Online Dating Land

The holidays can be a lonely time if you are single. Who doesn’t dread going through the holidays alone - having no one to drink hot chocolate with by the fire place and no one to introduce to the family at the annual holiday get-togethers? The online dating services know that’s your greatest fear and they are hoping to capitalize on it. Who says both of you can’t win, and it may mean that you have someone to kiss at midnight on New Year’s Eve!

You may notice many of the major online dating services competing now for your membership, telling you how happy you will be if you sign up with them. And to prove it - they will frequently give you a major break on the membership fees. Look at Eharmony, for example. It seems to be the only service out there that uses a personality profile to select other members that a user might be compatible with. The regular price for one month of service is over $50, which is a bit pricy compared to some competitors. However, Eharmony frequently sends out e-mails that offer special rates. They also send incredible deals to people who have previously had a membership or filled out a personality profile to try to get them to come back. For the holiday specials, they will often offer three months of service for the price of one, but all three months have to be purchased at the same time. With price aside, it may be more likely to find someone you are truly compatible with now because there will be more users due to these special offers. This means it will be even more likely to find that special someone that really meets all of the high standards you set for a possible-girlfriend/boyfriend. With all the options out there, how are you supposed to pick which online dating site will be best for you. Price is not always the most important factor.

Here are some tips to making the important decision:1) Don’t fall for promotional propaganda such as a story of two people who met using the service. Remember just because those people had success doesn’t mean that the majority of the people have such a happy ending. Ask around to see if anyone you know has ever used an online dating site and see what kind of success they had. You can count on the people you know to tell you the whole story, not just the parts that sound good. 2) Browse the profiles. Before you sign up, do some navigating of the Web site to see if there’s anyone from your area or anyone that interests you. If the closest match is 30-50 miles away, then you probably won’t find the love of your life there. Similarly, if it seems the matches don’t share your same interests, you might be better served going with an online dating service that can give you better results. 3) See if the online dating sites tell you how many people are members. There are some sites that have membership bases that are predominately male or predominately female. This is important to know when making decisions.