Are you checking out the local singles bars for that perfect mate? OK, for those of you who haven’t found your better-half, it can get a bit hairy spotting that special someone in this haystack we call the world. I mean, let’s face it - there are literally six billion of us running around. We need all the help we can get in order to find a compatible mate that makes us happy. This is why a little concept known as the dating service was invented. We can now be set up with other singles who share our interests and morals. You’ve got to love technology.

Now, the question is - have you ever tried a modern dating service? That special someone is out there waiting for you, so why not take advantage of any and all methods to finding them?

Do you find yourself lingering in clubs every Friday and Saturday night? Are you the guy sitting in a corner chair, holding a mixed drink, and bobbing your head to the beat of some random techno tune? OK, if this is you, then it’s official - you’re a dork.

Actually there’s no reason to worry - many of us go down this same lonely path. We become irrelevant voyeurs. Why are we observing from the sidelines when we could be in the game? Stop waiting for that special someone to stroll by and accidentally bump into you. It’s probably not going to happen.

What you need is a quality dating service. It’s true, these were a tad cheesy in the past, but the concept of the “dating service” has risen to new levels. For example, so many of these new-age matchmaker services are done via the Internet. Yes, I said the World-Wide-Web. You have access to this, right? Basically all of us have a PC or Mac in our homes with Internet access. Therefore it’s time to get jacked in to the online dating services.

Hop online and check out where the state of the art dating service has gone. No more of that sending VHS tapes of each other back and forth. These days you can simply log onto a dating service website, and get started. It’s a cinch to browse singles in your area. Maybe you’re in search of that certain someone who loves hiking or hockey. No problem, you can narrow your searches in order to pinpoint those select few who will better relate to you and your preferred activities. How cool is it to be able to search by age and location?

Finding that special someone should not be difficult with this kind of technology. If you are interested in one of these innovative and effective dating services, then get online today.

Anyone who has had a nagging mother, an overly enthusiastic friend, or a smothering steady knows: advice really follows the rules of classical economics - the more that you receive, the less value that it has. Nonetheless, when relationships go bad, people almost instantly do everything but look into their own souls to figure out what the solution is to their problems. You can get advice on dating from almost anywhere. You probably have friends in your life who thinks they specialize in love and romance, self-styled Casanovas wannabe’s who will be more than delighted to volunteer their advice on dating. Besides that, there are internet columns, magazine columns, radio shows, and television programs which emit tens of millions of words and make tens of millions of dollars giving relationship advice to strangers with no reason to trust them but desperation.

The fact is, if you need advice on dating, you had better have a trustworthy and down to earth friend to get it from. There is just no alternative to this. How can you weed through all of the sludge, all of the worthless advice on dating, to find the few nuggets of gold. And even if you do find them, what are the chances that they will apply to you if they were written for a stranger in the first place? But, if you do insist on getting advice on dating, be sure to follow some common sense. Do not trust the mainstream columns. They are popular because of their entertainment, not because of the value of their advice. If they offered the kind of nuanced advice on relationships that is really valuable, they would not have the sensationalist feel that really sells.

Good relationship advice does not come from mass media entertainers, but from qualified professionals. If you are looking for advice on dating, for Aphrodite’s sake, go to a qualified professional. A Psychologist, Psychiatrist, or Social Worker is trained to help people to sort out all of the aspects of their life, from childhood to grave. They are the only people who are trained to give you advice on dating that is really worth anything. However, just having a degree and some training does not guarantee that you can give dating advice that is worth anything. Above all, like everything else in this life, it comes down to simply learning to trust yourself and your own instincts. The best advice on dating may come from within.