Dating Advice For Singles

What was once the forbidden path is now the most frequented road for people looking for potential mates. Yes, we are talking about online dating, which is no longer looked down upon as an effective way to find a soul-mate.

According to Ipsos Reid, an International marketing and social research company, almost 44 percent of Americans believe they have a better chance of finding a partner online than through traditional dating methods.

Here are a few more statistics:

It's mind boggling how many matchmaking services there are on the market today! If you are new to online dating, you may be wondering, how do I know which one is best suited for me and my goals? This article will help narrow down the list to the few that meet your selection criteria!

In the past, matchmaking services simply provided the user with a basic place to get online and chat with other subscribers. Things have changed! Today 70 percent of adults use the internet and the online dating market size is expected to be at around $516 million. Approximately 40 million people currently subscribe to Matchmaking Services and the industry is growing by 16% per year. To compete, more and more Matchmaking sites are targeting specific user groups, creating niche dating sites. This is great news for the potential subscriber but can be a lot of work since there are now over 900 dating sites.

Some examples of the niches now catered to by the Matchmaking industry are; single dog owners, singles in the military, lesbians, gay men, Christians, single parents, women looking for rich men, plus size singles, singles who love motorcycles, vegetarians and animal rights singles, interracial singles, farmers and country folks, geeks, golfers, Latinos, seniors over 50, and gothic singles to name a few!


Philosophy
Just as any group or organization, matchmaking services have different reputations and philosophies. Most services allow you to filter it's members by demographics like age, height, income and geographic location as well as by their interests, past relationship history and education. I have compiled a list of several traditional top 10 dating sites on my website that will provide you with a description of each service. The Matchmaking Services listed here are some of the most popular sites on the Internet so you can assume they have good reputations and treat their members well.

Pricing
You will have to decide how much you are willing to invest in meeting new people. Matchmaking sites range from "free" to having monthly subscriptions ranging from $20 to $50. The monthly subscription charges vary by site and the length of membership you are willing to commit too. Be aware, most of the monthly subscriptions are set-up for "auto renew", meaning at the end of the subscription, you will be automatically billed for the following month until you turn it off. You can go into your account settings and turn this auto feature off directly after you sign up, preventing any unwanted charges.

Safety
In general, matchmaking sites have become a much safer place to meet people. They provide anonymity until the subscriber is ready to divulge his/her personal information. The site can only protect its subscribers to a point, each person must take precautions and use common sense when meeting strangers. You can find useful safety tips in my online dating book, 'You On Cyber Date'.

To select the best Matchmaking Service we recommend you match your dating criteria, personality and goals to the service. Try out two or three at the same time and see which one is bringing you the type of individuals you are looking for.

Good luck in your search for the right matchmaking service and of course, with the ultimate goal, finding "the one!"