Eharmony

Neil Clark Warren thinks he's the best match for EHarmony Inc. In a move that caused his friends to call him crazy, the 78-year-old EHarmony founder came out of retirement in July to become chief executive, looking to resuscitate one of the most recognized online dating services that was struggling amid increased competition. "We'd gotten a bit lost," Warren said recently at the company's Santa Monica headquarters, decorated with hundreds of photos of couples who met on the website.

For more than a decade, the online dating site eHarmony has pitched itself as a company that matches singles with romantic partners who are looking for lifelong relationships. Now a study funded by the Santa Monica-based firm offers scientific evidence that husbands and wives who met online are more satisfied with their marriages than couples that met the old-fashioned way. In a nationally representative survey of 19,131 people, researchers found slightly less marital contentment and slightly higher separation rates among people who met their spouse at work, on a blind date, in a bar or at a club.

For more than a decade, the online dating site eHarmony has pitched itself as a company that matches singles with romantic partners who are looking for lifelong relationships. Now a study funded by the Santa Monica-based firm offers scientific evidence that husbands and wives who met online are more satisfied with their marriages than couples that met the old-fashioned way. In a nationally representative survey of 19,131 people, researchers found slightly less marital contentment and slightly higher separation rates among people who met their spouse at work, on a blind date, in a bar or at a club.

Neil Clark Warren thinks he's the best match for EHarmony Inc. In a move that caused his friends to call him crazy, the 78-year-old EHarmony founder came out of retirement in July to become chief executive, looking to resuscitate one of the most recognized online dating services that was struggling amid increased competition. "We'd gotten a bit lost," Warren said recently at the company's Santa Monica headquarters, decorated with hundreds of photos of couples who met on the website.

Sitting in the stands at Dodger Stadium, Steve Bergmann began checking out nearby women he might hit on. But his eyes weren't scanning the seats — they were fixed on his smartphone. Bergmann tapped into an app that uses GPS to locate prospective dates in the vicinity. He scrolled through photos and profiles till one young woman caught his eye, then shot her an instant message. Half an hour later, Bergmann and Meg Riely, both 25, were sipping beers together at a concession stand.

EHarmony, the popular online dating site, was the target of a password hacking attack that resulted in 1.5 million stolen passwords, most of which have been cracked. The attack is believed to be by the same hacker who stole 6.5 million passwords from LinkedIn, the career-oriented social network. The hacker posted two lists containing the 8 million passwords on the website insidepro.com, on which the user goes by the name of "dwdm. " The larger list contained some passwords LinkedIn has now confirmed as belonging to its social network.  and a significant number of the passwords on the smaller list contained the words "eHarmony" or "harmony," according to Ars Technica . EHarmony has confirmed that some of its passwords were stolen.

The online dating site EHarmony.com has reached a settlement in a class-action lawsuit brought by gays and lesbians who said the service discriminated against them. As part of the proposed agreement, the company will pay more than half a million dollars and make its website more "welcoming" to seekers of same-sex matches, according to court documents filed Tuesday. The Pasadena-based company had already launched a service last year for gays and lesbians, called Compatible Partners, as part of an unrelated settlement with the New Jersey attorney general's civil rights division.

People seeking same-sex relationships on eHarmony can sue as a class action case against the online matchmaking website, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled Wednesday. Judge Victoria Chaney granted class certification for the lawsuit filed on behalf of gays, lesbians and bisexuals in the state who were unable to seek same-sex matches on eHarmony. The online dating service, based in Pasadena, calls itself the "#1 Trusted Relationship Site" and boasts that it has kindled romance for "millions of people of all ages, ethnicities, national origins and religious and political beliefs."

Coming soon to EHarmony: Adam and Steve. The Pasadena-based dating website, heavily promoted by Christian evangelical leaders when it was founded, has agreed in a civil rights settlement to give up its heterosexuals-only policy and offer same-sex matches. EHarmony -- known for the mild-mannered television and radio advertisements by its founder, psychologist Neil Clark Warren -- not only must implement the new policy by March 31 but also must give the first 10,000 same-sex registrants a free six-month subscription.

Match.com, eHarmony and Spark Networks agreed Tuesday to screen their prospective online dating clients for histories of sexual assault, violence and identify theft, California Atty. Gen.Kamala D. Harris announced. The agreement stemmed from a lawsuit brought last year by a Match.com client who was raped on a date with a repeat sex offender to whom she had been matched by the dating service. The companies also promised to improve safe-dating advice offered online and to educate clients about the risks of being targeted in financial scams.

