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| Home > Dating > Current Dating Services > Online Dating Services, Part 1 | |||
Online Dating Services, Part 1 | |||
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Jupiter Media estimates that about 20 million singles are currently using online dating services. Jupiter projects by 2004, 40 million people will be using these services. In 2003, the online dating sector grew 37% to a $313 million market. Despite increasing social acceptance of online dating services, there are several weaknesses in the current business model.
Weaknesses of Online Dating Services 1. Physical Appearance Can Not Be Judged The first disadvantage of online dating ads is physical appearance can not be judged accurately. Many studies have stressed the importance of physical attraction for romantic relationships to start. This is particularly important to men. Many online dating services allow members to post pictures. However, only a small percentage of members do post their pictures along with their profiles. The main two reasons for the lack of interest in posting pictures are related to privacy and the lack of technological knowledge. One of the big advantages of online personals is anonymity and posting your picture defeats this purpose. Also, in order to post pictures, a member must either have a digital camera or scanner. Connecting these devices maybe difficult for some people. After having a digital picture, a member must have a clear and easy way to upload it to the site. Pictures come in different sizes and need to either be cropped or shrunken to fit the default size dictated by the online dating service. As a picture is modified, its quality or size decreases reducing the information used to judge physical appearance. In addition, most pictures are headshots so body types are hard to judge. 2. People Can Be Dishonest or Exaggerated The second disadvantage is people are able to be more dishonest online. Studies of online communities have shown that dishonesty occurs often. People can exaggerate about themselves making them more attractive than they really are. 3. Financial Cost Most sites charge monthly fees in order for members to contact other members. These monthly fees usually range from $20-50 dollars. Added to the cost of these monthly fees is the cost of meeting for a date after online contact has been initiated. If people do not own a digital camera or scanner, they must purchase one if they wish to post their pictures. This will add a few hundred dollars to the cost. 4. Lack of Detailed Profiling With the exception of the leading online dating services, most online dating services do not supply enough personal information to allow members to judge each other accurately. Most do not allow members to write in detail information about important issues such as family, religious beliefs, or career. Only the leading services have questionnaires allowing members to indicate how important each profile parameter is to each member. Most online dating services use very simplistic matching technology and are only able to match simple profiles. The drawback to detailed questionnaires is that they are very tedious to fill out, scaring most members away. | |||
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