There was once a time when men and women had limited choices in their searches for love. I'm sure the reader will not believe that, indeed, the lovelorn could seek out a mate through the personal ads in the newspaper, by a blind date set up through family and friends, the bar scene on Friday and Saturday night - and even through the week days for those who were particularly desperate - and, if you were lucky, by a chance encounter.

Boy, have the times changed. Today's men and women are very fortunate. They have access to, arguably, the most powerful tool for seeking a spouse, or, for that matter, an interesting date, through the use of the internet.

Surfing the web has replaced those awkward face to face introductions where you scrutinize and are scrutinized by someone you, most probably, know little about. Now, you can surf literally hundreds of sites to discover that someone who sounds interesting! To be sure, there is an explosion of sites that cater to the male or female in search of a meaningful relationship or just for having fun.

My suggestion is to begin with the simple step of going to the google.com website. Once there, you will be prompted to type in a search word and, although, you may choose from many, simply type in the title of this article and away you go!

The suggested websites are ordered by number of 'hits' or how many people have gone to this website before you. The sites at the top of your list, which may go on for 25 pages, are probably the best place to begin.

While I am not at liberty to name specific online dating websites, it will be come immediately clear the most popular are presented first, and are probably sites you recognize from television ads, newspapers, or even from word of mouth.

Online dating websites can be either a free service or charge a nominal fee for membership. I suggest you start with one free website and one cheap website. You'll meet a different kind of person on a free website than one that someone was willing to pay to join.

At the risk of sounding like a snob, it's a matter of exclusivity! Alright, now you've entered the online dating website, so start surfing. Send someone a hello, chat, be yourself, and get out there and date!