No tricks

One of the common marketing “techniques” used by some other dating sites is to allow you to register for free, then to flood your inbox with messages from (usually fake) potential partners. But, to see these partners, or read their messages, you have to pay. This doesn’t happen at for2. In fact, it can’t happen – we’ve designed the site so that you can ALWAYS see your messages, and ALWAYS reply to them for free. So you always know the reality behind who’s contacting you.

Practical compatibility matching

Unlike many other dating sites, we won’t make you spend hours answering questions so that we can match you with partners using a psychobabble-based “formula”. Yes, we give you the benefit of a compatibility rating with other members, but this is based on a few simple criteria that people commonly and consciously use to assess a partner, such as age, location, relationship status, smoking habits etc. It’s not perfect, but it acts as a sensible, practical reality check on whether the person you like the look of is actually right for you.

Real value

At for2, we realise that different people have different site-usage needs. That’s why we give real (and unique) flexibility in how you can pay. For the less active user, for example, there are Points Packages. Because Points last for ever (unless you spend them), you won’t find you’ve wasted your money if you buy a Points Package and then can’t use the site for a while (this isn’t the case with subscription-based payment of other sites). Alternatively, at for2, you can buy one of our Communications Packs, which give you unlimited use of the site for a set period. Either way, you get fantastic value.

Excellent features

We’re committed to making for2 one of the most exciting dating sites around. Part of that commitment is adding new features on a regular basis. At for2 you’ll find some features and functions than most other sites don’t have. Check out our Discussion Board, for example – a real rarity on dating sites, or our public/private albums feature.

If you thought that online dating is a less romantic way of meeting the Love of Your Life, you now have a scientific reason to think again. That’s because recent research has shown that finding love over the internet is not just an increasingly easy way of meeting a marriage partner, but has become easier than the traditionally most common way – in a pub or club. In fact, 62% of those who participated in the survey agreed that it is easier to meet someone on a dating site rather than in a pub or club, or through friends.

2 million Britons now use a dating site

The survey, carried out by which.co.uk, asked over 1500 people about their approach to finding a partner. The results revealed that more than half of them had been on a date with someone they met in cyberspace, and that 1 in 5 who used online dating sites to look for a long term relationship have gone on to marry someone they met over the web. The under-35s group were more likely to know someone who had been on a date or had a long-term relationship with someone they met through online dating.

This survey, of course, is far from the only study of online dating. And, according to industry surveys, more than 22million people visit dating websites each year globally – and more than two million Britons are signed up. A study by Bath University revealed that those who met on dating websites were 94 % more likely to see each other after their first meeting than other couples.

Kissing saves lives

Perhaps predictably, the survey also found that younger lovebirds make more time for romance, with those aged between 18 and 24 saying they lock lips with a partner 11 times a week on average. Ellen Mason, senior cardiac nurse at the charity, said “Our survey reveals some fun facts about the nation’s kissing habits but the greatest kiss you could ever give someone is the kiss of life – that’s why we want every young person to leave school knowing how to help in an emergency situation. This campaign could put hundreds of thousands of new lifesavers on the streets every year”.

A new study on mobile phone usage, published in the Journal of Scientific Reports, suggests that women call their spouse more than any other person. This changes as their daughters become old enough to have children, after which they become the most important person in their mother’s life. The data also shows that, around their mid-30s, women start to switch the preference of their best friend from someone about their own age, so that by the time they are 45 a woman of a generation younger has become the “new best friend”.

Mobile phones open new doors for research

The results come from an analysis of the texts of mobile phone calls of three million people. The aim of the project was to find out how intimate relationships vary over a lifetime. This kind of anthropological study is normally very difficult to do because it is hard for researchers to get such a big picture of people’s lives. However, by looking at an at an extremely large mobile phone database, the researchers were able to track these changes extremely accurately.

Intensely focused

The team wanted to find out how the gender preference of best friends, as defined by the frequency of the calling, changed over the course of a lifetime and differed between men and women. They found that men tend to choose a woman the same age as themselves – which the researchers presumed to be their girlfriend or wife – as a best friend much later in life than women do, and for a much shorter time. This occurs when they are in their early-30s, possibly during courtship, and stops after seven years or so. Women, however, choose a man of a similar age to be their best friend from the age of 20. He remains for about 15 years, after which time he’s replaced by a daughter.

Back to matriarchy

According to the study’s co-author, Professor Robin Dunbar of Oxford University, UK, the investigation shows that pair-bonding is much more important to women than men. “It’s the first really strong evidence that romantic relationships are driven by women,” he said. “What seems to happen is that women push the ‘old man’ out to become their second best friend, and he gets called much less often and all her attention is focused on her daughters just at the point at which you are likely to see grandchildren arriving.” Prof Dunbar also claims that the findings suggest that human societies are moving away from a patriarchy back to a matriarchy.

”Wing men” help improve dating performance

Further findings of the survey were that 42% of DADA men said they would be prepared to pay for a professional pick up artist to chaperone them on a date, in order to help improve their chat-up technique, compared to just 18% of females in the same situation. The survey found there are 20 dedicated date coaching services in the UK that provide specialists known as “Wing men” and “Wing women” for guys to help them get dates. These services are designed to help men improve dating prowess by focusing on developing the skills needed to help build meaningful conversation, dress and groom themselves.

