Dating Social

With many workers having an office valentine -- and even canoodling on the job -- some employers don't want to be liable if the romance fizzles. They are asking workers, mostly senior executives, to sign "love contracts" that shield employers from liability if intimacy later congeals into a sexual harassment lawsuit or some other discord.

Dairy farmers are putting singles' ads on milk cartons in the hopes of finding Mr. or Miss Right in the Welsh countryside. The effort coincides with St. Dwynwen's Day, which celebrates the Welsh patron saint of lovers. "My family thinks I'm nuts," said 30-year-old farmer Iwan Jones, who is on the cartons and hasn't had a date in a year. "My friends think it's hilarious." Three men and two women appear in the ads, which feature a photograph under the heading "Fancy a farmer?"

It started as so many relationships do -- the long phone calls, the movie dates, the tentative introductions to family and friends. But the courtship of Mark Passerby and Salwa Al-Saban was hardly ordinary. The two were separated by the Atlantic Ocean, a time difference of six hours and vast cultural contrasts. He lived in Lansing, Mich., she in Cairo. They say they fell in love over Skype, a service that allows people to call each other for free over the Internet.

IRIET SCHULMAN of Hollywood went to Israel this spring and fell in love with the country. It "definitely exceeded my expectations," said Schulman, 30, a bead artist. And the man she met on the trip wasn't bad either. In fact, just an hour after checking into the David Intercontinental Hotel in Tel Aviv, she met Josh Gartenberg, 31, a New York filmmaker, and from then on, they "were pretty much inseparable."

ALTHOUGH MySpace.com has gotten a lot of flak lately (especially from parents) for letting members post questionable materials and for not having tighter reins on posers and pedophiles phishing for "dates," the social networking site remains as popular as ever for those genuinely looking for love -- or something like it. It's become a thriving meat market, just without the jello shots and beer-soaked floors.

Flirtingintraffic.com, an Internet dating site of a different sort, aims to unite you with the cutie in the car next to you. How does it work? Compared to other dating sites, getting started can be a bit of a process. You create a profile, and then receive a sticker for your car with a member ID on it.

THIS is an Oscar prediction: Thrice-nominated George Clooney will not stroll down the red carpet with a fabulous young woman on his arm. Nor, despite his joke the other day at the nominees luncheon, will he be bringing along Dick Cheney. He's going to be trailed by his publicist and possibly his agent. Or even his parents. How do we know this? We don't, really.

IF an artist painted a portrait of Cupid today, the little guy's quiver would surely hold websites instead of arrows. In a survey by the Wedding Channel of 4,700 newly engaged or married people who registered on its website, 12% said they found their true love online. Dating websites such as Match.com and Great Expectations and personal-ad sites such as Yahoo! Personals, Gay.com and others have been responsible in just a decade of existence for a sea change in how people find romance.

If you're in a relationship, beware of January. Along with unwanted pounds, bad habits and gifts that don't fit, people often mark the beginning of a new year by jettisoning romantic partners. After the winter holidays and before the big lovefest of Valentine's Day, January presents an opportune, if cold and dreary, window for a fresh start. Among some therapists, sociologists and advisors to the lovelorn, it's known as breakup month.

The books come wrapped in jackets of purple and pastel pink, their titles urgent and peppered with numbers and exclamation points of the "Six Ways to Know if He's the One!" variety. They take up substantial real estate in the self-help aisle, these tomes of dating and mating rules and lists, dispensing how-to prescriptions for every stage of the relationship cycle. How to meet a guy. Tell if he's into you. Know if he wants to marry you. How to spice up your marriage.