Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Dating is any social activity performed as a pair or even a group with the aim of each assessing the other's suitability as their partner in an intimate relationship or as a spouse. The word refers to the act of agreeing on a time and "date" when a pair can meet and engage in some social activity.
In many cultural traditions, dates are arranged by a third party, who may be a family member, an acquaintance, or a dedicated matchmaker. Recently matchmaking services have become popular. Although dating rules in Western popular culture have become more relaxed during the 20th century, there is considerable variation between individuals' values. For example, when the activity costs money, it has traditionally been the man's role to pay; in recent times the practice of "going Dutch" (splitting the expenses) has emerged. Traditional dating activities include sharing entertainment or a meal. In general, a person may date many different partners during the same time period in order to have the best chance of finding their most suitable available mate.
Online dating or Internet dating is an example of a dating system and allows individuals, couples and groups to meet online and possibly develop a romantic or sexual relationship. Net dating services provide un-moderated matchmaking through the use of personal computers, the Internet, or even cell phones.

Such services generally allow people to provide personal information, then search for other individuals using criteria such as age range, gender and location. Most sites allow members to upload photos of themselves and browse the photos of others. Sites may offer additional services, such as webcasts, online chat, and message boards. Sites sometimes allow people to register for free but may offer services which require a monthly fee.

Many sites are broad-based, with members from a variety of backgrounds looking for different types of relationships. Other sites are more specific, based on the type of members, interests, location, or relationship desired.
U.S. residents spent $469.5 million on online dating and personals in 2004, and over $500 million in 2005, the second largest segment of “paid content” on the web, according to a study conducted by the Online Publishers Association (OPA) and comScore Networks.

At the end of November 2004, there were 844 lifestyle and dating sites, a 38 percent increase since the start of the year, according to Hitwise Inc. However, market share was increasingly being dominated by several large commercial services, including Yahoo! Personals, Match.com, and eHarmony. Former eHarmony CEO and son-in-law to founder Dr. Neil Clark Warren -the guy in the commercials, Greg Forgatch noted that despite the growing number of sites catering to specific niches, "to become a major player, it still takes a large number of people." By 2007, many prominent studies show that Baby Boomer interest in online dating had soared. [1]

In 2002, a Wired magazine article forecast that, "Twenty years from now, the idea that someone looking for love without looking for it online will be silly, akin to skipping the card catalog to instead wander the stacks because 'the right books are found only by accident.' Serendipity is the hallmark of inefficient markets, and the marketplace of love, like it or not, is becoming more efficient" [2].

Of late, it is common to see online dating websites providing webcam chats between members to make dating even more convenient than ever. In addition, as the online dating population becomes larger, sites with specific demographics are becoming more popular as a way to narrow the pool of potential matches. According to online personals expert Mark Brooks from onlinepersonalswatch.com, online dating sites are adding features including handwriting analysis to match like-minded mates too.[3]

He also stated that most successful niche sites pair people by race, sexual orientation or religion.[4] The 20 most popular dating sites this year as ranked by Hitwise include JDate (for Jewish singles), Christian Mingle and Christian Cafe, Manhunt (for gay men), Love From India, Black Christian People Meet, Amigos (for Latino singles), Asian People Meet, and Shaadi (for Indian singles). [4] In March 2008, the top 5 overall sites held 7% less market share than they did one year ago while the top sites from the top five major niche dating categories made considerable gains. [5]

One of the hottest trends is the Babyboomers on the top dating sites. Around 30% of America's 80 million Baby Boomers are single.[6]

Group dating and Social Dating are also trends.

No comments:

favourate blog

  • Децата индиго - * Децата индиго* (на английски: *Indigo children*) е ню ейдж определение, въведено от Нанси Ан Тапе, част от нейната класификация на хората според отен...
  • - The Most Annoying Things in the World The little things that irritate us on a daily basis are often the most annoying. I guess I have reached the "Grumpy Ol...
  • - My experiences concerning past life memories. Some of us have lived long before the earth was born and we have always been. The records that remain in Creat...
  • - Me and My Girl is a popular British stage musical, with book and lyrics by Douglas Furber and L. Arthur Rose and music by Noel Gay. It was originally perfor...
  • - Advertising is a form of communication that typically attempts to persuade potential customers to purchase or to consume more of a particular brand of prod...
  • - The making of Nepali films is said to have begun with D. B. Pariyar's Satya Harishchandra, which was the first Nepali Language film to be shot. It was prod...
  • - One Fine Spring Day is a Korean feature film released by Sidus and Applause Films in 2001. Directed by Heo Jin-ho (of Christmas in August), it is a portrai...
  • - Friendship is a term used to denote co-operative and supportive behavior between two or more humans. This article focuses on the notion specific to interpe...
  • - Friendship is a term used to denote co-operative and supportive behavior between two or more humans. This article focuses on the notion specific to interpe...
  • - Friendship is a term used to denote co-operative and supportive behavior between two or more humans. This article focuses on the notion specific to interpe...
  • - *A business plan is a formal statement of a set of business goals, the reasons why they are believed attainable, and the plan for reaching those goals*. ...
  • HI GUYS DONT U WANT TO HOOK UP TODAY WITH SINGLES ? - Looking for BDSM partners? Find someone on the largest (3 million members) BDSM personals network. FREE signup! Post a FREE ad w/5 photos, flirt...