be2 review: The best bits from be2

After an extraordinary period of growth and success for be2, it seems like a good idea to take stock of our achievements and assess where we have got to on our journey to creating the newest version of international matchmaking site be2. Reviews are important opportunities for reflection and here we aim to ensure that we take an honest and clear sighted view of be2’s achievements. Where are we and where do we want to go?

be2 review:
more members than ever

In any be2 review of past progress we have to start with a celebration of the extraordinary growth both of members and of countries where we deliver our service. The popularity of be2 is a sure sign of the good experiences customers have with us. No site can prosper without happy customers and we are proud that be2 has created so many happy couples all around the world. It’s this success that has been the core to our ability to attract nearly 30 million members and deliver our service to 35 countries, all within just eight years of starting! And remember: lots of members are not just good for be2, but good for be2′s members. More members mean more matching potential and more suitable partners somewhere near you!

be2 review: an improved service

It’s a happy be2 review that can look back with pride on its attitude to continuous improvement for the customer. We have done much to improve our service both in terms of refining the matching algorithm, making the site more attractive and easy to use and building up our customer services and support function.But that doesn’t mean our work is done – we know that there is always room for improvement and that is why we would love to hear from the people that really matter for a be2 review: the users!

Do you want to voice your opinion in the be2 review? Let us know in the comments or send us an email!

Many others have already tested be2 and written about their experiences in be2 reviews online:

This blog post offers a detailed review of be2′s personality test
Financial Times Germany took a closer look at the powerful IT infrastructure behind be2′s highly efficient matching algorithm
The most detailed be2 review to date was done by Leading Dating Sites

Please contact be2 customer service via email: customerservice@be2.co.uk and note that requests left in the comments of this blog are not guaranteed to be forwarded to be2 customer service.

We are experts on love and relationships, but we don’t always know what goes on between the sheets of the couples who fall in love through be2. Thankfully Casual Dating Site C-Date has enlightened us with an international survey on love, sex and relationships. They asked over 5,000 people about their sex lives… and found out this:

See the results of the survey on the infographic below or read about them in detail below. You can use this infographic on your own blog or website by copying the HTML code underneath the infographic.

• The most common sexual fantasies are shared by a lot of people: More than a quarter of those who took part in the survey fantasise about sex with more than one person, followed closely by having sex in an unusual place (also more than 25%). The next most popular sexual fantasy, role playing, is only a major turn-on for 10%.
• But never mind what people dream about doing – the Casual Dating agency wanted to know what they actually do – and how often they do it. The most frequent answer is once a week for almost half of the respondents, while 17% manage to have sex every day. On the sadder end of the scale, 5% only have sex once a month and 17% less often than twice a year! This is one question where the answers vary greatly across nationalities, so for example more Italians than Germans have sex every day.
• The same thing goes for group sex – here the Norwegians are particularly adventurous, but even if you look at the answers given by all nationalities, the numbers are pretty impressive. 20% of men and 12% of women say that they have had group sex.
• For all those narrow-minded people who say you should never have sex on a first date, because it ruins your chances of a relationship, the results of one question should be particularly interesting. 27% of all respondents say that they have had a One-Night stand that turned into a long-term relationship!
• However, once you are in a relationship, you’d better be discreet about anything you have going on on the side. Not only kissing or sex are considered cheating these days – only 64% of men think that internet flirting is not disloyal to a partner, but only 36% of women feel the same (so they rest would probably be pretty angry if they found out their boyfriend was flirting online…
• If you are single, on the other hand, flirt away! 36% of all respondents use dating websites to arrange Casual Dating, to flirt or to have erotic conversations. By contrast, 30% use Online Dating to find love (although, if you remember what we just learned, a casual date can still turn into love).
• Social networks may be on the rise, but they are not the place to hook up. Only 15% of men and 10% of women use sites like Facebook to find a partner for sex. That’s probably why Casual Dating is so popular: Almost half of all respondents say that they have had a casual date!

Valentine’s Day is still the day for love, but Casual Love Week is the time for sexual adventures! Italians who aren’t looking for love, but for a lover – and Italian singles who are still waiting for the love of their lives, but haven’t found him/her yet – don’t have to feel sorry for themselves on Valentine’s Day. This year, they have a whole week, directly after Valentine’s Day, to enjoy a different kind of lover’s festival.