The gig: Jeremy Verba, 49, became chief executive of online dating site EHarmony Inc. in August 2011, replacing Greg Waldorf. The Santa Monica company matches singles looking for long-term relationships; 34 million people have used the service since it was launched in 2000. The company uses "relationship science" to predict compatible matches and says that on average, 542 people marry every day in the United States as a result of being matched on EHarmony. Education: Received a bachelor's degree in architecture from MIT and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

EHarmony, the popular online dating site, was the target of a password hacking attack that resulted in 1.5 million stolen passwords, most of which have been cracked. The attack is believed to be by the same hacker who stole 6.5 million passwords from LinkedIn, the career-oriented social network. The hacker posted two lists containing the 8 million passwords on the website insidepro.com, on which the user goes by the name of "dwdm. " The larger list contained some passwords LinkedIn has now confirmed as belonging to its social network.  and a significant number of the passwords on the smaller list contained the words "eHarmony" or "harmony," according to Ars Technica . EHarmony has confirmed that some of its passwords were stolen.

California cracked down this week on online dating sites - and it's about time. Now federal authorities should recognize that running a website doesn't entitle you to be an absentee landlord and that the EBays and Craigslists of the cyber world are ultimately responsible for whatever skulks into their domains. State Atty. Gen.Kamala D. Harris announced an agreement stemming from a lawsuit filed last year by a Match.com user who was attacked on a date with a man who turned out to be a repeat sex offender.

Match.com, eHarmony and Spark Networks agreed Tuesday to screen their prospective online dating clients for histories of sexual assault, violence and identify theft, California Atty. Gen.Kamala D. Harris announced. The agreement stemmed from a lawsuit brought last year by a Match.com client who was raped on a date with a repeat sex offender to whom she had been matched by the dating service. The companies also promised to improve safe-dating advice offered online and to educate clients about the risks of being targeted in financial scams.

Sitting in the stands at Dodger Stadium, Steve Bergmann began checking out nearby women he might hit on. But his eyes weren't scanning the seats — they were fixed on his smartphone. Bergmann tapped into an app that uses GPS to locate prospective dates in the vicinity. He scrolled through photos and profiles till one young woman caught his eye, then shot her an instant message. Half an hour later, Bergmann and Meg Riely, both 25, were sipping beers together at a concession stand.

EHarmony Inc. Chief Executive Gregory Waldorf has resigned from the dating website that he's run for almost five years. Waldorf, 42, will be replaced on an interim basis by Greg Steiner, EHarmony's president and chief operating officer, while the board conducts a search for a permanent CEO, the Santa Monica company said Tuesday. "As EHarmony begins its second decade, the time is right for me to step down," Waldorf said in a statement, without providing a reason for leaving.

California cracked down this week on online dating sites - and it's about time. Now federal authorities should recognize that running a website doesn't entitle you to be an absentee landlord and that the EBays and Craigslists of the cyber world are ultimately responsible for whatever skulks into their domains. State Atty. Gen.Kamala D. Harris announced an agreement stemming from a lawsuit filed last year by a Match.com user who was attacked on a date with a man who turned out to be a repeat sex offender.

Even objectivists yearn for romance. Adherents of Ayn Rand's philosophy may strive to live with an emphasis on the power of reason and objective reality, but that didn't stop Stephanie Betit and Jamie Hancock from falling so crazy in love that they'd constantly email during work, talk on the phone until 4 a.m. and drive for nine hours to see each other. Frustrated with her love life, Vermonter Betit, a 32-year-old special-education coordinator, wondered aloud to a girlfriend, "How the heck do you meet people nowadays who are intelligent, don't do drugs, don't drink and are serious about life?"

New to dating online? Or do you need some pointers on how to brush up your skill set? We asked the experts for some tips. "Keep profiles brief and specific. Leave the novel at home. Long, drawn-out profiles and sob stories don't belong on an online dating site. Use a catchy screen name. For instance, I use PianoBaby and PaperbackWriter. It makes it easy for a man to approach me because they have something to say. Don't put pictures of you and your pets or children. Don't post party photos — a picture of a man and his buddy might confuse the person looking at the profile [who would wonder]

What would you pay to meet the love of your life? Twenty dollars a month for an Internet dating site that lets you wade knee-deep into the dating pool and swim with millions of other singles? Or $1,000-plus for a personalized matchmaker who will do the wading, and weeding, for you? Over the last few years, a surprising number of singles have been choosing the latter, despite the declining economy. Turned off by Internet dating sites that offer a vast selection but take a lot of time, they're spending bigger bucks for more service that leaves the date-picking to someone else.