New research has shown that half of the UK’s singletons use dating websites to find love. The study has confirmed that the stereotypical idea of online dating as something which is restricted to the socially awkward computer nerd looking for romance has gone, and that the practice is now completely socially normalised and accepted as a mainstream way of meeting people. Also gone is the idea that people who use dating websites are unromantic and merely looking for someone who literally ticks the right boxes.

Chemistry remains important

As well as revealing the extent to which UK adults are using online dating methods, the study found that 61% of people believe in the concept of a soulmate, while 41% believe in love at first sight – and online daters are no less likely to hold these beliefs. For 56% of respondents, compatibility is an important part of finding the right partner, with key personality traits including agreeableness and emotional stability. However, most respondents also agreed that “chemistry” – an interaction between people that is both unpredictable and unmeasureable – played a key role.

“If you talk to the people who are successful this way they are just as excited and feel that meeting their partner online was every bit as romantic as meeting in the ‘conventional’ way,” said a spokesman for the company that carried out the survey. “All the recollections that a couple has of their early relationships are just as genuine for people who meet via a website.”

Committed to continual improvement

Of course, a search function is fundamental to all dating sites – they wouldn’t be very useful without it! However, while most sites provide a search facility, users normally have to navigate to a specific page to complete their search. In fact, until recently, this was the case with Tfor2, too. Now, though, for members’ convenience, we’ve added a QuickSearch feature to the page you see when you’re viewing another member’s profile. The QuickSearch allows you to search our database by the most-frequently used factors such as age and sex, and because it’s ready to hand when you’re looking at another profile, it means searching on Tfor2 is now faster and easier than ever. It’s a relatively small thing, it’s true – but it’s just one more example of our commitment to continual improvement.

Don’t forget to log in regularly to see what – and who – is new.

Is there a recipe for a long-lasting relationship? Possibly not, but recent research has revealed that some ingredients are more likely than others to produce long-term happiness. The survey, of some 4,000 couples, showed that that two dinner dates a month, four cuddles a day and a romantic getaway twice a year are optimum levels of quality time together for a successful relationship. Other recipes for a romantic relationship include a trip to the theatre or cinema once a month, breakfast in bed once every four weeks and six proper conversations every month.

Britons forget the importance of a cuddle

But these weren’t the only interesting statistics revealed by the survey. Others included the fact that the average British couple has one visit to the pub, one cinema trip and two romantic strolls each month. Couples who cuddle the most often were found to have the longest-lasting relationships and described themselves as the most happy. On the more negative side, it seems that Britons often forget how important hugs are, with couples being more affectionate during courting and their early years together and cuddling less as they grow older because “familiarity breeds contempt”.

“Affection, cuddles and romantic gestures are part of a whole romantic scene which is desired by those entering a relationship, “said Dr Ludwig F Lowenstein, an educational psychologist who helped conduct the study. “They are the safe gestures which say – ‘I like you, I am glad to be with you, I like and appreciate your support and care. In this busy world we often take our partners for granted whilst we get on with our daily struggles of work and rearing a family.”

Use your intuition

Never totally ignore your gut instincts. Equally, never completely rely on your intuition, either. Many times our instincts are right. But sometimes they can be wrong, as people sometimes represent themselves differently on dates to how they really are.

Mutual respect

Respect is essential, and it has to be both ways. Is he ready to compromise? Concerned about your feelings? Does he know if something is wrong? Does he appreciate and value your opinion? Is he happy for you when you succeed? It is possible to be really attracted to someone but not have enough respect for them to make them a good long-term prospect. This is not to say that these people are not worthy of respect or aren’t respected by others. But you need to be able to respect your potential partner yourself according to your own values.

They accept you as you are

If they accept you for not only the good in you but also your flaws and weakness, they might just be the one for you. If this is the case you can be confident that you can be yourself and they aren’t going to be disillusioned a few years down the line.

Core beliefs and core aspirations

Beliefs make us who we really are. They are usually those qualities that will give you a clue as to whether or not he is the right one. If you don’t share the same fundamental core beliefs and struggle to happily compromise, consider that to be a BIG red light.

Consisting of eight separate forums, each one dedicated to a different ”category” of discussion, the for2 forums offer something for everyone, from those who want to exchange trivia and share jokes, through those who want a serious debate on the issues of the day, to those who want to promote an event. Each forum is informal and friendly, and – although we ask members to remain polite and respectful – allows participants to say exactly what’s on their mind.

Making Tfor2 different

Our forums section is just one of the innovative features that make Tfor2 different from most other dating sites. Others include our unique “Points” system that offers members outstanding value by providing a “pay-as-you-go” environment – and even allows the site to be used for free. Another feature not offered by many online dating environments is our Private Album facility, which allows members to post photos that can only be viewed by selected people. But these aren’t the end of the innovation story – many more great new features are planned for the near future. So make sure you log in frequently to find out what they are.