Besides having all met their significant others on Zoosk, the couples you see above all have one other thing in common. In each of these success stories, the ladies made the first move on their man! Guest blogger Carrie Seim tells the ladies why it’s high time for them to go on the offense when it comes to the game of love.

The old “rules” said ladies had to wait around for their gentlemen callers. The new rules say – how boring is that?

Steal a page from Zoosker Annie’s playbook. The Jersey girl took a shining to Zoosker Paul’s profile. Instead of twiddling her thumbs, waiting for an engraved invitation to love, Annie “favorited” his profile. Paul winked back. And as of January 2, the two are officially an item!

Instead of playing hard to get and letting guys deal the cards, Annie bravely reshuffled the deck. Her Zoosk success story proves that women should stop waiting and start dating!

After all, making the first move looks good on you!

Go ahead, send him a wink

If a lucky guy catches your eye on Zoosk, don’t be afraid to favorite him, send him a wink or toss him a flirt. These low-risk moves can bring big success to your love life. Nothing winked, nothing gained, right?

You’d be surprised at how much men crave compliments, and how seldom they receive them. There’s nothing more flattering than a flirt from a sultry stranger. (That’s you.) So send him a friendly wink. Or give him kudos for the spectacles he’s sporting in his profile pic. Or answer one of his Date Card icebreakers with a compliment on his curiosity.

You don’t have to propose marriage – just give a hint that you’re into him. Then watch how fast he comes running! Nervous that men only want a chase? Not so fast…

Men dig ladies who make a move

“The one thing that always makes me feel like a rock star is when a girl approaches me first,” says 30-year-old Dan from Los Angeles. “It’s that simple.”

Men across the country have told me how attracted they are to women who go for what they want – especially when what they want is them.

Bring it

If there’s one thing guys aren’t short on, it’s overconfident delusion. This can be annoying at times (“I’m the best Rock Band player to walk the earth,”) but it’s a valuable commodity in the flirting field.

So try their tricks. Think about how fascinating, funny and fox you are before you approach a lucky guy. And remember how thrilled he’s going to be to hear from you.

Because really, what are you risking? If for some insane reason the dude doesn’t wink back, well, there are 50 million singles on Zoosk, so there are million more guys to choose from!

No more waiting around for Prince Charming, ladies. Time to find your own glass slipper!

Guest Blogger Bio

Carrie Seim is an alum of the Groundlings Comedy Theatre, where she performs, teaches and habitually abuses her position of authority. Her comedic essay “Outsourcing Love” was recently optioned  for a feature film. Carrie regularly contributes humorous essays and videos to the New York Post and fierce dating exposés to the Tyra Banks Show and BettyConfidential.com. She had a recurring role on E!’s Seven Deadly Hollywood Sins. Carrie’s last name means “farm by the sea” in Norway. In America it means “kitten with a whip.”

Congratulations Jimmy and Jennifer from Louisville, Kentucky!

Jimmy and I met on Zoosk in August, 2009. We both have been widowed and were confident we would find love again. We started with emails, then talking on the phone and the week before our first date, Jimmy came over and fixed my lawnmower. He says he knew I was the one early on. Around Christmas, we started talking about making our situation “permanent”. We have 5 kids between us and they are ALL very excited about us getting married. Jimmy proposed on Valentines Day and now we are selling houses, planning a wedding and looking at houses to purchase. Thanks to Zoosk, our two broken hearts have become one whole one!!!

-Jennifer and Jimmy
*Wedding set for September 4, 2010*

“Happiness is an inside job,” Jennifer says. Zoosk makes happiness our job. We are thrilled we were able to help Jennifer and Jimmy find happiness! If you have your own success story to share, send it in to success [at] zoosk [dot] com! We want to feature your story!

Today we have a success story to share with you from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. Two Pittsburg Steelers fans, Jessica and Frank, met on Zoosk and “the rest is history”. And note, ladies, Jessica was the one to make the first move on Frank!

