The Ugly Truth is Googling Blind Dates

    MIAMI BEACH, FL, July 31, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ -- In last weekend's box office hit film, "The Ugly Truth", Katherine Heigl stars as a control-freak morning show producer who is an awkward dater. During one pivotal scene in the movie, Heigl grills a blind date about his online dating profile and then admits to having Googled him to find out more information. Needless to say, the date didn't end well, but it did lead online dating websites Date.com (http://www.date.com), Matchmaker.com (http://www.matchmaker.com), and Amor.com (http://www.amor.com) to poll its members about their pre-blind dating Google habits.

According to the results, 80% of men and 71.5% of women would never let their date know they Googled them for fear of looking like a stalker. Another interesting statistic was also learned: almost 60% of men and almost 70% of women claim to be 100% truthful in their online dating profile. However, almost 70% of men and 75% of women don't believe everything they read in a prospective dates online profile.

"Whether or not you choose to Google a blind date before your first meeting is a matter of preference, but letting your date know that you Googled them would certainly be a big mistake. Singles on dates find that to be an invasion of privacy, and it can be a tremendous turnoff," said Shira Zwebner, Relationship Advisor for Date.com, Matchmaker.com and Amor.com. "The beauty of dating is getting to know the other person while you spend time with them. By not Googling your dates before you meet, you get to enjoy learning new things about each other during the time you spend together."

Last month, we conducted a new survey of thousands of online daters nationwide, asking: Do you Google blind dates before you go out with them?

Following are the complete results:

Yes: Men 45%, Women 42.0%
No: Men 55.0%, Women 51.0%

We also asked: If you Googled your blind date before a meeting, would you admit it to him/her?

Following are the complete results:

Yes, this way we can have better conversation: Men 20.0%, Women 28.6%
No, I don't want to appear too "stalkerish": Men 80.0%, Women 71.5%

Additionally, we asked: Have you ever lied in your online dating profile?

Following are the complete results:

Yes: Men 42.1%, Women 31.3%
No: Men 57.9%, Women 68.8%

We also asked: Do you believe everything you read in someone's online dating profile?

Following are the complete results:

Yes: Men 31.6%, Women 25.0%
No: Men 68.4%, Women 75.0%

About Avalanche, LLC
Avalanche operates several leading online dating websites, including Date.com, Matchmaker.com and Amor.com. Date.com launched on Valentine's Day 1997 and has become one of the world's most popular dating websites. First started as a Bulletin Board System in 1986, Matchmaker.com is the oldest online dating site. It was acquired by Avalanche in 2006 and targets those singles seeking serious relationships. Amor.com, launched in 2007, is a rapidly growing destination for Hispanic singles. Avalanche hosts more than 10 million members worldwide, with the sites adding over 100,000 members each month. Additional information is available at www.date.com.

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