Just In Time For Valentine's Day: Love@AOL Dating Trends Survey

The leading way people met their last date continues to be through friends and family, with 21 percent of singles saying the friends and family connection was how they met their last date.

A January 2006 JupiterResearch consumer survey found that 5 percent of Internet users paid for online dating subscriptions in the last year, down slightly from 6 percent in 2005. Industry-wide user conversion rates fell for the first time since JupiterResearch began tracking the metric.

More findings from the AOL survey:

Despite the majority of women (54 percent) saying they would date someone who makes less money than they do, nearly half (49 percent) said that the guy usually pays for the first date. The majority of men (68 percent) agreed that they usually pick up the tab.

While 82 percent of women said it's okay for a woman to call a man after the first date, 49 percent said they never make the call. Still, more than three-quarters of men (77 percent ) said they usually call within two days after the first date.

If you're looking to text your love, consider this from Tegic Communications, a provider of software for cell phones. Among text messaging users:

60 percent have texted to say "I love you" or "I miss you."
27 percent have sent a flirty or sexy text message.
26 percent have sent a "Happy Valentine's Day" text.
7 percent have even sent a text to ask someone out on a date.

Love it or hate it, Valentine's Day is coming up, so hunker down with your loved one(s). And, guys, most of the time actions (er, chocolate, flowers, wonderful surprises) speak louder than texts.

-- Tobi Elkin, Executive Editor, MediaPost