of them on Christmas Day!

November is the time to….

Get Down To Some Jazz Take your date to boogie to some bebop and get down to some big band swing at London’s Jazz Festival from Friday 13th November to Sunday 22nd. There’s performances from John Scofield, Bobby Hutcherson Quartet, Dave Markee & The Jazz Collective, Clare Teal, Grand Canyon and Dave Lewis among others. For the full lineup and tickets visit London Jazz Festival

See Marilyn & Ella An unusual theatre production hits the West End this November called Marilyn & Ella which tells the story of the extraordinary friendship between Marilyn Monroe and Ella Fitzgerald in 1950s America at a time when black music and black singers weren’t welcome on the mainstream theatre and club stages. It’s on at the Apollo Theatre and you can read all about on the DatingAgency.com Blog.

Get Friendly With Fungi Autumn is the perfect time for a fungi foray and by November the prized morel season is just beginning, so take your date and forage for brunch together on a guided mushroom hunt. There are hundreds of fungi walks on at the weekends all over the UK – and even on London’s Hampstead Heath. A quick Google search will help you locate one near you, or you can contact the Fungus Society of Great Britain for further information.

Go To A Book Signing It’s a bit of an unusual date but if you both love the author or celebrity, go to a book signing together and out for a bite to eat afterwards. All the celebs, TV personalities and sporting heroes are doing the rounds in the run-up to Christmas including the newly crowned Formula One Champion Jenson Button who is signing copies of his new book My Championship Year in Bristol on Friday 20th November; and Gardener’s World Joe Hashman will be chatting to fellow gardeners and signing copies of his new book On The Plot With Dry Nails at Milton Keynes on November 29th. Find what’s on near you at Waterstones

Eat At The BBC Good Food Show This touring show has everything for foodies including Masterchef Live, cookery demonstrations from TV chefs James Martin and Michel Roux Jnr among others, tastings and advice for unusual Christmas tipples, plus you can sample tapas sized dishes from ten of London’s best restaurants including Le Caprice, Launceston Place and Skylon in the Restaurant Experience. It’s on at London’s Olympia from 13-15th November and Birmingham’s NEC on the 25-29th November. Tickets cost £18 in advance from BBC Good Food Show.

Visit The Classic Motor Show Whether your passion is for ‘70s Fords or vintage Bentley’s, there’ll be 1000s of classic cars at Birmingham’s NEC from November 13th-15th. You can learn how it’s done in the restoration theatre, take a drive in your dream classic car, find out about the many car and bike clubs across the UK, and take part in the 30th anniversary of the Lancia Delta! Tickets cost £21.00 in advance for the Friday (£23.00 on the door) and £16.00 in advance (£18.00 on the door) on the Saturday and Sunday. See Classic Motor Show for all the details.

Experience Bath’s Mozartfest Classical music fans should head to Bath for their 19th Mozart Festival taking place between the 13th and 21st November. There’ll be a visit from the English Chamber Orchestra, a recital from one of the great pianists of our age Pierre-Laurent Aimard, and a gala evening with Dame Felicity Lott, Sir Thomas Allen and Malcolm Martineau. You can find out what’s going on and purchase tickets at Bath Mozartfest.

Visit A Christmas Market Graze on cinnamon biscuits, sup mulled wine and bring in the festive cheer together at a Christmas market. There’s several taking place from mid-November onwards in Bath, Winchester, Worcester, Canterbury, Leeds, Belfast, Oxford, Portsmouth, Bury St Edmunds, plus London’s Oxford Street and Hyde Park. To find one near you visit Christmas Markets

Celebrate National Curry Week Treat your date to a curry during National Curry Week on the 22nd to 28th November. Organised by the folks who make Cobra lager, the participating restaurants donate a percentage of your bill to The Curry Tree Charitable Fund which tackles poverty and suffering across South Asia. To find your nearest participating restaurant visit National Curry Week

Wendy, 54 from Devon

Meet Wendy, 54 from Devon on DatingAgency.com

She’s an independent, young at heart lady who enjoys living life. She is looking to expand her social circle now her son has left home, has a dislike of shopping and has taken up golf which she is thoroughly enjoying.

She says; “I’m not a great one for my own company so I’d like to share my spare time with someone, whether its leisure time or chores, as long as it’s quality time.  I’d like to meet someone who is comfortable to be with, easy going and reliable. I’d also like someone who wants to do all those things they’ve always wanted to do, but for some reason have never got round to – because I have to do those things too!”

If you have a zest for life and an easy-going, reliable personality, get in touch with Wendy!   Login and read the rest of Wendy’s profile.

Chris, 50 from Cambridgeshire

Meet Chris from Cambridgeshire

He’s easy going, down to earth and feels fortunate that he’s been lucky enough to do a bit of travelling. He’s looking for a tactile lady who is a good friend and has a good sense of humour.

Chris says; “I would like to meet someone I could really talk to, someone who can listen but who isn’t afraid to offer their own opinion – even if it is controversial! I’d also like someone who is a bit adventurous, and who doesn’t think a perfect holiday is 2 weeks on an awful crowded beach in Spain, because there is far too much life to be lived for that.”

If you’re adventurous, happy expressing your opinion and love to travel, get in touch with Chris.  Login and send him a message!

A BBC researcher would like to hear about your experiences of dating

The BBC would like to speak to DatingAgency.com members about their experiences of dating for a documentary they are making about finding love in the 21st century.

A BBC researcher has been in touch about a documentary they’re making about dating, to see if any DatingAgency.com members would be willing to help with their background research by sharing their dating experiences.

This new film will explore the universal experiences of looking for love; how people find their partners, what’s different about modern dating; what do people look for; plus the thrills, excitement and challenges of finding love.

To do this they would like to try and talk to as many people as possible for the background research so they can build a picture of dating in the world we live in and the importance of finding love.

The researcher works with filmmaker Sue Bourne, who is known for making very thoughtful and poignant films about subjects that are close to her heart.  Her recent credits include Mum & Me (C4) which is a film about her mother who has Alzheimer’s disease, and My Street (C4), about the residents of her street.

At this stage they are not looking for people to appear in the film, they just want to hear your thoughts and experiences.  Questions they would like to ask are things like; what are the benefits of using dating websites; what are your experiences of dating; and is how we meet and fall in love changing in 21st Century Britain?

If you would like to be a help, get in touch by emailing theteam@datingagency.com.