Dating Zone

You've entered the Dating Zone. Net-based dating services have revolutionized the dating landscape and did you know that online dating is now one of the most popular ways to meet people and begin the dating process? Millions of men and women around the world are meeting each other on the Internet, or they've met in person and are corresponding by e-mail. It all started with mail order brides over one hundred years ago, then in the late 70's technology allowed us to meet people over the phone. Remember those crazy chat lines of the eighties? And with the invention of the Internet, people began to exploit email and ask people on first dates through cyberspace. Rejection? "Delete email". Now there's an entire industry devoted to online dating; sites where you can browse for hours on end looking for the perfect match. And if someone finds you, the site will even send an email to your mobile phone telling you someone's keen on you!

We've summarized some of our favourite dating sites and what draws us to them. Sites are free to join and free for you to post a profile. If you want to contact someone though, you will have to upgrade. Just remember to add your photo when you fill out a profile…you will get noticed!

Our summary:
Lavalife.com is the "King of Sites" and is very easy to use. Probably the easiest to use with built in chat functions, it is very cost effective as you only pay when you want to send an email or chat with a potential partner. Once you have emailed them once, all subsequent emails are free. An email message costs 5 credits and you can start out buying 60 credits for $14.99 - that's 12 email contacts. And like most sites, you can show interest without spending money by sending a 'wink' or a 'smile'.

Our summary:
Date.com was the original site, and its founder is the Godfather of this industry. The site is easy to use, and asks you for more detailed information about yourself and what you want in a partner. This can help you choose people with similar interests. Date.com also has a great community section that gives advice, shares stories, and publishes information on dating in your area. This site works on a monthly membership basis starting at $24.95

Our summary: One of the neat features on this site is that it shows you how many people have taken the time to view your profile. And you can see who has been looking at you! Kind of like when you go out to a bar or are in the local Safeway...you know when someone's giving you a flirty smile. This site also works on a monthly membership basis starting at $24.95.

Our summary:
This site is pretty new and is easy to use, and you have a choice of Dating, Romance or Intimate. You can pick the profile of you "Dream Mate" by simply checking off boxes with the personality traits that you are interested in. It also goes into your favorite activities, and creates matches based on what you check off and gives a compatibility percentage. This site also works on a monthly membership basis starting at $14.95 for the first month, then $19.95 thereafter.