LOVE AT FIRST CLICK:

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Everyone dreams of finding that one perfect person…

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Someone who both compliments us and challenges us to be the best person we can be.

In past decades, in order to meet someone many people relied on mutual friends, arranged social events, personal ads, and bars.

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But even if two people met, the odds of finding true love could seem pretty rare.

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This would explain why more and more people have been opting to try to find love online instead of visiting the

local bar.

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In fact, only 9% of women and 2% of men say they’ve actually found a relationship at a bar.

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Worldwide Online Dating Statistics, The Dating Journal (February 20, 2010)

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When the first online dating site launched

in the 1990s, admitting to looking for love online was considered taboo and often

kept secret.

However, this is no longer the case. In a recent survey, 1.1 to 1.2 million Canadians have admitted to using an online dating site.Worldwide Online Dating Statistics, The Dating Journal (February 20, 2010)

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Today, the ages of people using online dating range from 19 to 89 with a mean of 48 years old. (John M Grohol PsyD, Who Uses Internet Dating?)

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There is conflicting data on which of the sexes uses online dating more.

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One Canadian survey suggests that of those using online dating, there are 37% more men than women, which means for every woman using online dating services, there are more than two men.Worldwide Online Dating Statistics, The Dating Journal (February 20, 2010)

However, in another study, it was estimated that 58 percent of women in the United States and 48 percent of the men use online dating services.

(A Business of Love: Online Dating by the numbers, Visual Economics).

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Regardless of who is E-dating, the business of love is booming. In 2007, dating sites earned about $1.03 billion in revenues. (A Business of Love: Online Dating by the numbers, Visual Economics)

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(A Business of Love: Online Dating by the numbers, Visual Economics)

In 2012, that figure is expected to climb to $1.65 billion.

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There are hundreds of online dating sites to choose from each offering a different experience.

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Some dating sites, such as PlentyofFish.com and Yahoo! Personals allow users to browse through numerous profiles and pick and choose who they would like to contact.

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While other dating sites such as Chemistry.com, and eHarmony claim to use sophisticated scientific algorithyms to

determine a users compatibility with other users.

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One of the leading Online Dating sites that uses

algorithms, eHarmony, requires customers to answer a

258-question personality test which is used to match them with others based on attributes such as intellect, values, and character.

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The success rate of E-dating is fairly difficult to pinpoint. However, one survey found that women are most likely to find a potential relationship online, with 72% admitting to having had an online romance, compared to 52% of men.(James Orat, Online Dating Statistics)

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Another survey found that 63% of Canadians who have tried E-dating have admitted to having sex with at least one person they met online.Worldwide Online Dating Statistics, The Dating Journal (February 20, 2010)

Looking for long term? A survey by Match.com. found that 17 percent of those who married in the past three years met online. (Ellen McCarthy, Marriage-minded do better online than at bars, survey claims)

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So how much is love going for nowadays?

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Although there are some free online dating sites, increasingly popular sites such as eHarmony.com and Match.com offer their services for $29.99-59.99 per month.

Apparently, you CAN buy love!

Not impressed by the traditional Online Dating sites, there are alternatives…

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For those on the go with no time to browse through online profiles…There’s an app for that!StreetSpark, which uses GPS and Wi-Fi chips, is a smartphone app that helps you meet potential partners based location.

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Many social networking sites also offer dating applications. Zoosk is a dating community that works with social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace and Bebo.

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The online environment is the perfect

breeding ground for fantasies because it

allows us to ascribe all the wonderful qualities we want in a partner to someone we've never met.(Dr. Phil, Falling in Love Online)

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Experts do warn that caution should be used when using online dating services…

Unfortunately, online deception is very common and can take a variety of forms, from exaggeration to outright lying.

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The most common things that people lie about online are weight, height, age, relationship status and income. However, some have estimated that one in 10 online daters is a sex offender.(Love and Dating, Editors of Netscape)

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In fact, a California woman recently filed suit against Match.com, who set her up as prey to a violent sexual predator with a long rap sheet.(Molly J. Coombs, Blast Magazine)

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The reality is that E-dating may not be for everyone, but with what you now know...

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By Stacy ShanePosted May 20, 2011

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Is it for you?