Casual Love Week was recently launched in Italy to remind us that being single doesn’t have to mean being alone. Couples can book a room at a number of cooperating hotels, motels and B & B’s. Italian lovers don’t just get special rates during this week, they also receive a complimentary “Casual Love kit” with a free pack of condoms, some lacy lingerie, some sexy gadgets, and a bottle of Prosecco to help them get in the right mood.

Maybe ex-Premier Berlusconi is behind all of this – we all know how much he enjoys casual love

Christmas is a holiday you don’t want to spend alone. If you are in a romantic mood and want to spend xmas with someone special, we have compiled the most original and romantic ideas for Christmas in this seasonal video.

Are you ready for our special tips? Here they are….

Romantic Christmas idea no.1: Ice skating
Take your partner on an active date. Winter is the best season for ice skating. What can be more romantic than holding each other’s hands and enjoying the xmas mood.
(Psst, a special tip for the ladies: If you want to get more intimate with your date, pretend you don’t skate too well. I’m sure he will be more than happy to support you.)

Romantic Christmas idea no.2: A romantic city break
Go on a city trip to one of the most romantic places in the world: Paris, Rome and Vienna are the perfect locations for a Christmas date. Spice up your date with fun activities, like asking people for directions to places that don’t exist using funny accent or buy and give away Christmas candies to random people.

Romantic Christmas idea no.3: Movie night
If you are in a mood to stay at home, choose a few romantic movies, light candles and cuddle up in a warm blanket with your beloved. But remember: even if you are feeling cosy and warm, falling asleep in the middle of the movie is not the best idea.

Romantic Christmas idea no.4
For those who want to stay at home, but want to do something more active, you can spend time together decorating the Christmas tree and wrapping Christmas presents, making delicious Christmas cookies.
You can even prepare home-made punch for Christmas dinner. It will make your Christmas date warm and cosy.

Romantic Christmas idea no.5
And last, but not least… Does your date like chic and glamorous events? Then surprise your partner with a ticket to a Christmas ball, opera or a concert. Practice your dancing steps at home in order to avoid any incidents and bloopers on the dance floor.

If you’re still looking for someone special to share a romantic Christmas with, then register now at be2 and find your perfect match for Christmas. Success is guaranteed!

Online matchmaking has become established and is proven to be successful. „We met through the Internet“ is no longer an unusual love story. But if you can find Mr. or Mrs. Right online, why not try looking for Mr. or Ms. RIGHT NOW? After all, not everyone who is single is necessarily looking for a serious relationship. Many singles enjoy their freedom while they can, with one night stands, erotic adventures and by living out secret sexual fantasies. If you want all that – and more – but without commitment, you can find your match through a Casual Dating site.

Casual Dating works just like online matchmaking, with a science-based questionnaire. Only that instead of matching members according to their potential for a happy and long-lasting relationship, a Casual Dating site matches singles according to their sexual preferences.

Casual Dating, just like online matchmaking, takes the hassle out of finding the right partner: you don’t have to browse endless profiles, but are introduced to singles who are a good match in bed – people who are the right age, live near you and share your sexual preferences.

All members of a Casual Dating site have one thing in common: They want sex without the commitment. That doesn’t mean they don’t want a relationship in the long run. Maybe now just isn’t the right time for them to get involved with someone, maybe they just want to experience different things before settling down with a partner, or maybe they just want to release some pent-up sexual energy at the end of a long-term relationship.

be2 helps you find the love of your life – a Casual Dating site helps you find the right person to share a passionate moment with. All you need to do is decide which type of encounter you want right now!

You can test be2’s matchmaking service here, free of charge!

OR

Find out if Casual Dating is right for you at C-Date

If you have ever been to a wedding in a foreign country, you probably know that wedding customs and traditions are often very different from one country to the next. We put together a list of some interesting wedding customs and traditions from all around the world.

Did you know….

