Right now, it is socially acceptable to meet via an on line personal. I remember when using the Personals (print ads) meant you were a dating loser and you did not brag how you met someone using a personal ad.

But now it is accpetable since the magazines, movies, etc say that since we have so little free time, it only makes sense to use the computer to date.

The trouble is that on line dating does not work for most people. You have the same odds as succeeding in a bar and on line dating could be described as an on line bar . But at least in a bar, you actaully talk to someone and maybe something will shine through whereas on the computer, you only have a photo that rarely looks good (or in some cases-too good). And a lame profile.

And for a lot of women, there is no intention of dating-just ego stroking to see how many e mails they get.

Example. I e mailed this woman on POf and got back the usual 'I am dating someone'..Why in the hell does she not delete or simply hide her profile? It takes a whole minute to delete a profile and two seconds to hide one.

So it goes back to the popularity thing.

I give on line dating 5 years or less before there may be 1 or 2 companies around. most of the big ones are in financial trouble and being sued.

The problem with the corporate sites is they have to satisfy their shareholders. I have run an independant dating service since 1998. I have no hidden agenda. I got into the business because I was a natural matchmaker and so many of my friends were having problems finding singles offline. How many dating events have you gone to where there has been over 3 million people. Online dating is great, you can view photos, video's try the phone to phone (anonymous) technology. With so many ways to communicate why wouldn't more people use it. You mentioned POF. Have you been to the forum and read what some people write. The site is free, you get what you don't pay for. How can you verify a person's identity if it is FREE. People who are serious about online dating do not mind paying for a membership, they know they are getting excellent customer support, dating advice, and will meet real quality singles. FREE dating sites attract a lot of Nigerian scammers, married men and women looking for affairs. These are not the kind of people you want to meet, but the site is free so that is all you can expect. I have been in business for 10 years because I am passionate about what I do. I take a personal interest in my customers, giving them advice, helping them to post a great profile. So is Internet dating doomed? I predict you will see a lot of the large companies hurting, but companies like mine will only grow as I can provide a more personal touch.

How interesting. I'm actually in the process of teaming up with a website designer with the intention of starting a singles club (NOT a dating service) which will meet locally. I predict that I'll get into some trouble with the dating service industry for hurting their business, but it would only prove my point. Singles have gotten tired of dating services which have tried to become the only show in town (for a while, I even thought they were going to buy out the bars!), and starting a local singles club would be the perfect way for us singles to tell the dating services we won't buy what they're selling.

Dating is dating. No matter what, you are going to find that you are only going to click with about 1 out of 100 people and if you are lucky you'll click with 10 out of a 100 people at most. Dating services have come a long way and now there are free ones like okcupid.com. The only difference between meeting people in bars and meeting people online is the method of which you meet them.

That is for the most part true, but he is right. Dating is always going to have the chances that you aren't going to match up even if it appears that you would.

John and Ethan, you have a point... but remember, dating services are in it to make money, not make people happy. I've noticed in 2 years of speed dating parties that attendance has declined by 40%. Sure, about half of the women are there just because their friends talked them into going, but there are also a lot who just want to cut the crap and settle down.

I think one big problem that the dating services ignore, is that they don't try to bring together singles who have common interests (which would mean more success stories and less repeat business). For instance, I have yet to find one dating service which caters to "artistic/creative singles", and I know for a fact there are plenty of them in NY and LA. Corporations which want to stay in the black just don't care about thinking outside the box.

OTOH a local singles club like the one I started, wlasingles.com, has exactly that kind of flexibility a corporation doesn't offer. As far as the costs go, if you get 30 to 50 people to RSVP for a room in a restaurant, or a park, it comes out to less money per person than the cover charge at a nightclub.