My name is Frank and I found true love through Zoosk. I never thought that I would need help finding “Mrs. Right” but after being lonely for five years I finally gave in. I realized that online dating sites are not embarrassing and are a common way to find people. I never thought I would find true love, however. I figured it would maybe set me up on a few dates with local girls and not go much further. Then she winked.

Her name is Jessica, from Pittsburgh, PA. She claims I caught her eye with my Pittsburgh Steeler clad picture and my handsome looks, but I think I was just in the right search result at the right time. I hadn’t had much success in the first few months of being a “Zoosker” unsuccessfully winking at a handful of fellow singles to no avail. Finally in October of 2009, she made the move. We began chatting and as they say “the rest is history”.

We have now been dating for almost four months and we believe it is the beginning of a strong bond and a love that will continue to grow. I just want to say thanks to Zoosk for being the most accessible, easy-to-use, and successful dating tool on the web. I am so grateful and thank my lucky stars everyday that I found such a beautiful, wonderful girl to call mine.

–Frank from Pennsylvania

We are on a streak with success stories initiated by ladies. Our last two love stories, Casey and Matthew and Anne and Paul, both began when Anne and Casey took it upon themselves to message their men first. Take this as a lesson, ladies. If he catches your eye, don’t let him get away!

If you have your own success story to share, send it in to success [at] zoosk [dot] com! We’d love to feature it!

By Kate B

Misery Loves Company? Pah! March is National Optimism Month; so let’s do a little “self belief” spring cleaning.

Research has repeatedly shown the power of positive self-talk, but Psychology 101 aside, there is a lot of sense in it, how can we expect others to love us if we don’t love ourselves? And this will help your dating self? When you’re single and want to be in a relationship, you may be focusing a lot on what you don’t have: that you don’t have someone to go splitsies on Chinese food with, that you don’t have someone to lift the couch so you can vacuum under it. But let’s not focus on the empty glass.

Instead, look at how full your life is. Look at what you do have: Your health, family members who love you, kind friends, a love for a certain type of music that makes you smile every time you hear it. If you look at all the ways you have it going on, at how full your life is, you’ll feel better about yourself and more confident and ready to offer that wonderful version of you to a relationship. Maybe to get you started our “positive” dating tips from late last year are worth another read… having a positive outlook WILL get you more dates.

What’s your best trick for staying optimistic? What made you realize that perhaps a change was in order? Share your thoughts on optimism in love on our community board.

Photo via.

Today we’d like to share an adorable success story from the Garden State! Congrats Anne and Paul. Anne made the first move on Paul, and after that, well, you can read the evidence right here. It’s a heartwarming story.

My name is Annie; I’m from New Jersey. My Zoosk screen name is redvixen. I am writing to let you know that I met my someone special on your site. His name is Paul; his screen name is fungemini. I want to share our romantic story.

I was going through a divorce from a cheating husband; we’d been separated for over a year. I had tried online dating off and on when Zoosk popped up when I was on Facebook one night. On a whim, I joined. Very shortly I began getting winks, and sending some, too. I came across fungemini, liked his profile, and “Favorited” him.

A week or so later, he winked at me. We began emailing one another in November 2009; we met in person in December, early in the month. I was not looking for a serious relationship as I was still leery from my split. On the other hand, Paul was looking for a relationship — but he was willing to start as friends and see where it went.

Well, it didn’t take long before I discovered that I didn’t want to date anyone else. And Paul still felt the same. January 2nd, the day after New Year’s, we decided to become exclusive. And here we are! I feel so lucky. Paul is unlike anyone I’ve ever met. We have so much in common! I really enjoy spending time with him, whether we’re doing something or just hanging out together.

I still think I’m dreaming!

Thanks again, Zoosk!

-Anne from New Jersey

Congrats Anne and Paul! If you have your own Zoosk success story to share, send it to us with a photo of you and your loved one to success [at] zoosk [dot] com and if we showcase your story we’ll send you an online gift card as a token of our congratulations. Happy Zoosking!

Sexy singles! Don’t let Valentine’s Day stand between you and your right to party. Zoosk is urging you — begging you even — to take back February 14th. It’s your day too!

