In addition to all the recent improvements we’ve made to Engage, there are also exciting changes going on behind the scenes inside our plucky little start-up. Former vice president of product and marketing Derek Gordon has become our new CEO, and co-founder and former CEO Suneet Wadhwa has moved to the role of chairman of the board.

Fresh back from a vacation in Paris, France, Europe, Monsieur Derek is now providing vision and leadership for our team as we grow our introductions platform in exciting new directions. Translation: More great ways to get introduced are coming your way soon, so look out! Stay tuned for more details. Knowing Derek, he’ll be introducing himself to you here on the blog very soon so you can get to know him and share the excitement as Engage brings you even more new ways to meet.

As you know, we’re working on a completely new way to meet here at Engage. Anyone who’s single can use the site to get handpicked matches, decide who they want to meet, and get introduced. Anyone who’s not here to date can use the site to introduce their fave single friends to new and exciting singles about whom they have a great feeling.

Our introductions are 100% people-powered. That means everyone can cut through the fakey personals shtick, let your hair down, be yourself, and actually meet real people who fit your style and sensibilities. Plus, you get to look for people with friends by your side. So there’s always someone here to give you a much-needed reality check — and to help decide if someone’s both into you and worthy of your affections.

Carving out a whole new approach to meeting and dating is exciting and challenging and, we confess, a lot of work. But you’re worth it, dear readers. We have a friend crush on you and we want to see you with someone just as amazing as you are. So, because we heart you that much, we’re constantly tinkering behind the scenes — listening carefully to your feedback and funneling it into brand new improvements all over the site.

To that end, we recently made some more updates that you’ve been asking for. Here are the highlights… of course, you should really sign in and try them for yourself.

The biggest change we’ve made recently is a whole new way of organizing the site:

- Your matches tab - Where the magic happens for you if you’re single. Handpick matches for yourself, review matches that others have picked for you, decide who you want to meet. And meet them. Simple!

- Play matchmaker tab  - You can pick matches for friends, vote & comment on friends’ matches so they can narrow the field, and make quickie intros. What’s next is up to them!

- Profile - We heard what you said about editing your profile, so we’ve corralled all your key personal info and preferences in one place. Edit away!

- Other improvements - Now you can also more easily access your inbox and do searches to find cuties for yourself and others. You can also use our Friend Finder tool to look up pals who are already members of Engage.

So the site’s ready and waiting for ya. We can’t wait to see who you meet!

xo,

Engage

Engage’s VP of Love, Trish McDermott popped up on CNN last week to chime in on the mixed messages people receive when dating. It seems guys are confused about the signals women are sending in relationships. Says Trish:

“For all the communicating singles are now doing using the plethora of social media available to them, men and women still aren’t necessarily hearing each other. Most men still think they should pay for the first date, but most women don’t agree. On the other hand, women still expect gentlemanly courtesies such as having the door held open for them.”

Trish’s commentary helps men decode the signals. Of course, as our VP of Love, we think Trish is always fabulously insightful when it comes to the dating game. Her advice also illustrates why it’s so important to get a reality check from your friends when you’re dating. What if someone is really into you but you’re missing the signals?

When in doubt, ask a friend for their read on the situation and you might discover that the super cute and sassy object of your affection is totes reciprocating your interest — but you’re just so wrapped up in disbelief that you’re missing the super obvs cues. Or you could just subject yourself to a life of unanswered questions about “What might’ve been.” But where’s the fun in that?

Our recent Sex and the City survey results are popping up in articles all over the blogosphere. The Baltimore Sun’s BaltAmour blog concluded our survey results showed how “the sexual double standard” persists.

The MaconLove blog thinks “the show gave women greater confidence and equality. It showed that world that it’s OK to be an assertive woman that can ask for — and get — what she wants.”

While sites like the Hampton Report, Great Dating Services, and the M2W conference blog reported how SATC changed women’s attitudes towards dating, Slackmistress stands up for “NerdGirls” who didn’t find Sex and the City so revolutionary, because they were already used to different dating practices. (Although maybe this is one of those “exception proves the rule” situations?)

Thanks again for sounding off in our survey. We’ll keep you posted on the next opportunity to share your thoughts and weigh in on topics that impact social dating.

“Oh Canada!” Our very own VP of Love, Trish McDermott popped up on Calgary Today with Mike Blanchard. Download the show from SendSpace and listen to Trish’s expert opinion on the state of online dating and relationships. Pretty savvy, eh?

The Sex and the City movie is coming out soon. And that made us curious. How has Sex and the City changed dating and socializing? Tell us what you think.

We’re getting attention for the new version of Engage that we unveiled yesterday.

Kristen Nicole on Mashable noticed:

“Engage is one of those sites seeking better recommendation tools for hooking you up in a genuine, non-contrived manner…”

Thanks Kristen! Read her complete article about our new site and our fun approach to social dating.

You can also check our press release about the launch.

Updated: Read what the Silicon Valley/San Jose BusinessJournal said about us today.

Another update: We also made the Silicon Valley Wire. Read it here.