Matchmaking is getting a 2010 makeover. Here are the hottest new ways to bag a bloke and send your love life into a different dimension. Get ready for take-off!
1.Bag a divorcee
Finding The One after The One is hard work, especially when you've been out of the dating game for years. Step forward dating websites for divorcees! Lorna Harris, 40, a kids' entertainer and mum of four, from Maidstone, Kent, gave it a go.
Lorna says: "My ex-husband, Paul, and I divorced in 2002 after being together for 14 years. When we first separated, I was too busy being a mum to think about dating. After years of watching my divorced pals go on fun dates and meet men, while I sat at home feeling lonely, I decided it was time to get out there again.
Because I'd been in a couple for so long the idea of going to bars to talk to guys was terrifiying. Scared, I gave it a try, but the men I met were put off by the fact I was divorced with kids. I wondered if I'd ever get my dating mojo back.
Then a year ago, a friend suggested that I join Dating4divorced.co.uk. Online dating wasn't around the last time I was single, so it was a revelation. When the kids were in bed, I could go online and chat to guys in similar situations without the pressure of going out and making small talk. Everyone on the site's been through difficult times, so we understand each other and have common ground.
So far, I've been on a few dates and I had one relationship which lasted a couple of months. Martin*, 37, had two young daughters and had been divorced for two years. We had a great time, taking our kids for dates in the park, but he wanted to get serious. I'm not ready for that yet, so we ended it on good terms. I'm still online dating. I haven't met the right guy yet, but who knows what the future holds?"
2.Pull with a pooch
Canine dating (for their owners, not the pooches!) is the latest craze to come from the US to Blighty, where singletons are shunning bars for parks hoping that their pets will be conversation starters - and show they're caring types too.
But if a guy heads out to meet girls with a mutt in tow, will he really be more attractive to the opposite sex? We sent DJ Marvyn Williams, 28, from London, out to investigate, armed with his secret weapon a very adorable nine-month-old golden retriever.
"I normally confine my (bad) chat-up lines to clubs, so using a dog to get dates sounded like a silly idea. Wouldn't girls in my local park think I was odd if I rocked up with one and started chatting?
But I've been single for five months, so I ran the idea past my female friends. Amazingly, they didn't laugh outright. In fact one even told me she'd been sunbathing outside the week before, when she'd got talking to a guy with a puppy (apparently it was 'sooo cute'). Before she knew it, she'd handed over her number. Hmm... maybe there was something in this dog dating lark?
Intrigued, I borrow a friend's dog, Ruby. She's cuddly and fun - maybe that means girls will think I am, too (fingers crossed!). She's not a slobberer (women hate that stuff), or a crotch-sniffer (ditto), so that's got to go in my favour, right? Let's see.
I head to a north London park full of dog walkers, joggers and, most importantly, single ladies. As I chase along behind Ruby, making my apologies to anyone she bumps into, I try to spark up conversations, even if they're a bit lame ('Lovely day, isn't it?'). After 30 minutes of trying, we strike gold. Ruby bounds over to a gorgeous woman taking a morning stroll. As my new best friend gets tangled between the blonde's ankles, I apologise. 'Don't mention it,' she says. 'Your dog's beautiful.' A-ha! We start chatting about Ruby, then - ice broken - turn to other subjects. Soon, I know the blonde likes football and is a Masters student. Result! I ask for her name so I can find her on Facebook.
Back home, the blonde (AKA Amy) and I make friends on Facebook and arrange a date the next week. Now, I just need to think of a way to explain where Ruby is if she asks I'm a convert to the canine craze. Depending on how my date goes, Ruby and I could soon be on the pull in a park near you!"
3.Have a tweet-up
Whether you're a Twaddict who is always on Twitter, or a novice who doesn't know their @ from their elbow, we have news: the social-networking site is the place to meet men. As 24-year-old writer Sophie Robehmed, from Devon, explains
"I joined Twitter in April 2009, thinking it would be a great way to keep in touch with friends - reading their posts to see what was happening in their lives - but I never expected to meet a guy on it.
After a couple of months, I got an email from Twitter telling me that a bloke called Dan Worth, 25, was now 'following' me (in other words, getting the updates I posted on the site). I recognised his name, but didn't know where from. Intrigued, I found Dan's Twitter page. I discovered he was a friend of a friend and had been at Cardiff University with me!
I messaged Dan. He replied explaining that he'd seen my name on a mutual friend's Twitter page and liked my posts. We started chatting.
