If you’re single this Valentine’s Day and would like it to be the last one you spend alone, perhaps it’s time to turn your search for love over to your search engine.
According to research done by match.com, one in five committed relationships start online. The research conducted in 2010, also found that one in six couples married in the last three years met on an online dating site.
“It may take a lot of work to screen out inappropriate people and to find a good match, and people must use care and good sense when doing so, but it seems that many people have been successful and have met people with whom they can have successful relationships,” Joanne Davila, a psychology professor at Stony Brook, wrote in an e-mail.
If you are ready to take the plunge and try an online dating site, you might consider trying a popular one such as match.com or eHarmony.
Match.com, which launched in 1995, allows users to post a basic profile for free and browse potential matches. However, if you find a potential match and would like to contact that person, you have to pay a subscription fee of $29.99 for one month.
In 2000, eHarmony, which bills itself on matching people on “29 dimensions of compatibility” was launched. To get started on eHarmony, users must first complete a questionnaire that determines their beliefs and values. Matches are made based on the capability of users’ responses. Filling out the questionnaire and receiving potential matches are free services provided by the site. However, if you would like to contact a match, a subscription is needed; a one-month subscription is $59.99.
Alternatives to mainstream dating sites are ones that are centered completely around religion. One such site, ChristianMingle.com, is for Christian singles looking to date and marry within their faith.
“Our deepest desire is to see our members grow in their relationship with Christ while living out their spiritual journeys,” Ashley Reccord, community manager for ChristianMingle, wrote in an e-mail.
Don’t worry about being too young to join a site either. According to Reccord, a large percentage of ChristianMingle’s users fall into the 18-24 age range.
A one-month subscription to the site, which was launched in 2001, costs $29.99.
If you’re looking for your Jewish soulmate, you might consider trying out JDate.com. It was established in 1997 and, according to its website, it has a “nearly perfect 50:50 male to female ratio” of members. While creating a profile and searching for matches are free services, contacting your potential match will cost $34.99 for a one-month subscription.
If you join a site and find someone you’d like to get to know better, standard safety measures should be taken. Davila encourages users to proceed slowly while using these sites.
“Meeting people online involves both trust and a healthy skepticism, the ability to make certain that the person you are considering becoming involved with is really who s/he says s/he is,” Davila wrote. “One should not become involved in a relationship until that can be determined.”
Reccord said that ChristianMingle urges users to practice caution in giving out personal information. They also recommend users meet potential matches in public places.
So, if you’re ready to find love or just plain curious, take a break from Facebook tonight and see if your soulmate is waiting for you somewhere else online.
