MAIN Holidays Valentine's Day

Unhappily Single?
Check Out Online Dating

There are plenty of articles online and off that talk about how to deal with not having a date or a mate. It seems that the pressure mounts on singles as special events come up. No matter how many times you've been through it, the "...and guest" invitations still make you feel like an outsider in the world of couples that surrounds you.

A growing number of singles are very happy with their status and the freedom that it brings. If you count yourself in that number, that's wonderful.

But no matter what age you are or what your attitude, if you are single, you are going to be the target of well meaning friends setting up dates for you.

As a dating eligible single, you've probably been through the matchmaking process with relatives, friends and even co-workers. Some older singles even complain that their kids are constantly trying to set them up with dates!

For many singles the blind dates that are meant well often turn out to be dating nightmares. It does get to the point where you begin to think that all of the good ones are taken and you should just accept the fact that you're going to have to stay single or settle for dating someone who isn't really the person you're looking for...

Many Internet savvy singles have discovered online dating as an alternative. Where do online singles go to find a date? These are the top ten most popular Internet spots for personals according to a 2011 survey:

Source: Hitwise United States
	Plenty of Fish	Adam4Adam
	Match.com	Zoosk
	Speed Date	True
	Badoo	Date Hookup
	Singlesnet	Senior People Meet

...and there are plenty of other reputable Internet dating services online that boast about singles finding the perfect match. These are not dating sites that we are recommending, you have to judge for yourself. They are the most popular sites according to the statistics. Some of them seem a bit wild, but most seem professional. Several of these online dating sites screen the people who register to make sure they are not married and a few even check to make sure that no one who registers has a criminal record.

also see in Pop Culture: Online Dating Safety Tips

If you think you're the only one trying to make that perfect love connection through online dating services, you are so wrong!

When online dating first began heating up several years ago, it was reported that 18,846,000 visitors to online dating sites per WEEK were filling out profiles for possible matchup, and the numbers have only gotten bigger as online dating becomes mainstream.

Today, as online dating becomes even more popular, the percentages of visitors are almost equally split 50-50 between men and women... and from all age groups and income levels.

Is Internet dating safe? The advice from someone who has been married for several years to the man she met online is "...learning how to read the Red Flags for what they are. Really listening to what you hear rather than hearing what you want, and not allowing your emotions to interfere with common sense are your strongest guides."

So if you're feeling unhappy with your single status, Internet dating services may just be the perfect match for your dating needs...