Online Valentines
BOSTON (CBS) - This is big business. Over $2 Billion a year is spent looking for a date or a mate. This is just for the dating services, and then add in the actual costs of the date. 47% of Americans are single and many are looking for the perfect mate.
There are almost 4,000 sites for online dating. Many of them niche dating. A few of the sites are free but many want your credit card number and will charge a monthly fee.
In doing some research I found several websites that rank the dating sites so I didn't have to. First one, the Top 10 Dating Sites. The second, the Top 5 Dating Sites.
The top four listings on both sites were the same, just in a different order. Zoosk.com was new to me and ranked number one. It says it has over 50 million subscribers worldwide. That's a lot of singles. It was given a 5 star rating by its members.
Match.com has been around for a while and I know several couples now married who met on this site. My son met his wife using this site, as did several of his friends. So I guess I have them to thank for my granddaughter!
Next was eHarmony . They claim an average of 438 eHarmony members marry every day in the United States as a result of being matched on the site. They are now offering a more personalized service with a matchmaking associate.
Our Time surprised me because it is for folks over 50, mature singles as they described their members. I was just surprised that it ranked in the top 5 dating sites.
Plenty of Fish claims to be the largest free dating site. Being free means there will be ads popping up. They claim to generate 800,000 relationships a year.
Then we have Spark Networks which is a group of targeted sites. They offer a site for Jewish singles, Silver singles, Black singles, Latter Day Saint singles and Christian singles and many more.
One more thing: I found more! Overweightdate.com for "large lovers and the men and women who love them". Here at least people can be honest about what they look like and who they are.
If you and your cat live together try Datemypet.com, where you post a picture of yourself and your pet. Maybe you will both find true love or at least someone to take long walks on the beach with.
If your type is Abby or McGee on NCIS then I found the place for you also. It's Geek 2 Geek.
I also discovered Farmersonly.com, you guessed it for farmers only. Not many listings for New England! First month is free!
Veggiedate.org is for you guessed it, vegans. It claims to be the premier vegetarian dating site in the world. Their members include vegans, lacto vegetarians, ovo vegetarians, pescatarians (fish and vegetable eaters), semi-vegetarian, those who are becoming vegetarian and macrobiotic eaters.
If you want to check someone out before dating begins you can go to mymatchchecker.com, which will do a background check for a fee.
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