Zoosk invites unattached singles the world over to celebrate ‘love 2.0′ by entering our Valentine’s Day Twitter giveaway. And guess what? This party is for singles only.

Participate in the discussion in 3 easy steps:

1. Get on Twitter and follow @Zoosk.

2. After following @Zoosk, send a tweet to @Zoosk and suggest something fun for a single person to do on Valentine’s Day (e.g. “put down Russell Stovers post-haste, then put on leg warmers, & go to 80s night”).

3. End your post with the hashtag “#Zoosk” — this helps us compile them together. You can use the hashtag to read what other singles are suggesting as well.

And yay, you’re done!

After collecting the responses, Zoosk will reveal 3 prize winners on Valentine’s Day: the 3 best suggestions we get for singles only Valentine’s Day fun. For a mere 140 characters of life-affirming Valentine’s Day bon mots, we’ll reward a prize of 700 Zoosk coins (worth $50) and a month of free Zoosk membership. We’ll also publish the winning tweets on our blog, Facebook fan page, and community boards and encourage everyone to follow the three winning Tweeters.

(You might even meet someone in the process.)

So. Get thee to a Twitter page. Send @Zoosk a message suggesting a fun singles only activity for the dreaded 14th of February. If your tweet catches our eye, we’ll make it rain with Zoosk coins — and end that dry spell.

Photo via.

Zoosk is happy to share an adorable success story with today, sent to us by Wyndell and Richard, two lovely Zooskers from the state of Virginia. Congrats Wyndell and Richard!

I emailed Richard on Zoosk last winter, and he emailed me back. We started chatting, and later he added me as a friend on his Facebook page.  I heard his voice for the 1st time on Christmas morning, when he called me! We talked every day after that and went on our first date five days after that. We both knew it was love at first sight. We spent New Years Eve together.

When Richard told me he had fallen in love with me, I knew that I felt the same. I moved in with Richard and his daughter in the middle of January. He has ask me to marry him and be his wife and the mother to his daughter. And yes, I said yes! We were born to be together!

It’s so unreal, thinking of all the things we have in common: the same likes and dislikes, the same movies, books, places; there are so many things that I can’t name them all.  We are now working on planning — and setting the date for — our wedding.

So for all you folks looking , your soulmate is out there! Zoosk works!

Thank you Zoosk!

Wynndell and Richard

Colonial Heights, Virginia

Zoosk wishes Wynndell and Richard the best. If you have your own Zoosk success story to share, send it to us with a photo of you and your loved one to success [at] zoosk [dot] com and if we showcase your story we’ll send you an online gift card as a token of our congratulations. Happy Zoosking!

Today we’d like to present a special success story from Lexie and Robert from Texas! Robert and Lexie both sent us letters sharing their wonderful news. Their enthusiasm, love, and appreciation for each other shows in every word they’ve written. Robert calls Lexie “the most beautiful girl in the world” and Lexie describes Robert as “the most amazing guy in the world” — and that’s how it’s done, folks… that’s how love is supposed to feel.

Let’s start off with Robert’s letter:

I made a Zoosk profile on a Thursday because I was bored. The moment I finished the profile, I saw the most beautiful girl in the world on my homepage. I winked at her. Later that day she responded, “Hi, how are you?” I paid $10 for Zoosk coins so I could email her. On Friday we exchanged numbers, and the next day we arranged to meet.

On Monday, I met the most beautiful girl in the world. Early in the date, a little girl told her that she loved her dress. I agreed. We played two rounds of putt putt golf, and raced in go-karts. A small girl tried to run us down during the race. At the arcade, we played Guitar Hero… I won. Then we played air hockey… she won. She drove me back to my car because I’m a moron and I parked really far away. Before I got out, the most beautiful girl in the world asked, “Do I get a hug?” I said “Of course.” And I hugged her.

