So you're sitting at home alone again on a Friday night. You're single, attractive, and have a fun personality. You're content with being single, but really enjoy the company of others, and sometimes wish that you had someone special in your life. Does this describe you? Then you're not alone. There are millions of people at home probably right now who are looking online for that special someone. The question is, will you be there?

A simple search for online dating services in google will yield over three million results. You'll find every kind of dating site, specializing in different interests, ethnic backgrounds, religious preferences or nationality. This can be a bit intimidating, but don't let that stop you. Keep looking around; get a feel for what the online services have to offer. Don't join anything just yet even if it's free. There's plenty of time for that later. Right now you just want to start thinking about the kind of people you might meet online at these various online dating services.

Some key things you want to consider when deciding on an online service include how many members it has, the difference between a free membership and a paid membership offers, the monthly cost and the privacy policy. Most sites will let you join for free without giving any financial information such as a credit card. This will let you join the site with very little risk. Sites that claim millions of members are usually very well established and you're more likely to meet someone local in your area.

Once you're a free member, review the kind of information they want record about you. Typically they'll want a brief description of yourself, the kind of person you're looking for, and a checklist of interests and physical features. All of this information will be viewable by other members to some degree. The information is also searchable. So if you checked a box that you're interested in movies, other members will be able to find you based on a search for members who like movies. It's best to provide as much information and detail as possible. However, for safety reasons, never give out personal information such as an address, phone number, place of work, etc?.

Free members may not have as much access to profile information as paid members. Typically free members can search based on location and age, but not by interests or physical description. Some sites allow free members to search by all available data, but will not allow them to contact another member without first joining. Paid members typically are allowed to communicate with all members both free and paid. So if you join for free, a paid member will still be able to contact you. If you're a woman, this is particularly handy since you may never have to become a paid member. Unfortunately the reality for men is they will have to always get a paid membership if they want the best chance to meet the right woman.