Online Dating

Since the turn of the century, the way that people meet and interact with one other has drastically changed. The internet has made it possible to meet vast amounts of people from all corners of the world with the click of a mouse. Most importantly, there has been a revolution in dating with the creation of online dating services.

Online dating or Internet dating is a communications system “which allows individuals, to make contact and communicate with each other over the Internet, usually with the objective of developing a personal romantic or sexual relationship. Online dating services usually provide unmoderated matchmaking over the Internet, through the use of personal computers or cell phones”(Wikipedia Online).

Online dating services usually requires applicants to provide information such as their age, gender, and location before they can use the sites searches. Most sites allow members to upload pictures of themselves onto their profile for others to view. Sites may offer additional services, such as webcasts, online chat, telephone chat, and message boards. Some dating sites are free to register, while others have monthly membership fees or start up fees to become members. (Wikipedia Online).

Many sites are broad-based, but there are niche sites that are designed for specific types of people based on ethnicity, social status, location, interests etc.

Some Specifics about the online dating service industry:

Country-wise Users
China : 140 million
USA : 40 million
India : 15 million

User Demographics
Gender : 52.4% Male
Average age : 48 (USA)
Average user spends 22 minutes and 27 seconds per visit

Financials
Total revenues from online dating websites : $1.049 billion per year
Value of mobile phone dating market : $550 million ($1.3 billion by 2013)

Growth
Poised to expand as much as 20% to even 30% in the next one to two years


I took a look at some of the most popular dating sites and tried to distinguish what sets them apart from each other and what sites are best for specific people. Men’s health also did a study on these sites so I included some of their analysis as well.

Match.com
The first and largest of the online dating services, Match.com makes its members answer various questions about themselves to filter a search for compatible matches. Once matches are found, users can email, wink or call other members. The user population is over 20 million people, however only about 1.35 million are paying users. This means that many of your matches may not be able to communicate with you. Match.com is best for any who is looking for a serious relationship, and is available for $39.99 a month.

Visit Match.com Here

eHarmony.com
eHarmony was founded by Neil Clark Warren, a psychologist and author of many relationship books. Warren believed that there were certain characteristics that could predict compatibility with others. He created a model that would do predict compatibility by testing these characteristics and it has become the cornerstone of the companies matchmaking. eHarmony believes so strongly in this method that there is on searching allowed on the site. The people at eHarmony do all the search work for you for a monthly fee of $59.95, which is one of the most expensive. The site is best for heterosexual people who are looking for a serious relationship.

Visit eHarmony Here

Lavalife.com
Lavalife is a site that is a bit different. A member can post three different profiles in three categories: dating, relationship and intimate encounters. It has tons of features, such as video chat, private photo galleries, smileys, and phone calls that let you customize how you meet people and how to communicate with them. Lavalife is perfect for those who want to have a variety of different relationships in the thre platforms. The monthly fee is $34.99.

Visit Lavalife Here

JDate.com
One of the niche dating sites, JDate is a site that is designed for Jewish people to meet other Jewish people. They do not have a very sophisticated match system like some of the other sites, but they do have a dedicated user base. JDate is perfect for Jewish people but also for others who are looking to meet Jewish people. The website is free to join, but for premium content, such as profile customization and chatting, video, and calling features the fee is $29.99 a month.

Visit JDate Here



Sources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_dating_service
http://gorumors.com/crunchies/online-dating-industry-statistics/
http://www.forbes.com/2009/01/06/online-dating-industry-face-markets-cx_je_0105autofacescan01.html
http://www.dating-service.com/blog/958/growth-in-the-online-dating-industry/
http://www.menshealth.com/mhlists/dating-websites/