After three months of messaging daily, I felt like I knew Dan, who's also a writer, so we arranged a 'real world' date in the park. We had our first kiss a few days later.
Now, we've been together for almost a year. Without Twitter I'd never have met Dan."
4.Date on TV
Forget Take Me Out, the new matchmaking show is Dinner Date, and it hits our screens this month. Cue: lights, camera But did Fabulous' Laura Millar, 39, from Edinburgh, see any action?
Laura says: "Two of my all-time favourite things are food and men - in that order, but ideally in some combination. I've been single for three years, so when I heard that a TV company was looking for people to take part in a new dating show that involved both,
I signed up immediately.
In each episode, a man or a woman chooses from five menus put forward by members of the opposite sex, then selects three people they'd like to meet based on the menu. After the dinners, they choose their favourite to go on a proper date with.
I soon got the call to tell me I was going to be one of five women who'd have to submit a menu for a guy to choose from.
I went for baked Portobello mushrooms stuffed with spinach and goat's cheese, then red wine risotto, and Eton mess to finish.
The production company rang to tell me mine was one of the three menus chosen - I was in with a chance! Now all I had to do was cook it. On television. And win.
At 8pm the camera crew recorded for posterity my first reaction to well, not the sex god I'd been hoping for, that's for sure. Ian, a 42-year-old estate agent from Essex, seemed nice enough and the bottle of sparkling wine I had on ice ensured that the conversation flowed. The menu went down a treat - he had seconds - and I was convinced it was in the bag. But I had to wait for him to sample the other ladies' food before finding out if I'd been his favourite.
Two days later, the camera crew was back, ready to reveal who Ian had chosen. Did he pick me? Well, you'll have to wait and see"
Dinner Date is on weekdays, 12.30pm, ITV1, from Monday August 9.
5.And if you can't get on TV...
Why not sign yourself up to one of these foodie options instead?
Blind dinner dates: These take place over a meal in a local restaurant, where you'll be part of a group of guys and girls looking for love. To find out more, visit Whenthemusicstops.com.
Wine tasting: Try some new tipples, meet a guy who whets your appetite (hopefully), and come home with some phone numbers as well as your hangover. Job done. For more information, just take yourself off to Winedater.co.uk or Urbansocial.com on your lunch hour one day.
6.Get Meddled with
The premise is simple: cool bar + equal numbers of single men and women + alcohol = fun times! Well, that's the theory behind a new dating night called Meddlers Of Honour, anyway. But what if you're just not brave enough to go up to a guy you like the look of, even with Dutch courage? This is where the Meddlers come in. Sprinkled through the crowd with big, bright 'M's around their necks, these men and women will approach members of the opposite sex on your behalf and find out whether you're compatible. Simples! It's all right if you take a shine to your Meddler too; most of them, we're told, are also single. Visit Meddlersofhonour.com.
7.Pimp your profile
Getting your internet dating profile to stand out (in a good way) is tough. So why not hire a new kind of love coach - who makes over your profile for you. Evan Marc Katz runs E-cyrano.com and will advise you on everything from your pic (never use one of you with hot friends - he might fancy them more!) to your username ('Sexslave69' and Redhotmama' won't attract nice guys), to what to write (saying you have a 'GSOH' shows you probably don't). Your inbox will be innundated.
8.Try iDating
Could your phone find you love? Maybe! On the iPhone, you can download a nifty little app called StreetSpark, which tells you about men in your area who match your interests. Look at their profiles and either 'spark' or 'extinguish' them. If they 'spark' back, start chatting Visit Streetspark.com.
9.Go quirky
3 weird and wonderful ways to meet men:
Don't love - hate!
Speed-dating's evil twin. On 'speed-hating' nights singletons forget their Ps and Qs, instead discussing what annoys them. Both hate Jordan or Marmite? You could have a future. (Downwithdating.com).
Get your pulse racing
Adrenalin junkies meet like-minded (and bodied) singles on adventure trips. The One could climb, kayak or surf into your life! (Dateactive.co.uk).
If in doubt, say nowt
Hate making small talk? Then try silent dating. Armed with a pen and paper, singletons exchange notes rather than mindless chitchat. (Silentdating.com).
10.Chat up a celebrity
Fancy dating George Clooney? Then Celebritydatingnetwork.com could be for you. OK, so while you won't bag the actual Mr C (though they claim to have celebs on their books), the site will find the next best thing. By entering details about the appearance of your A-list crush, they'll match you up with the lonely heart that most resembles him.
It all sounds a bit stalker-ish, but if you end up bagging Mr Depp's double, who cares?!
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