It seems like everyone is talking about on-line dating these days. Everyone has either a wonderful success story or the worst horror story in the world. If you are new to the world of Internet dating, you may be put off by the horror stories. However, the online dating world can also be a wonderful place to meet new people-even that "special someone." The only difference between "real" dating and on-line dating is the Internet.

In our new technological world, many people are turning to the Internet and online dating services (such as Match.com or eHarmony.com) to not only find romance, but also social networking or just making new friends. These services are revolutionizing the online dating world.

The numbers of people who are participating in online dating services are on the rise. A recent study showed that approximately 1 out of 5 Americans have or do now participate in some form of an online dating service. The anonymity that the online dating world provides can be appealing. After all, participants of online dating services don't have to meet the individuals they communicate with in person until they've achieved some level of trust and comfort with the other person. In the end, a participant in the online dating world always has the choice to meet or not to meet.

All online dating services require subscribers to create an online profile. Some profiles are more indepth than others, some services have their members fill out surveys and personality profiles. All services require some personal information from its members, including interests and hobbies and what the subscriber is looking for. The wonderful thing about these profiles is that a subscriber has a wonderful chance to express themselves and their personality.

The subscribers are then matched with, or can search for, fellow subscribers who match their descriptions. Then it is up to the subscribers to pursue a connection with the other subscribers.

This way of self-advertising through online dating doesn't differ much from a traditional personal ad. Subscribers can relay basic personal information, interests, quotes, a picture, and contact email. Any interested fellow subscriber can then contact that person.

However, a lot of online dating services are now enforcing more stringent rules to crackdown on this and similar problems. Some online dating services are even doing background checks to make sure aspiring subscribers don't have a criminal record. This adds to the safety of the members of the online dating community.

Online dating services are designed to be simple to use. Anyone with Internet access (as close as a library card) and a credit card can take advantage of these services. With a simple click of a mouse, one can dive from a dating pool that is limited by location and familiarity into a dating pool that is practically infinite.