Slide 1: FINDING LOVE THROUGH TECHNOLOGY By: Andrea Corsino
Slide 2: INTRODUCTION
Thanks to the internet, over the past five years online dating sites connect millions of people world wide. There are many big name sites such as eHarmony and Match.com, Foreign sites like Datingdirect.com, and free sites with an enlarging number of users. Those namable are Plentyoffish.com and Connectingsingles.com.
Slide 3: In 2002, a Wired magazine article forecast that, "Twenty years from now, the idea that someone looking for love without looking for it online will be silly, akin to skipping the card catalog to instead wander the stacks because 'the right books are found only by accident.' Serendipity is the hallmark of inefficient markets, and the marketplace of love, like it or not, is becoming more efficient.”¹
Slide 4: KNOW WHERE TO LOOK…
Many forms of internet dating exist; therefore, knowing what you want out of the service and the risk involved is key.
Slide 5: GUARANTEES
Match.com offers six months free if at the end of a paid subscription of six months, no match is found. For those not seeking a heterosexual relationship some sites may not offer a match making service…yet.
EHARMONY, the dating site of choice for those looking to get hitched, has a longstanding "straight people only" policy. In May, Linda Carlson sued the site because of it. Her application was denied after she tried to use the site to meet another woman².
Slide 6:
Meetic (MEET.PA), one foreign competitor, recently bought a gay online dating site in France called Cleargay. Some of the more successful companies reap the benefits of monetary gains enabling those willing sites to provide more domains reaching a wider demographic.
Slide 7: FREE VS. PAID SERVICES
Yahoo Personals ( Click here for chart pricing comparisons) and Match.com allow people to become members for free, but limits certain features of the site. Members who pay or subscribe to the service get full access. Paid services have a higher compatibility success than the free counterparts. Yet, if one is saving for a great date an affordable alternative to finding the main subject of the date is a free website.
Slide 8: THE GAMBLE
Overall, online daters should be wary of the turf they are treading. Blatantly stated in many service’s terms of use are warnings and notices about interactions and members. While some insist members must be truthful and accurate, the reality is that lies and deceptiveness plague many profiles.
Slide 9:
"They met and she had a deeper voice than he did," says Scott Robinson, who works in information technology in Atlanta³.
“You understand that Match.com does not in any way screen its Members, nor does Match.com inquire into the backgrounds of its Members or attempt to verify the statements of its Members.” Yet, they do have the right to investigate if members cross the line of their legal issues.
Slide 10: In conclusion, due to the success of internet date sites, finding someone to flirt with to discovering a partner for life can be credited to the click of a mouse button. However, being cautious when putting yourself out over the net is important. One must know the dangers and be aware of where their information is placed. Whether just looking to flirt or looking for love there is always a gamble and not necessarily a guarantee. As Chief Executive Marc Simoncini admits Meetic, “…Promises to help you meet people, not fall in love right away."
Slide 11: References
1 Electronic Resource. Retrieved on November 28, 2007 from Wikipedia Online: The Free Encyclopedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_dating. 2 Academic Search Premier: EBSCHOST. Mangu-Ward, Katherin. (Novemeber, 2007) Reason: Dating Discord, Vol. 39 Issue 6. Accessed on November 29, 2007. 3 Academci Search Premier: EBSCHOHOST. Barker, Olivia. (December 12, 2005). USA Today: Blind dating gets back in the game. Accessed on November 25, 2007. 4 Electronic Resource. Retrieved on Novemeber 29, 2007 from Match.com. http://www.match.com/registration/membagr.aspx. 5 Academic Search Premier: EBSCOHOST. Fishbein, Jennifer. (10/8/2007) Business Week Online Reason: Europe's Love Affair with Meetic.
