Millions of people all around the world are members of online dating services it seems, with these numbers growing larger and larger every day. With the influx of free online dating websites cropping up, the rate of sign ups has been pushed even higher. The decreasing stigma of online dating, while still evident, is becoming less of an issue for people. Is this because of the growing number of relationships, romantic or otherwise, and communication (through blogs, videos, emails, and so on) that has moved online? Or, is this growth due to the success of online daters?

There's no doubt that a significant amount of our day to day communications with others have moved online. Emailing and instant messaging are frequent mediums for talking with colleagues, friends, and family. We read our news from online newspapers and even blogs, and we search for articles, recipies, and directions online. We can shop for clothing, cars, music, and home accessories online. We watch movies, TV shows, and listen to music over the internet. With all these aspects of our lives now available through our computers, it's little surprise that romance and dating has now moved online too, and has occupied a chunk of the web for some time now. Though this part of online communication carried a negative stigma with it at one time, this too is beginning to change. Partly, this can be attributed to evolution of popular online communication, from emailing, to message boards and forums, to social networking sites. The huge growth in popularity of social networking websites has made the leap to online dating little more than a small hop. However, many social networking sites are used to keep in touch with already established friends, while online dating sites are often used to meet new people.

As the industry of online dating is improving and growing, so is the rate of success, much like a snowball effect. As more people sign up, there is a greater potential to meet the right person, just as the likelihood of knowing someone who belongs to an online dating service who's had success with it. The more success people experience, the more likely they are to recommend a service to their friends and family. As a result, those around them are more likely to sign up for their own accounts. And so, the numbers grow, and the online dating industry increases exponentially.