Click Here To Join The Best Free Online Dating Service
Companionship is one of the most basic human needs. Since the beginning of time human beings have sought to find comfort in the company of another person, whether it is just a few words of praise or a lifelong relationship. We all feel a need to share our thoughts, feelings, fears and desires. When a like-minded person just doesn’t seem to come along naturally we either ignore it or set out on an active search.
It takes courage and humility to put yourself out there on the bulletin board of love. Details of your accomplishments and lifestyle are there for all to see and judge, not to mention those who attempt to read between the lines looking for faults. As human beings we pretend we are perfect while hiding those little things we find ugly about ourselves. In 2007, Cornell University released research findings that showed 48% of online dating participants lied about their height in their profiles, 59% lied about their weight and 18% lied about their age. Deceiving people we hope to have a relationship with does seem a little short-sighted, especially considering the immovability of height and age. The same research did show the level of deception was mostly minimal, but it does point to a major flaw in online dating.
Twenty years ago dating was still taking place the old fashioned way. Mutual friends set each other up with neighbours, fellow students, coworkers and so on. Back then it was embarrassing to admit using the personal ads for love. There was far less legitimacy and the user had to screen all their own responses. Women who placed ads were often more inundated with messages from interested parties than men, and there was a definite creep-factor involved. After all, anyone could respond. There was no screening process on either end of the search, and there was definitely deception.
Now online dating has become mainstream, both as a way of finding love and as a means of generating revenue. Tekrati Analysts reported (before they shut down in Feb of 2011) that $932 million dollars will be spent by the average American on online dating in 2011. Considering the jobless rate is at an all time high and 20% of American households have been hit by a drop or complete cut in income since 2007 (CoreLogic), that is a hefty amount of money being spent on finding a mate. The question is why? Why are we spending money on finding love when it could be done the old fashioned way?
From a sociological point of view, it has a lot to do with avoiding the pain of rejection. If we put our digital selves out there, and set a criterion for who we want to attract, then there is less of a chance for those from another crowd rejecting us. We set our own standards. If someone sees our profile and is not interested, we need not ever know about it. In person that would amount to a disinterested look, a rebuff, even a verbal rejection. It is not hard to see which is less painful. Ask yourself, how much you would pay to avoid the pain of personal rejection. The answer for the American people is $932 million dollars.
Now let’s take a look at the business side of things. Selling love has been a business since before Mary Magdalene sat at the foot of Christ’s cross. On the internets selling love is a whole different game, and far less hazardous. There are hundreds, even thousands of dating sites online; definitely one for every lifestyle and belief system. All it takes is finding dating software that is cheap, reputable and functional. Then choose a genre (FrogloversUnite or CorporateCompanions for example), and get yourself on the web. From that point on it is matter of marketing. The beauty of it is all content is donated free of charge by the users, and there is no fear of not having content because they are driven by the carnal need for love. Charge users a small monthly fee, and you have a tidy little home business. Don’t gouge your users; make your fees comparable to a drink or two at a singles’ bar.
There will always be an opportunity for profit when it comes to love, whether it is of the emotional or carnal variety. To set oneself apart from all the other dating sites, it would be important to maintain a sense of legitimacy among the user’s profiles and activity. If the dating platform is presented in a sensible and authentic manner, rigidly moderated on a regular basis (at least daily), is intuitive and accepting, then the users will behave in the same way.
Click Here To Join The Best Free Online Dating Service