Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Online Dating Is On The Rise

By Vanessa Cruz

Online dating is an arrangement which helps individuals and groups to interact or meet other people, make friends and find loved ones over the internet. There are a large number of websites available which provide online dating services. They usually provide unmediated match making.

Generally the perspective members have to register and provide their personal information on the online dating sites before searching the service provider's database. The members can use various criteria for searching friends and companions. These include age, gender and location. Most sites allow members to upload their photographs and also to browse the photographs and details of other members. Online dating sites may offer additional services; these include webcasts, message boards and online chat.

Some online dating sites are absolutely free of cost and depend on advertising for their revenues. A lot of these websites offer free registration but ask for a monthly fee when the users want to communicate with someone. Some websites are broad-based and members come from varied backgrounds, while others are more specific and are based on the type of members, religion, interests and location. Some sites provide access to members in other countries also.

There are a lot of reviews available for online dating sites on the internet. Prospective members can read the reviews and also look at various criteria such as the number of members, type of interests while deciding the most suitable site for them. When deciding the most appropriate site, users should take into account various features offered and the volumes available on these websites. For registering on the sites for online dating, interested parties are expected to add a photograph and give a brief profile to increase the number of responses.

Online dating is becoming increasing popular due to its convenience and easy access. According to a study conducted by Online Publishers Association (OPA), US residents spent $469.5 million on online dating and personals in 2004, and over $500 million in 2005. By 2011, the US online dating market is estimated to increase spending to $932 million.
Interestingly, more and more baby boomers are also using these online tools to find a match for them. Dating services range from general services that provide with a little of everything to more niche dating services. These categories include Christian, gay, web personals, and many more. Classification can also be based on free dating, adult dating, jewish dating websites, interracial dating, sex dating, matchmaker personals, and much more.

However, when an individual is using some of the online dating sites, there can be some problems as well. Some of these sites only allow for a thorough browsing through the different profiles only once a particular subscription fees is paid. Some of the sites may indicate a particular profile to be online though it may be have been months since a person may have logged into a particular online dating website. The prime objective is to show that more number of members are actually trust a particular website for online dating purposes. Thus, there are advantages as well as disadvantages of making use of the different online dating websites.

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