Online Dating - Advantages & Disadvantages

Online dating or Internet dating is everywhere, like most people you probably can't go a couple of days without hearing or seeing an advert for one of the large online dating companies.

Over the last few years the online dating industry has expanded beyond all expectations, in the US alone over $500 million was spent in 2005. An article in Wired magazine even predicts that in 20 years the concept of finding love offline will be considered "silly".

There are without doubt advantages and disadvantages to online dating, however many people would certainly say the advantages hugely outweigh any disadvantages.

Advantages

• Alternative to bars and clubs - if you are someone who doesn't enjoy bars and clubs then online dating gives you an easy alternative to meeting people.

• The cost is usually affordable, perhaps less than a night out in a bar or club.

• Availability - the sheer number of people who are members on dating sites means anybody can meet a huge amount more people online than offline, potentially increasing your chances of finding love.

• Many dating sites focus on a specific niche, therefore if you are a 20s something looking for someone in their 20s who enjoys the same hobbies you can usually find a specific dating site which is aimed at such people.

• The ability to meet people around the clock, if you are someone who works late then perhaps meeting people in bars and clubs isn't possible, online dating allows you to still connect with millions.

Disadvantages

• On most dating sites the sex balance is unbalanced; some online dating sites will have considerably more females and other site the opposite. • Most members will be lured to join with free trials, these trials will then start to automatically charge the users credit card details after the trial is complete.

• Some members also complain that after they have cancelled within the trial period their credit details are still charged.

• Some dating sites allow paying members to send messages to non-paying members, the paying members unaware that the member they have contacted is not a paying member and thus unable to reply.

• As with all online social networking there is always the potential for dishonest people to use the services.

• Some dating sites may keep a profile online for months, even years after the member last logged in to make the site look busier.

Whichever way you look at it I am sure you can see the benefits of online dating, as with everything there are drawbacks but the success in online dating shows that it is indeed a worthy part of millions of modern day lives.