International Wedding Traditions and Customs

• Cuban weddings are famous for various festivities. The best known is probably the money dance. This is when all the men who dance with the bride have to pin money on her dress to help with the expenses of the honeymoon.
• In India the groom wears white clothes, the bride a red sari. They exchange flower garlands and toe rings. Before entering the temple, they go around a sacred fire seven times and they invoke the gods to grant them a happy life. The groom marks the forehead of his wife with a red dot (poddu); she will erase it after her husband’s death.
• The red color plays a key role during the wedding festivities in China. Red is considered to bring luck. In addition, this color symbolizes love, prosperity and happiness. That’s why everything is red: the bride’s dress, the accessories, the wedding invitations, the gift wrap, etc.
• During the wedding ceremony in Spain, the groom gives his bride 13 gold coins, to show his responsibility for her and his trust. The bride gives these coins back, to show her commitment to support him. This is an ancient tradition, where the 13 coins symbolize Jesus and his 12 apostles. 

• In Denmark, there is a traditional wedding custom of cutting off the toe of the groom’s right sock during the feast. No other women will be attracted to a man wearing a sock with holes! However, the Danish like to kiss a lot. So as soon as the bride leaves the room, all the female guests acquire the right to kiss the groom on the mouth. The same practice applies to the bride, of course!

Food is one of the ingredients of life that brings people together wherever they are from, whatever their religion and culture. It is one of our main needs in life and we need it in order to survive and thrive. Besides being a necessity, a good meal can also make us feel good or impact our mood in other ways. Positively mood-altering food is called “Happy Food”, a term used to describe food that gives us a happy feeling, due to higher levels of vitamins and minerals that impact the production and release of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that makes you feel good.

How to have a great date with Happy Food?

If you are planning a date, you could consider having a dinner at home and treating your date to a self-made happy meal. The most obvious choice for a first date is an aphrodisiac meal, but if you want to make your date feel happy rather than sexy, we suggest a different menu…

Choose the right ingredients for your romantic dinner and a “happy” ending will be assured. In order to make it a happy date for you, we will give you one of our easy and tasty recipes in order to boost positive date feelings. With a candle, nice music and our proposed Italian meal, your dinner date will surely become a success!

What are the effects of this dish?

Whole grain pasta is high in folic acid and helps increase serotonin levels. Moreover, meatballs or sauce made with lean beef are great sources of protein, selenium and B6, the vitamin that facilitates serotonin production. Try serving this Italian favorite alongside vitamin-packed spinach, broccoli or a leafy green salad. All are believed to be powerful mood-enhancing foods. With the classic Italian dessert, tiramisu, in the end, your stomach, mind and date will all be happy!

Spaghetti with Vegetables and Lean Meatballs Recipe:

1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup soft bread crumbs
1 large egg, slightly beaten
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
8 ounces uncooked penne pasta
3 cups frozen Italian vegetable mixture
1 jar prepared spaghetti sauce
2 tablespoons freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
1. Heat the oven to 190°C. Combine ground beef, bread crumbs, egg, onion, salt and pepper in a large bowl and mix lightly but thoroughly.
2. Make little balls of the meat and cook them in boiled water.
3. Meanwhile cook the pasta according to package directions. Approximately 6 minute before pasta is done, stir in vegetables. Drain; keep warm.
4. Combine the meatballs and spaghetti sauce in large saucepan. Cook, uncovered, over medium-low heat 6 to 8 minutes or until heated through; stir occasionally. Serve over pasta and vegetables and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
We wish you a very happy and successful date!

This year’s wedding season got off to a grandiose start with the big Royal Wedding and the nuptials of Kate and William were seen by many as something other couples might aspire to. A survey of singles now shows that a dramatic white wedding is not a big dream for the majority.

Most of the singles who took part in the survey want to get married eventually. In fact, only 20% would not marry if they had a choice. However, the numbers who wanted a white wedding are much lower. Despite 78% of respondents saying that they dream of marriage and 44% saying they expect their wedding to be ‘the best day of my life’, most singles describe their dream wedding as an intimate affair, with “our closest family and friends, a fancy dinner and a small celebration”. Only singles under 25 are keen on the big white wedding, while all other age groups prefer something quieter.

Over 65% would only marry if they had found “the One”. Obviously, that level of caution might be related to the fact that 85% of respondents think marriage changes a relationship.

Whatever their opinion on marriage or ideas of a dream wedding, an online matchmaking site is a good place to start looking for the right partner to marry. A recent Which? survey found that over one in five singles who used online matchmaking went on to marry somebody they met through the internet.

>>>Do you want to get married? Find the right person for a happy and long-lasting partnership now!

