Dating

With so many people coming and going from this town, there will always be a large population of single people, especially younger college aged individuals. Almost every day, some columnist whines about how they aren't getting any action. Depending on what your style is, the right person could be anywhere. Only the desperate can be found searching at meat markets or other random spots. Indeed, many find pleasure in solo dining (which can still lead to some action). Once you find someone, you'd better have some good ideas for dates. You should also know about good makeout spots. Be careful: dating can lead to sex, so you might need some contraception. Dating can also lead to marriage.

One thing that has changed significantly in the last five years is the number of dating resources available to the public. Not only has there been an increase in dating websites ranging from the bland to the extreme there has also been an increase in dating resources and counseling in universities and other privately funded organizations. If you are a student, note that there are significantly more women at UC Davis than men. This theoretically means there are fewer excuses for guys, and women might have to share or look elsewhere. In reality these numbers could be skewed based upon possible dichotomies of girls who maintain high school relationships versus guys who do so, and of differences in receptiveness to dating. Furthermore, if the previous statement does not apply to you because you don't believe in monogamy or are not heterosexual, you can still use the following resources or check out the Gay Community page for networking ideas.

As of 2011, approximately one in every five new relationships in the US stems from online dating or social networking sites such as Facebook. On dating sites that require a paid subscription in order to communicate, only a small portion of users tend to be actively communicating at any given time. On free dating sites a larger portion of users actively communicate, but it can still take considerable time and effort to get a date. Be cautious since some less reputable dating sites are tied to identity theft or identity monetizing scams (for example: this report), and deceptive dating profiles can be posted on any dating site. As an aside, not only can dating websites help you to begin a new relationship, they can just as easily end one, since nearly 30% of all breakups are due to emotional infidelity through dating websites or other online communications.

Local websites for Singles

• For outdoor-oriented people the Sierra Club Singles is a good place to meet others who live a healthy outdoorsy life style.
• Map of parks in Davis to help meet people! 

National websites for Singles

• Alt.com is a dating site for everything from clothing fetishes to same gender dating.
• Chemistry.com new spin-off of match.com that uses a long personality questionnaire.
• Craigslist has a personals section - be prepared for slim pickins in the Davis area.
• eHarmony users take an extensive personality questionnaire, on the basis of which, the site will match you with potential partners. There is no way to search for other users you might like. Some consider the eHarmony matching system to be a "black box" (since there is no way to know exactly how it works or whether it is better than random), others have confidence in it because it is based on the five factor model of personality, a well established psychological theory. Users must pay for a subscription to be able to communicate. The creator of the site is very public about his Christian faith, and the site has been criticised for promoting theism and for only providing heterosexual dating.
• Green Singles, a dating site for singles who care about the environment.
• Match.com is the dating site with the largest number of users, who search for matches using search filters such as location, age, hair color, occupation, religion, etc. and profile keywords. Users must pay for a subscription to be able to communicate with other users.
• OK Cupid, a free dating site with an elaborate matching system controlled by the user. Multiple choice questions enable you to select and prioritize the values, beliefs, lifestyle choices, personality traits, etc. that you prefer in a match while also describing yourself. The site shows you the people whose answers best match what you are looking for and vice versa. As of 2011, the web traffic statistics at Alexia.com indicate that, globally, more time is spent on OKCupid than any of the other major dating sites. OK Cupid appears to have at least five thousand users within 25 miles of Davis with slightly more women than men.
• Plenty of Fish, a free personals website that is dominated by guys and will never let you quit. It's supposedly run by one guy and you can never get out.
• SpringStreet, which shares dating profiles across various alternative sites such as salon.com and nerve.com.
• Yahoo Dating

Good Dating Etiquette

• Treat people like you would like to be treated. It is the golden rule, and yet people seem to forget it when dating.
• Be considerate of how others feel and try and empathize with them (that doesn’t mean you have to change how you feel, but show some compassion).
• If you don’t care about someone, don’t take advantage of the situation. Just because you can use someone doesn’t mean you should.
• Be open and honest in your communication. It's truly not for their benefit, although it helps them as well. If you aren't honest with your date you may end up involved in a relationship you may regret. Honesty only helps you find someone you are truly compatible with, if not this particular date, then perhaps the next.