The online dating world is growing every day. A number of sites exist to help people connect, and these varied sites all provide different things for users who sign up for their services. Before you begin your online dating experience, research your many choices of online dating sites by checking out reviews and policies. Dating sites typically fall into five general categories, so be sure you know what you need in an online dating website before you make a choice about which kind of site to join.
First, chose how general you would like to be with your online dating. General online dating sites are most common and by registering (often for free) you can have access to literally millions of online daters. Profiles can be very specific or very general depending on the website, and you will find that everyone uses these websites for different purposes—some to find casual dates and friendships, other to find relationships, and still others to find physical encounters.
Compatibility websites, however, are more focused on finding serious daters who are looking for long-term relationships and, eventually, marriage. Here, it is not uncommon to pay for services to find your matches. You will be asked to fill out a questionnaire upon applying so that the website can match you with the best potential relationship candidates. Eharmony is one of the best-known compatibility websites.
You might also try your luck at a niche website. These online dating sites are special for people of a certain interest, hobby, religion, et cetera. This can be a great way to meet friends, not just people you would consider for relationships. There are hundreds of websites to meet anyone’s needs, from those that target pet lovers to those who target Christians.
Another type of online dating site is really not based on online dating at all. These networking sites are large websites seeking to connect friends with people they already know. College students often use Facebook for this purpose, and MySpace is another popular choice. These can, however, become dating websites, since you can browse through a number of profiles to meet new people. It is important to remember here that most people on these sites are not there to date, so proceed with caution.
Lastly, there is a group of websites that are becoming more popular, and are designed to merge real world dating and online dating. These services allow to you create and place a profile online and then print your site onto a business card, which you can than hand to people you meet in real life so that they can connect with you at a later date if desired. It is the online dating equivalent to giving someone your phone number.
Because these types of websites are so different, research all options fully before making a decision. Online dating can be time consuming, so you’ll want to be prepared no matter what website you ultimately choose.
