At least 29 million Americans, or two out of five singles, used online dating services last year, and that market is expected to keep growing over the next five years.
But amid the triumphant tales of e-mails that end in wedding bells, a growing number of online daters are voicing complaints. At eDateReview, some of the most popular match-up sites garner lukewarm ratings.
The most frequent complaints are that there are far more men online than women and a lack of protection against sexual predators or cheating lovers, said Michael Kantor, an information technology project manager in Arlington, Virginia, who runs the site.
"Men lie about their availability, whether they have a steady girlfriend or wife, and women tend to lie mostly about their looks," Kantor said.
"I've come to this conclusion -- there are not a whole lot of good-looking women on these dating sites," he wrote. "'Average' (in a profile) means fat, 'extra pounds' means bring a defibrillator to the date."
Online dating sites say their membership rules require honest representation and prohibit harassment or abusive behavior. Some recognize that credibility problems could harm a business estimated to grow from $398 million in 2004 to $642 million within four years, according to Jupiter Research.
Sullivan said that each month, as many as 3,000 profiles are rejected right off the bat, while another 2,000 are removed because of complaints from other members of dishonesty. A 6-person "fraud and abuse" team investigates more serious breaches.
http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/interne...eut/index.html
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I am always interested in this topic since its how my fiancee and I met in an msn chat room over 3 years ago by fluke and on the advice of a friend in the office who pushed me into it. Shes an amazing woman and my soulmate who has since moved in with me and I have the joy of being with not only my future wife who is my best friend.
Has anyone used these services? And what is your feeling if you heard a good friend of yours met someone online?