Want to look good online to increase your chances of finding a partner through an online dating site? We asked singles looking for a date through be2 how to show off your best side online. Your online dating profile picture is one of the most important determining factors that can make or break a successful profile on an online dating site. Almost a quarter of singles searching for love through be2 agree that the profile picture is the most important factor when deciding which singles to contact online.

If the profile picture is so important, why do so many singles skimp on that aspect of their online dating profile? In a recent survey of 2,218 singles registered with be2, 50% of photos submitted by singles to be2 were deemed insufficiently attractive. We aren’t talking about the looks of the person in the picture, just the quality of the photo itself.

Many singles undersell themselves with their profile pictures, even though they could present themselves so much better. Particularly for Premium Members, it’s a question of getting the most out of the service. Our be2 customer service sees a lot of bad profile pictures and gives advice to customers on how to improve their profile with a nice picture. Here, be2 UK customer service agent Caylin Giles explains some of the biggest mistakes they come across:

Top mistakes in bad online dating profile photos.

• Looking stiff
  “Generally, when taking your profile picture it is good to get someone else involved, and to do it in a public place. Photos of users alone in their rooms don’t always give the best results.”
• Barely visible
  “In a good profile photo the subject should take up at least 50% of the photo and should be the main focus of attention.”
• Uncomfortable pose or situation
  “Often the key to a good profile photo is to capture yourself in a natural pose doing something you enjoy. This has two benefits. Firstly, people tend to come across better if they are not posing for the photo but have been captured at a ‘natural’ moment. Second, by telling other users about a type of activity that is important to them users may prompt and enquiry. “
• Out of date
  “Our most active customers keep their photos relevant, posting new pictures when they have come back from holiday, when they have a new hair cut or even with the changing seasons. “

>>>Update your profile photo now or join be2 and get your own attractive profile free of charge!

First dates are always cause for excitement. Mostly, that’s a good thing: those first-date butterflies are an amazing feeling and they let you know that you are preparing for something special. On the other hand, you don’t want to be too nervous before a first date, either.

The best way to play down first-date nerves is perfect preparation. And what better way to prepare than finding out what singles consider good dating etiquette? We asked singles looking for a date through be2 and found out…

The 4 top rules of dating etiquette

1. Dating Etiquette Rule: Let the man pay
   There are situations where singles should go with the times and there are situations where it pays to be old fashioned. First dates obviously count as the latter. Funnily, men are more willing to pay than women women are prepared to accept: 30% of the male singles who took part in the survey think the man should pay on a first date, while only 10% of single women feel the same. 56% of women would insist on splitting the bill. The most diplomatic (and romantic) solution to this dilemma is for the man to pay and tell the woman that she can pay next time. This avoids the awkward situation of splitting the bill and also leaves a nice opening for the next date. Amazingly, under 25s are the most old-fashioned in when it comes to splitting the bill on a first date: they are almost twice as likely to let that the man pay for the date.
2. Dating Etiquette Rule: Be fashionably late
   Obviously, standing someone up on a first date is a massive no-go. But that doesn’t mean you have to be overly punctual either. Over 80% of all singles in the survey would not mind their date being late for their first date. In fact, 69% would just be relieved they had shown up at all! However, watch out for different attitudes according to age groups: over 55s are twice as likely to complain if a date is late for a first date.
3. Dating Etiquette Rule: Dress appropriately
   What to wear on a first date depends on many things, mainly on the time and location. We have given advice on what to wear on a first date before. The main thing to keep in mind is that your outfit matters – and that you are unlikely to find out from your date whether or not they actually like your choice of clothing. 15% of singles would say something if they didn’t like what someone was wearing on a first date.
4. Dating Etiquette Rule: Be flexible
   Remember that a first date is about getting to know someone in a relaxed atmosphere. You don’t want to force yourself to do something you don’t feel like doing, but that doesn’t mean everything has to go your way. Most singles are quite happy to go along with a suggestion, even if it isn’t exactly what they would have chosen to do. Nearly three quarters of single women would go to a film they didn’t like, as well as more than half of the men who responded. Overall women proved to have the more accommodating attitudes than men, but under 25s would be less willing to see a film they didn’t like.

>>>Haven’t found your partner for that special date yet? Brush up on your dating etiquette here and then find your date at be2!