Love Online: Join the Fun! -- Smart Move

MORE THAN A FAD: You do the math -- there are 83 million singles in this country and nearly 30 million Americans visit at least one online dating site each month. Experts estimate that by the end of this year, 40 million people will be using it regularly. Not only are Americans giving digital dating a shot, they’re doing it often. According to Nielsen Net Ratings, 84 percent of visitors to online dating sites surf for love five or more times a week. The record numbers of online daters have turned the industry into a booming business. In 2003, online dating grew nearly 40 percent to a $313 million market, according to Jupiter Media Research.

WHO’S DOING IT? Divorcees are three-times more likely to use dating sites than the average Internet user. Past studies have shown most online daters are 35- to 44-year-old men.

WHO’S WHO?

• Match.com: One of the largest and most popular sites, Match.com launched in 1995. The site estimates it’s responsible for “hundreds of thousands” of relationships. It has more than 20 million members and more than 900,000 paying members. Posting a profile is free, but members pay $24.95 a month to correspond with other Match members. Other popular general interest sites include Yahoo Personals, Date.com, MatchMaker.com and DreamMates.com.
• JDate.com: JDate.com is one of the most popular religiously oriented dating sites. It is designed for Jewish singles and boasts more than 500,000 registered members. Like Match, surfers can post profiles and browse for free, but you must pay in order to contact other daters on the site. Other sites that cater to religious beliefs include ChristianSingles.com, ChristianCafé.com and Catholic daters can surf AveMariaSingles.com.
• Specialty Sites: A growing number of sites are catering to specific interests, like LatinSingles.com, AsianFriendFinder.com, LesbianFriendFinder.com, SeniorFriendFinder.com, GoodGenes.com (for Ivy League graduates) and Over Thirty Singles.

This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.

If you would like more information, please contact:

Eve Hogan
Relationship Advisor
DreamMates.com
P.O. Box 943
Puunee, HI, 96784
(808) 879-8648
eve@dreammates.com
http://www.dreammates.com