The most beautiful girl in the world lives with her parents, because she goes to community college. The next Saturday, I saw her again, and was allowed to pick her up. The most beautiful girl in the world and I went to a sandwich shop. She eats slower than me. I told her I liked her dress… then realized that she was wearing pants and a top. Not a dress. She laughed at me because I’m a moron. I loved it. We played four games of bowling. She won the first, third, and fourth games. Before the second game, I walked up to her and said, “Ok… If I win this one, I get a kiss.” The most beautiful girl in the world agreed. And she tried to beat me. Almost did. I won that game by 4 points. After looking at the scoreboard she walked toward me, pouting, and said, “I lost.” I smiled, wrapped my arms around her, and said, “I won.” We kissed for the first time in a bowling alley surrounded by screaming children. It was amazing.

The most beautiful girl in the world and I planned to see each other the following Friday. But I couldn’t wait. I asked if I could see her sooner. So on that next Wednesday, the most beautiful girl in the world came to visit me. We got ice cream. She got bubblegum flavor, and had a hard time eating it because of the gumballs. It was adorable. We played another game of bowling… she won. I brought the most beautiful girl in the world to my dorm because I wanted to sing to her. I got my guitar, and tried to sing “Realize”. She laughed at me, because I sang the wrong words. I loved it. I sang her a song I wrote. The most beautiful girl in the world told me it was cute. She told me she liked it. And I kissed her. As we lay in each others arms, not moving, scarcely breathing, I did something that I was terribly afraid to do. I told the most beautiful girl in the world that I love her. And she told me that she loves me, too.

The most beautiful girl in the world owns my heart. Her name is Lexie. I like to call her Lexiebear. I met Lexiebear on Zoosk dot com. And I can still barely believe it.

We were touched by the spirit of romance in Robert’s letter. When we read the letter Lexie sent us, we found it to be equally adorable. Read what Lexie had to say about Robert, below.

I’m Lexie and my wonderful boyfriends name is Robert, who is the most amazing guy in the world.

I decided to take a friends advice about joining Zoosk.com. The next day Robert winked at me and I was immediately attracted to him so I messaged back. Over the next few days we started emailing and texting each other back and forth and before I knew it we were planning our first date.

I was so nervous about meeting him because never in my life have I tried online dating site; I was completely out of my comfort zone. But as soon as I saw him and he smiled at me, all of my fear just melted away. On our first date we decided to play mini golf which we both horribly suck at but at least we sucked together. Through the date we rode go carts, played arcade games, and my favorite our air hockey game. At the end of our date I was so scared about how to the date was going to end I figured I couldn’t go wrong with at least asking for a hug. He responded with words that will always make me smile “Of course”.

The following Saturday we went on our second date, we decided to go bowling. After winning the first game, Robert said to me “If I win this game, I get a kiss.” And I agreed, I really did try to beat him but at that point I could care less and I was definitely glad that I lost that round. So we had our first kiss in the middle of a chaotic bowling alley, but in that moment nothing else mattered to me it was only him and me, and I loved every minute of it.

After our second date I couldn’t wait to see him again so I decided to drive up to his dorm. When I got there he took me to get ice cream and on campus bowling. The moments that happened next are the ones I will always hold close to my heart. He took me back to his dorm, when he then picked up his guitar and started signing “Realize” by Colbie Calliat, then he sung me a song he had written himself. I have never in any of my past relationships had a guy sing to me and look at me the way Robert did that day. His words touched my heart and soul. In that moment we kissed and layed in the comfort of each others arms. He then lifted my face up towards his and said the 8 letter, 3 word phrase we all want to hear someone say to us, He said “I love you” for the first time. And without a doubt in my mind I said “I love you too”.

I remember when he said to me “why is a beautiful girl like you still single?” The reason I was still single was because I was scared of to let anyone all the way in because of the fear of getting hurt. With Robert something inside me told me to take a chance on opening myself up to love. And I’m so glad I did because now I have the most amazing guy in the world to call mine. I have fallen head over heels for him; I swear to love him forever and always. I still can’t believe that I owe it all to Zoosk.com and my best friend for convincing me to join.

