Online dating has become one of the most popular ways of finding a mate.
Studies have shown that at least one out of five people looking for love will turn to online dating agencies.
And this figure is expected to increase in the coming years.
Statistics show that dating agencies are the only web sties that have increased in number since 1999.
The number of new dating web sites has grown by approximately 17 percent.
And it keeps growing by the year.
These sites range from the small dating web sites to the bigger sites that have more services and features to offer.
Even the more popular and established internet players have seen the trend.
They are either set to launch or have already launched their own dating service.
This growth can be attributed to several factors.
One is the number of internet users out there.
More importantly, a large portion of this consists of single men and women.
The UK alone has around 10 million singles-both young and old alike.
Quite a number of them have tried out online dating and have liked it.
A large majority have enjoyed it so much that they are wiling to do it again.
A lot of them are of the opinion that this is the next wave in finding a match.
For a small fee, one can simply register and choose from millions of potential matches.
These singles come from all over, have various tastes in music, sports, hobbies, their own unique qualities and so on.
This makes it virtually impossible not to find someone interesting.
What's even more fantastic is that one doesn't have to spend so much or even go out to do this.
One can simply sit in front of the computer and browse through thousands of profiles and photos.
Most services even offer chat rooms where singles can interact and just hang out.
While online dating is enjoying tremendous success, not all couples who meet online are as successful.
Some couples who have gotten off to a good start online said that things were different once they came face-to-face.
A lot of them said that it just wasn't the same.
Some for instance, didn't have anything to talk about on their first real date.
The success rate of finding a long-lasting relationship online is only around 8 percent.
For those who think that a lot of singles are eager to join online dating sites, think again.
Around 79 percent said they were afraid of potential risks associated with online dating-safety issues for instance.
Different strokes for different folks really- you may prefer to try a professional dating agency.
But whichever side you're on-whether for or against online dating, the fact is it's here to stay.
And it will continue to grow.
Just remember that online dating is only a means of finding that potential mate.
Whether it will work out is entirely up to the both of you.