This week the harsh reality of what many women have to deal with in online dating was driven home by an Instagram account called Bye Felipe, which highlighted various men’s reactions to being turned down for dates, mostly via Tinder and OKCupid. The reactions are offensive, shocking and so ridiculous they are in many cases funny.

While the account provides an admittedly limited sample size of men, the widespread media and blog coverage seems to have struck a chord with many women dating online.

The Huffington Post, along with a number of other online outlets, recently reported on a man choking a woman he met online for appearing different in real life as compared with her online dating profile. Police didn’t immediately confirm the exact nature of the man’s disappointment, but in any case we can note a number of things that went wrong here before this unpleasant incident occurred.

The main point is that the accused choker was obviously over-invested in this particular meeting. While we have no idea if the man has a violent criminal record or previous issues with managing his disappointment, we do have a few suggestions on what he could have done differently to prevent this situation from occurring in the first place:

According to eHarmony, 40 million Americans now date online, which equals roughly 40% of all single people in America. With such a huge pool of people to choose from, it can feel overwhelming to sift through messages and find a potential partner online, especially if you’re a woman who is bombarded with messages from guys wanting to take you out.

One solution to this challenge has been found in the rise of niche online dating sites, which attempt to corral singles into similar cohorts by age, shared interests, ethnicity or religion. By narrowing your playing field of potential dates, you may paradoxically have a better chance of finding the right person for you. But how do you know what’s available? We took a look at this growing field for you and listed ten notable niche dating sites from the thoughtful to the bizarre.

With people from all walks of life now able to run background checks affordably and instantly, you may feel like your past is obscuring your present and future prospects. After all, if you have a criminal record, you are already aware of how it can interfere with employment opportunities, educational opportunities, and even basic necessities such as housing.