Congrats Lexie and Robert! We wish the two of you all the happiness in the world. If you have your own Zoosk success story to share, send it to us with a photo of you and your loved one and we’ll send you an Amazon (or other online retailer of your choice) gift card as a token of our congratulations.

Today we have an awesome success story to share with you, from Taha and Adam down in Florida. These pierced and tattooed punk rock lovebirds met each other on Zoosk back in 2008, got hitched in April of 2009, and just celebrated their 9-month wedding anniversary a few days ago!

Says Taha, “I believe that if we could find each other on Zoosk, the chances are pretty good that others will too.” Here’s her story:

I want to say thank you to Zoosk.

I met my husband Adam through this great site! He sent me a wink, and I replied. Within a few days, we were messaging and chatting. We both had given up on the dating scene — both of us were divorced and it left us kind of jaded.

But we knew right away there was a connection with each other. And when he drove almost 2 hours to meet me, and we finally “saw” each other, we knew we were meant to be together. It has been a whirlwind of laughter, love and happiness since we’ve met and we thank Zoosk!

Plus, we are not typical “dating site” people. Tattoos, piercings and punk rock/metal music can be hard to match-up. Zoosk gives everyone a forum and a way to put themselves out there!

Without Zoosk, we would have never met, and I would have missed the greatest love of my life.

Adam and I were married on April 25th, 2009. Everyday since has been spectacular.

The best part is, we are so compatible, that our wedding was perfectly fitting! The bride wore fishnets and combat boots, while the groom wore Chucks!

It was a perfect day. I believe that if we could find each other on Zoosk, the chances are pretty good that others will too. Zoosk, THANK YOU.

–Taha from Florida

Taha contributes her success on Zoosk to the fact that “Zoosk gives everyone a forum and a way to put themselves out there.” We are thrilled you think so, Taha, and we couldn’t agree more with your assessment.

Zoosk is a tool that everyone and anyone can use. We aren’t a dating site for one specific sort of person; we’re a dating site for everyone. We want you to custom tailor your Zoosk experience to uniquely fit who you are. The easy-to-use nature of our product and the simplicity of our design reflects our goal of promoting individuality and making Zoosk accessible for everyone.

As for Taha and Adam, we could not be more happy for them! Congratulations to Taha and Adam! We wish you all the best. We’re so thrilled to know we’ve played a part in helping the two of you find one another.

If you have your own Zoosk success story to share, send it to us with a photo of you and your loved one to success [at] zoosk [dot] com and if we showcase your story we’ll send you an online gift card as a token of our congratulations. Happy Zoosking!

There are better ways to break ice than with an overused pick-up line or a boring conversation starter.  “Nice weather we have today, isn’t it?” doesn’t exactly speak volumes about your personality. Speaking of personality, a boring introduction like this reveals only a lack thereof.

We know it’s not easy to fabricate witticisms at the drop of a hat, so we’ve come up a way to help you out.

On your Date Card, you’ll notice a fun new Icebreakers feature. Icebreakers are cute little questions (like “What is your least favorite part about flying on a plane?”) that any Zoosker can add to their Date Card. These questions which can be answered by interested Zooskers in lieu of sending a Wink (which doesn’t provide much description or detail about you) or a Flirt (a Flirt what we call a standard Zooskbox message that you write unprompted). Icebreakers make flirting easier than ever, and we’ve given you 100 different icebreakers to choose from!

Adding icebreakers to your profile is easy. As you edit your Date Card, visit the new icebreakers tab. You can add as many icebreakers on your profile as your lovely heart desires.

Compared to composing an unprompted message, answering an icebreaker is a piece of cake. You can respond to an icebreaker with a sparkling riposte right on a cutie’s Date Card.

Click “Answer” and a little box will pop up. Type your bon mots in the box and clickity click on “Send”.

The icebreaker lands right in the person’s Zooskbox. Easy breezy, ice is broken!

Once an icebreaker is sent to a Zooskbox, the appears like the above, with the question and answer together. How nice!

And with that freezing cold sheet of ice out of the way, things can finally heat up. Is it just me, or is it getting really hot in here?