Love can be a funny thing. Like the sight of a woman built like a beanpole swinging hands with an incredibly rotund squat of a man. Or an industrious lover attempting a “new position,” only to find himself and his paramour hopelessly entangled, yelling until someone comes to untie their fleshy pretzel of over-ambition. But love can also be incredibly sad (in cases like, well, the previous two examples). Such is the double-edged sword of love, both blissful and tragic. And thankfully there’s the American Dating Association, an organization solely intended to help us navigate the oft-treacherous waters of courtship.

 At www.americandating.org, the ADA has set up a service designed to promote “better living through better dating,” and in just over four months the ADA claims it’s already received 10 million hits, which is either a testament to our nation’s insecurity or a prime example of the site’s sometimes-questionable reliability (such as its claim that sneezing mid-orgasm may lead to death, posted here at http://www.americandating.org/Press/Releases/sexhelmet.html). The services offered by this site are far-reaching, including social events for members and a variety of dating manuals. The ADA Green Book even comes in a pocket-size version ($9.95), handy if you want to slip into the bathroom during dinner and figure out whether it’s okay to request that your date pay for the meal because you spent all of your money on a set of ADA mugs ($7.95 each).

 But there are also many valuable services for non-members. Particularly helpful is the American Dating Association’s Arbitration Division, which offers rulings on dating disputes ranging from the common (“Girlfriend is a bitch”) to the (hopefully) not-as-common (“Boyfriend has desire to murder pet cat”). My personal favorite is from Mike, a 16-year-old McDonald’s employee whose girlfriend is not so fond of his ass-grabbing exploits. Complains Mike, “Every time I grab her butt, she screams, even if we’re in public . . . if I don’t get down on one knee and apologize, she will start hitting me (usually with her purse).”

 Also informative is the Rouge Dater section, which highlights individuals reported to be “extremely cruel, callous, and irresponsible daters.” If you have dated someone who fits these characteristics, you can e-mail in their information (DOB, photo, area of residence, courtship infractions, etc.) and the ADA will post these specs to warn others of his or her dating duplicity. Though there aren’t any such listings for the Boston area, beware of Spencer “Skip” Mulroney if you happen to be in Greater New York. (Actually, I’d suggest that you avoid anyone who willfully goes by the name “Skip,” unless he sells ice cream for a living.)

 Though the ADA’s site is quite comprehensive, they also offer links to other similarly minded organizations and support groups, including the heartbreakingly titled “Lonely and OK.” For those in need of a souvenir, the site’s shop offers T-shirts and caps that proudly display the ADA’s name and logo. Yet while the logo is rather slick, something makes me suspect that advertising your romantic ineptitude is not the best way to score.