About Dating Sites

Significance

Online dating serves many purposes. They serve the needs of those who are looking for fun, those who are looking for friends or those looking for a long-term commitment. They somehow fill the void only loneliness can cause. Online dating sites provide a safe atmosphere for which its participants can take their time in finding someone they can develop a loving and lasting relationship with, from home. They also offer their participants the opportunity to move at their own pace, allowing them the time it takes to make the right choice about their future mate. Many have had great success with online dating and the list of those joining grows longer every day.

Function

On line dating services are really quite simple to use. There are some that provide their services free of charge, and others that require a fee to join. Whatever the case may be, their process works the same. Once you have chosen the right site for you, you register by providing personal information. This includes your name, e-mail address and birthday. You then need to choose a user name that will be posted on the site, and a password for logging in. Once this process is complete, you will then fill out your personal profile. This is what other members will see when they browse through the site, and it includes more detailed information about yourself. These include everything from how much you weigh to whether you want children. You will then fill out a bio. This is the part when you let it all hang out. You can tell as much or as little about yourself as you want, but if you're looking for love, it is best to be honest and tell them as much as possible about your likes and dislikes, your personal interests and what you are looking for in a mate. You can also post a photo of yourself, which will get you noticed quicker. Once this step is complete, you can conduct your search. If you find someone who sparks your interest, you send them a message and wait for them to reply. It's as easy as that.

Types

There are many types of online dating services available to meet your personal needs. There are dating sites that are based on location preference. This can range from a specific city to a specific country. These sites are great for people who have recently moved into a new area and who may be looking to make friends. Then there are dating sites geared toward senior dating. These sites are set up specifically for people who are over the age of 65 and who may be looking for companionship or even romance. The religious sites either place all of their attention on a specific religion like Catholicism or Judaism, or general Christian dating. Finally we have the sites that are ethnic based. This allows people of different nationalities or color to find someone within their race. In addition, there are dating sites that are free to join and some that require a membership fee. Those requiring a fee generally offer a higher quality of services to their members, but the free dating sites are just as good as long as they are a reputable company.

Considerations

Before joining any online dating site, be sure to research it first, especially if a membership fee is required. Read over their user agreement and make sure you like what they are telling you. The two most popular and successful dating sites are eHarmony.com and Match.com. Both require a fee to join and differ in a few ways. Match.com has been in business since 1995, and over the last 13 years claims to have 600,000 people joining daily. Their memberships are for one, three or six months, and the latest addition to their services is dating advice from Dr. Phil. This extra service will cost $13 a month. They also offer a money-back guarantee if you do not find your true love in the first 90 days. eHarmony.com is a company that has been in existence for eight years but has had great success in that time. It was started by Dr. Neil Clark Warren, an expert on dating and matchmaking. One of its services is matching you to your perfect mate with an innovative matchmaking technology. It has at least 10 testimonials a day from members who are announcing their engagement or marriage. Their membership fees range from $50 to $250, depending on how long you want to join for.

Warning

While all dating sites claim to be safe for their participants, you still need to take precautions. For as many genuine people there are on the dating sites, there may be just as many liars. The first thing you need to do is open a free e-mail address set up specifically for the dating site you have chosen. This prevents anyone from being able to tap into your personal information and ensures your safety. Never give away your personal information willingly until you are sure you can trust the person you are giving it to. This will include your address, the place you work and your Social Security number. Unfortunately, "cyber stalkers" do exist and they can pose as harmless at first. Finally, do not let your desire for finding true love be your blinder to the obvious. There are many on the dating sites who are not upfront about anything. While they may come off as perfect at first, chances are the layers of deceit will begin to peel away, revealing the real person. You just have to wipe the stars from your eyes to see the truth.

Comments

drashok said

Flag This Comment

on 1/19/2009 Hi Hannah,

I wish to know if we can present the content in an article form just as "About Dating Sites" or we have to write in 'How to' form.

Your clear informative narration is fabulous. More and more Online Dating Articles/Tips would be required as 1,830,000 people on an average (December 2008 - adwords.google statistics) look for 'dating'.

Regards,
Dr. Ashok Koparday
Marriage Counselor Consultant Sex Therapist
January 19, 2009

Coach4U said

on 1/16/2009 This is an interesting article. Thank you.