DATING SITES REVEALED:

This just in regarding online dating from USA TODAY:

Care for a date with the suddenly available Brad Pitt or Jennifer Aniston? OK, so maybe that's a little out of reach. How about the next best thing? How about a date with someone who looks like Brad or Jen?

New technology from Fujifilm will let online-dating customers search for people who (in theory, anyway) resemble film stars, sports icons or former flames. And now a company called Traffix plans to use Fujifilm's technology for a free new site, LookalikeFinder.com.

That's just the latest sign of the fierce competition among online-dating sites. Internet-tracking firm Hitwise says the number of dating sites it monitors has reached 836, up from 611 in January 2004. All of those companies are seeking new love potions to court subscribers and nudge them toward pricier commitments.

The industry has grown so fast that Hitwise foresees a shakeout. Already, there are signs the bloom is off the rose. In the past year, the average time spent on dating sites fell from 12 minutes, 1 second to 11 minutes, 36 seconds, Hitwise says. JupiterResearch, a technology research and analysis firm, expects online-dating revenue to slow. Says Mark Brooks, who runs the Online Personals Watch industry site: "I think we're moving into the first stages of maturity."

So companies are trying, like the most desperate bachelor in the bar, to stand out. Those who market love on the Internet are increasingly wooing customers by giving personality and compatibility tests, matching lifestyle preferences and even running criminal background checks on would-be partners. Some sites are offering high-tech extras -- instant messaging, blogging, video profiles and live video chat.

Internet outfits have been flirting with the lovelorn for about a decade now. And why not? There are more than 90 million unattached adults in the USA. And many of them will go to great lengths -- and part with chunks of money -- to find true love.

And here's more exciting knowledge:


A survey released exclusively to USA TODAY by Keynote Systems found that customer satisfaction with dating sites is lower than for online venues as a whole. A key reason: Sixty-one percent of those surveyed said they feared that online daters were misrepresenting themselves (for example, the "bachelor" who's not a bachelor).

Their fears aren't misplaced. More than 30% of those playing the field online admit to being married or living with significant others, Keynote reports. No wonder 45% of respondents express a desire for background checks of other members. (Keynote surveyed 2,000 customers and 2,000 prospective customers of 10 dating sites.)

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CARLOS COMMENTS:


From my own personal experience, misrepresentation is definitely rampant. But there are many women who are truthful, too. So while there are a lot of bad apples, they don't ruin the bushel.

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