Online dating has come a long way in the last 10 years. Just a decade ago, there were only a few dating websites, and they were all pretty standard. Today, however, some of the most successful dating websites are niche sites; meaning they cater to daters with specific preferences.

Some are pretty benign. For example, there are now lots of dating websites for single parents. It makes perfect sense that single parents would want to take a lot of the guesswork out of finding a match. They don’t have a lot of free time, and they need to find someone who’s cool with kids.

There are also dating websites designed for people who are of a particular faith, ethnicity, or sexual preference. There are even dating websites for people who prefer their mates to be large, tall or even short. And, there are sites designed for people who are already in a committed relationship, but looking for love “on the side”.

And, of course, there are plenty of dating websites that are designed to help people find a match that will be sexually compatible, such as sites that appeal to people with a particular sexual fetish.

And, then there are the ones that are not exactly what you’d call “mainstream” niche dating site. I’m talking about those sites that are designed to help people meet someone in prison for dating and those that are designed for people with sexually transmitted diseases to meet each other.

Niche dating websites are no different than any other niche product on the market. They fill the desires of a very specific type of dater. Just further proving the theory that “there’s somebody for everybody”.

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It’s a well known phenomenon that during the cold winter months, people tend to have sex more often; just take a look at the number of babies typically born in August, September, and October, and you’ll see how true this is. But what about all of those singles out there who aren’t involved in a relationship? What do they do when a raging snowstorm keeps them inside for days on end?

Turns out, they go online and join online dating sites. From Australia to the United Kingdom to the United States, online dating services report significant surges in website visitors and new members during the winter months. This has been especially true during the winter of 2009/2010 so far because it has been such a tremendously cold and wintry season.

For instance, in the UK there are reports from MySingleFriend.com and Singles365.com that their visitor tallies were up from 27% to as much as 55% during the recent plunge in temperatures and piles of snow. And it’s not just the snowbound in the UK turning to online dating sites, either; in the United States the adultery online website AshleyMadison.com reports it gained as many as 10,000 new members each day during the recent spate of snowstorms and frigid temperatures.

So the next time you’re trapped inside by cold temperatures, snow, ice, or the like, why not take a look at an online dating site? With all of those new members signing up you’re more likely than ever to find someone special online!

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Oh, the money to be made from online dating!

You can be sure the business world is well aware of how much money can be made by operating an online dating service; that’s why there are so very many of them out there, all competing for your “dating dollar”. They put a great deal of effort into positioning themselves as your friend, your confidante, and your best choice for finding love, but never for a moment forget that none of that stuff is “real”.

Online dating is a business, first and foremost, and every paid dating service is going to do everything they can to squeeze every dollar possible out of you. Now, this is not necessarily a bad thing if they succeed in matching you with someone special. But you can never know at the beginning if you’re going to have this kind of success, so you have to go into it with your eyes wide open and with a budget in mind of what you’re willing to spend.

I don’t have anything against paid online dating sites; in fact, they can be quite good for many people. I do think, though, that it’s a good idea to use some of the free sites as well, especially those based on social networking concepts. Think of it as you would a financial investment; you wouldn’t put all of your money into just one kind of financial tool, and so you shouldn’t put all of your money (and effort) into just one online dating site.

Online dating may be big business and generate millions of dollars in profit each day, but it is still something very personal for you as the user. It pays to keep this in mind when you’re choosing which online service(s) to use and how much of your hard earned money to put into their offerings.

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