I’ve spoken before about the problems with online dating: catfish, dirty messages, empty promises, the list is endless. Many people have told me of their willingness to give alternatives a bash, but just aren’t sure what they are. Of course online dating is still the source of many success stories, but would it do any harm to give something else a try? Here is my definitive list of the best online dating alternatives:

Singlepin

This one grabbed my attention purely because I’ve never come across anything quite like it. Set to take off in the coming weeks, Singlepin is the brainchild of artist Dianne Harris and has already been adopted by men and women up and down the country. Harris after growing increasingly frustrated with dating in the digital world decided to introduce a sterling silver pin which can be worn to indicate that you are both single and are a true believer in meeting the old-fashioned way, spot a fellow pin wearer for a great conversation starter. Although I don’t think we can completely shut the door on online dating, there was something about this concept that appealed to the ‘old romantic’ in me and left me full of admiration. Check out www.singlepin.co.uk to find out more.

The Date Whisperer 

Tinder may have caught on with singles in their millions but many are now rejecting the Tinder trap and heading back to reality. However, with their constant swiping, many singles have “got out of the habit” of real-life initial attraction and so next week sees the launch of The Date Whisperer, a new service from the woman who has matched over 40,000 singles in the UK, in real life. The Date Whisperer a.k.a Danielle Waller is setting out to help all those singles pick up good habits when it comes to catching someone’s eye or holding their glance. Well versed in what to say in that 30 second window you have to capture the interest of the opposite sex, Dani is offering free 15 minute Skype consultations to prepare daters for making the move away from online dating. It’s free, what do you have to lose! Check Dani out on Twitter @DanielleWaller_

Speed Dating

I’m only going to mention this briefly as I’ve written about it before, so to sum up: it’s actually really fun, nothing wrong with a bit of variety, everyone goes for a big night out at the end, you get to wear a cool badge. Enjoy! www.speeddater.co.uk

Meet-up

Something I’ve heard a lot of good things about, meet-up is rapidly growing in cities all over the UK and is one idea I think I could really get on board with. No matter what your interests are, you’re bound to find a group for you, in fact I only really discovered Meet-Up when I found out there was a group relevant to my social media work. The beauty of meet-up is that the pressure is well and truly off when it comes to meeting someone, you can meet up in a group for drinks, a gig or even a quiet coffee. If you hit it off with someone great, but if not, you’re pretty much guaranteed a good night out anyway! Check out www.meetup.com

Grab a friend and hit the town

I talk a lot about people over-analyzing dating and making it a bigger deal than it really is and sometimes the best thing you can do to meet someone is simply go back to basics. A relationship is a basic right for everyone and in my opinion you shouldn’t have to pay a fee to find one. Grab your friends and go out not with the intention to meet someone but the intention to have fun, you just never know who you’ll end up meeting!

Happy Dating!