Social networking has made the internet what it always wanted to be, a social community. A place where people irrespective of their location could meet up, chat, share ideas and speak to each other. Social networking may have sparked off a revolution, but even before social networking there were forms of socializing available online, the most basic of course being chatting and with the increase in bandwidth over the past few years, video conferencing and voice chat. Although all these methods did help bring people together and are no doubt pioneers in the social networking revolution in their own right, what is largely ignored and is no doubt a silent hero is online dating.

Online dating has been around for a considerable amount of time, and some people attribute social networking sites to online dating sites, than the other way around. After all online dating sites have been around for nearly 10 years. In 2004 a survey was carried out, and it was found that nearly $500 million was spent by people in the United States on online dating and match making sites alone. Such is the impact of online dating sites today. Although no one can clearly pinpoint which was the first online dating site however, there are few sites that have excelled at match making and online dating. A list of the above mentioned sites is pretty irrelevant at the moment as there are newer sites that are coming up everyday and all it takes is a novel idea to make the next big internet dating site.

Today online dating is not just a pretty profile or a interesting punch line bought together, there are so many aspects to an online dating site that its almost impossible to encompass all the features that make up a great site, however there are a few things that a good online dating site should have:

Chatting

The most basic requirement for any communication online is chatting, depending on the site you have signed up for there is almost always an option to chat with other registered members. Chatting enables you to share ideas, interact freely with other members of the site. Most sites however actually charge an additional fees for accessing features like chatting, but if you look around you might find a site that actually allows you to chat with other members for free. It would also make sense to point out that there are certain rules and etiquette, that come with chatting with other people online. It would be pertinent to read through a list of chatting etiquette just to put up a good front when you are interacting with prospective dates online.

Voice Chat

Well this might sound a little bit of a clich?, but a sexy voice goes a long way. The impact that voice chat has had on online dating is immeasurable, almost all sites today offer voice chat with other members. Well there is a simple fact that is undeniable, voice chat allows you to express yourself much better. You can't come across as funny, witty, or even sarcastic if need be by chatting alone.