Chanceforlove.com
   met a few Russian women

Essentials archive:
Resources archive:
Articles archive:
Facts on Russia:


Have faith in online dating

Date: 2006-11-23

Countless people around the world are fed up with meeting "the one" only to find out a week later that their relationship is terminally flawed due to an irreconcilable difference. Every day, "hes" are discovering that they simply cannot handle their girlfriend's obsession with organic food, and "shes" are waking up to the fact that they cannot live with his Friday night Halo marathons. On a more serious note, many happy couples suddenly recognize that their relationship is doomed because one of them reveals a previously undisclosed moral preference or a serious commitment to a religion that is incompatible with the other.

Is there any way to make relationships sure bets? Probably not, but an increasing number of people are finding that online dating services, especially ones designed for specific religious faiths, can cut out a lot of the fuss in getting to know others. A 2005 British Broadcasting Corp. study found that online dating Web sites have lured more than 6 million subscribers in the United Kingdom. A survey of these subscribers found that 94 percent met in person with someone they met online more than once. Although many may scoff at the idea of encountering a soulmate online, it apparently has been done.

Those trying to meet other singles who are guaranteed to share their religious and moral values have numerous options to choose from: CatholicMingle.com, JDate.com, MuslimMatch.com, and ChristianCafe.com are only a few. So many Web sites exist that creators appear to have gotten a bit desperate in their search for a catchy name -- BigChurch.com and AdamMeetEve.com are a few examples.

The mention of dating Web sites around campus usually seems to evoke doubtful amusement or timid hope from girls, and sneers and chuckles from guys.

Sophomore Patrick Withers would not join one.

"I believe in love at first sight," he said. "Dating sites assume that human qualities can be boiled down to statistics."

Erik Mertens, a 2005 graduate who now coordinates Catalyst and Search in University Ministry, admits that his friends signed him up for CatholicMatch.com as a joke, but insists that he "never participated." He does, however, think that perhaps for other people, joining a dating Web site would not be a bad choice: "I don't know personally, but I would think that they would be more reliable, because people obviously know they are looking for someone else with faith."

Sara Meissel, Freshman Retreat and Student Formation coordinator at University Ministry, knows of one person who did find true love on eHarmony.com, but has misgivings about the online dating process in general.

"You don't have to be yourself on these things," she said. "You can be very dishonest." On the other hand, she thinks most people probably have good intentions, and grants that the Web sites make dating less complicated. "You can see everything five dates take you to find out on one screen."

To get the inside scoop on dating Web sites, I decided to create a profile on ChristianSinglesDating.com. Established in 1993 under the name "Computer Cupid" and then "Shining Star Christian Singles", this web site seems to have weathered a lot and gained credibility with its thousands of members. It offers a free 14-day trial period, and then allows users to access a basic account unless they want to buy a full membership for $20 to $40 per month. A membership permits users to create detailed profiles, search, enter queries for matches, message, chat, participate in forums, and give "cheers," which appear to be somewhat like "pokes" on Facebook. The Web site also has an archive of more than 400 success stories in which real people have found their true loves and sent in thank yous.

Success stories seem to be a popular feature on almost all of the Web sites I explored. MuslimMatch.com even featured one in which a couple had traveled around the world to meet each other and decided to get married just 12 days later. Whether these stories are real or not is, of course, questionable.

Like the other Web sites I explored, registering with ChristianSinglesDating.com is a simple process. It asks for basic contact information and then provides an area to check interest and lifestyle boxes, such as diet, spending habits and alcohol/drug use. Profiles also give those registering a chance to compose a more personalized description of themselves by answering more complicated questions in 1000 words or less. A few Web sites even allow participants to add voice clips or post a diary. All of the Web sites I visited also allow members to choose their preferences for a partner and exclude those with certain characteristics, which helps to narrow the field in advance.

Although the designs of most of the Web sites are more or less the same regardless of denomination, some had special features. For example, JDate.com, a dating service for Jewish singles, seemed the most committed to encouraging members to meet in person. It sets up social events in different cities, and also has "travel adventures" in which members can sign up for week-long cruises and meet other prospects.

Most services seem very tuned in to the fact that online communication can be dangerous. They do not display detailed contact information and employees routinely patrol the site for inappropriate content. ChristianSinglesDating.com includes a safety feature that allows users to block sketchy members or report abuses and have the perpetrators expelled.

Even if my browsing has not led to a prospective soulmate, I am leaving my trial membership with nothing but a positive impression. I have met some very nice middle-aged matrons who have sent me welcome e-mails, and perusing the endless lists of eligible males has at least been entertaining. There seems to be a guy for every type of girl, ranging from those just looking for friends to a few especially marriage-minded individuals. Some definite standouts for me included Prince4love, EyesofGreen, and Bigfather, but I refrained from contacting them.

Are dating Web sites worth it? They seem to work beautifully for some and be completely useless for others. Interested singles must make up their own minds about what dating style fits them. Considering the dating Web sites' privacy measures, and allowing that users are cautious with the information they give out, is there really anything to lose? Go ahead and give one a try -- your perfect match might be "just a click away."





Your First Name
Your Email Address

     Privacy Guaranteed



GL52068236 GL52080057 GL52081962 GL52074692


  

      SCANNED March 29, 2024





Dating industry related news
Be friends, lovers at same timeOnline sting operation aimed to catch sexual predators is completeRoss Gordon may be single, but he makes his living helping others find their soul mate.
Today we are going to delve into the depths of myths. We're going to talk about being friends first before dating. This is slightly a controversial issue because so many people are on opposite ends of the spectrum on this. Some believe that it is absolutely necessary to be best friends first and then lovers. Some believe that being friends first ruins it all, and that the only correct way to do it is to date and court first. The courting process will make you better friends. You want to know wha... The Dodge County Sheriff's Office completed a online sting operation aimed to catch sexual predators. For five nights this month... Officers in the Sheriff's Office and the Kasson Police Department posed as 14-year-old girls on an online chat site. The Dodge County Sheriff says they were contacted by hundreds of people, often soliciting sex from females. Authorities arrested these seven men after they came to a location where each thought he would meet a 14-year-old girl. Officers arrested ...Gordon, the owner of justsinglesadventures.com, is part of a booming industry focusing on singles, including travel services and Internet dating sites, that's seen tremendous growth in recent years. The Milford resident began organizing travel excursions for unmarried adults and singles-oriented events 17 years ago after attending a dance at the request of his mother. "It was so horrible that I thought I could do better than this," he said. "I thought, hey I really could do better than this, a...
read more >>read more >>read more >>
ChanceForLove Online Russian Dating Network Copyright © 2003 - 2023 , all rights reserved.
No part of this site may be reproduced or copied without written permission from ChanceForLove.com