It's not the 90's anymore.
You can be pretty sure that the single man flirting with you in the online dating chat room is not minimizing the screen every time his wife walks by on her way between the refrigerator and the couch.
It's also a safe bet that the young, SWF professional with an athletic build you're meeting tonight won't turn out to be a 45-year-old trucker with the build of a sumo wrestler.
Had she joined an online dating service, Kathleen would have known she was cyber-flirting with her archenemy Joe Fox before You've Got Mail had a chance to develop its plot.
A lot has changed.
Online dating is more secure and more successful than ever before.
More internet users are logging onto internet dating sites, finding dates, and building long-term relationships.
A recent survey by the Pew Internet and American Life Project confirmed this trend.
oOne in ten internet users have logged onto an internet dating site.
o7 million American adults have found dates through online dating.
oThe majority of the 7 million n adults report a good experience with online dating.
o3 million Americans currently in long-term relationships found their partner online.
oThree percent of all American couples met each other online, as compared to the one percent who met on a blind date.
(Source: Madden, Mary and Lenhart, Amanda.
Online Dating.
Washington D.
C.
: Pew Internet and American Life Project, March 5, 2006.
).
Attitudes are changing.
The image of a desperately shy geek seeking a date on the internet is fading fast.
This change is due to a host of factors churning through our quantum-speed society, not the least of which are lack of time and loss of space.
Today's urban professional puts in more hours in the office, spends more time in commute, and brings more work home than the urban professional of yesterday.
In addition to the rigors of the workplace, neither the downtown apartment nor the suburban condominium offers much of an atmosphere for relationship-seeking singles.
In fact, 36% of all relationship-seeking singles reported no dates during the three months prior to taking the survey, and 55% of those singles reported that it was difficult to meet people where they live (Madden and Glenhart, 2006).
"Speed-dating" has stepped in to try and fill this void.
During an hour-long speed dating session, armed only with quick advice like "Don't talk about politics, diets or past relationships," a client might go on as many as twelve 5-minute "dates.
"This practice is based on the theory that five minutes is long enough for chemistry to happen between a couple.
Speed-dating promoters realize that even five minutes can be a valuable chunk of free time for many professionals.
The system is efficient.
There is no rejection.
The worst consequence is an empty e-mailbox.
In contrast to this quick and scattershot method of dating, most online dating services seek to provide the following: oPrecise matching through pictures and profiles oA searchable database of relationship-seeking singles oA panel of experts to provide relationship advice
You can be pretty sure that the single man flirting with you in the online dating chat room is not minimizing the screen every time his wife walks by on her way between the refrigerator and the couch.
It's also a safe bet that the young, SWF professional with an athletic build you're meeting tonight won't turn out to be a 45-year-old trucker with the build of a sumo wrestler.
Had she joined an online dating service, Kathleen would have known she was cyber-flirting with her archenemy Joe Fox before You've Got Mail had a chance to develop its plot.
A lot has changed.
Online dating is more secure and more successful than ever before.
More internet users are logging onto internet dating sites, finding dates, and building long-term relationships.
A recent survey by the Pew Internet and American Life Project confirmed this trend.
oOne in ten internet users have logged onto an internet dating site.
o7 million American adults have found dates through online dating.
oThe majority of the 7 million n adults report a good experience with online dating.
o3 million Americans currently in long-term relationships found their partner online.
oThree percent of all American couples met each other online, as compared to the one percent who met on a blind date.
(Source: Madden, Mary and Lenhart, Amanda.
Online Dating.
Washington D.
C.
: Pew Internet and American Life Project, March 5, 2006.
).
Attitudes are changing.
The image of a desperately shy geek seeking a date on the internet is fading fast.
This change is due to a host of factors churning through our quantum-speed society, not the least of which are lack of time and loss of space.
Today's urban professional puts in more hours in the office, spends more time in commute, and brings more work home than the urban professional of yesterday.
In addition to the rigors of the workplace, neither the downtown apartment nor the suburban condominium offers much of an atmosphere for relationship-seeking singles.
In fact, 36% of all relationship-seeking singles reported no dates during the three months prior to taking the survey, and 55% of those singles reported that it was difficult to meet people where they live (Madden and Glenhart, 2006).
"Speed-dating" has stepped in to try and fill this void.
During an hour-long speed dating session, armed only with quick advice like "Don't talk about politics, diets or past relationships," a client might go on as many as twelve 5-minute "dates.
"This practice is based on the theory that five minutes is long enough for chemistry to happen between a couple.
Speed-dating promoters realize that even five minutes can be a valuable chunk of free time for many professionals.
The system is efficient.
There is no rejection.
The worst consequence is an empty e-mailbox.
In contrast to this quick and scattershot method of dating, most online dating services seek to provide the following: oPrecise matching through pictures and profiles oA searchable database of relationship-seeking singles oA panel of experts to provide relationship advice
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