5 Fun Facts about Online Dating, 5 Security Tips for Online Daters

Article by George Norman (Cybersecurity Editor)

on 06 Nov 2015

5 fun and interesting facts about online dating are listed below. Will they surprise you? I think and hope so. If you’re curious to know which fact took me by surprise, I’ll tell you: it it was number 3. Check it out below.

It’s important to stay safe no matter what you do online, and that includes online dating. Jump down to the end of this article to see 5 security tips that you should follow if you’re going to use online dating services.

Let’s get started with 5 fun facts about online dating.

1. It isn’t something new, it’s older than Google

If you think that online dating is something new, you’re are mistaken. Online dating has been around for 20 years. Online dating service Match.com, the very first online dating site, launched 2 decades ago, way back in 1995.

You’re familiar with Google, right? Everyone uses the Google search engine or at least one of Google’s other products and services. Google wasn’t around when Match.com launched. Larry Page and Sergey Brin came up with the idea for Google in January 1996. The Google domain was registered in September 1997 and the company was incorporated a year later, in September 1998.

2. Most people don’t have a problem with online dating

No one will look at you funny because you use an online dating service. According to a study by the Pew Research Center, Americans do not have a problem with online dating. 59% agreed that “online dating is a good way to meet people” and 53% agreed that “online dating allows people to find a better match for themselves because they can get to know a lot more people.”

The study found that 1 in 10 Americans have used an online dating service and that the public’s general attitude towards online dating has become much more positive.

3. Couples who meet online get married faster

Thanks to online dating services, you can easily find someone to date, you always have options for people to date, and that keeps you from settling down. That’s the opinion expressed by 32% of the people who took part in the Pew Research Center study mentioned above. That’s what they think, not what’s real.

The reality of the situation is that people who use online dating to find a partner end up getting married a lot faster than people who do not use online dating. According to online dating statistics offered by the Statistic Brain Research Institute, couples that meet online get married after an average of 18 months while couples who meet offline get married after an average of 42 months.

Here are a couple more interesting figures:
  • 54,250,000 – the total number of single people in the US.
  • 49,250,000 – the total number of people in the US who gave online dating a try.

4. Badoo is the largest online dating service

Match.com has more than 23.5 million members. eHarmony has 16.5 million users. Does that sound like a lot? It’s nothing when you compare it to Badoo’s 270 million users. Badoo has more members than any other online dating service out there. So if you were looking for the largest online dating site in the world, now you know that it’s Badoo.

5. Match.com’s sister site has the most women

If you’re looking to meet women, your best bet is to go to Chemistry.com, the sister site of Match.com. According to online dating demographics offered by WebPersonalsOnline, out of all the people who are on Chemistry.com, 28.2% are male and 71.8% are female. That’s a female-to-male ratio of 2.5. Things are a bit more balanced on Match.com: 55% female and 45% male.

Wikipedia’s comparison of online dating services shows that Chemistry.com has 11 million registered users, as of 2010.



If you’re going to use online dating services to find your significant other, take heed to these security tips:

Be cautious when sharing your personal info

Your personal information is valuable. Cybercriminals might use online dating as a means of tricking you into giving it away. That’s why you should always be cautious about sharing too much personal info. Think about it like this. If you’re not going to share personal info with a stranger, why would you share it on a dating site?

Nobody falls in love in a few days

When someone says they’re in love with you, and you’ve been chatting with that someone for a few days at most, it means something is fishy. I know that some people fall in love faster than others. But when someone falls in love that fast, it’s a huge red flag. You should always keep an eye out for red flags.

Don’t give them any money

This is another red flag you should watch out for. There are scammers out there that will pray on your good nature. They’ll spin all sorts of stories to trick you, stories that have one thing in common: you paying for something. Here’s a classic example: I’d love to come meet you face to face, but I can’t afford the trip. Could you give me the money I need to come and pay you a visit?

Money requests are extremely likely to be fraudulent. Don’t give money to someone you’ve never met, no matter how you feel about that person and no matter what story that person told you.

Report or block people who harass you

If you’re lucky, you won’t encounter any abusers. But the thing is that the web is full of bad people. Apart from the cybercriminals and scammers I’ve already mentioned, there are trolls, stalkers and people will send you abusive messages. You don’t have to put up with that. Online dating sites let you report and block abusers. Use this option to report and/or block anyone who harasses you.

Meet in a safe place

There were no red flags, everything went smoothly, and now you want to meet. This might be, by far, the riskiest part of the whole process. So don’t take unnecessary risks. Meet in a public place where there are lots of people around, people that could come to your aid should something happen. Before you leave for the big date, tell a family member or a friend where you’re going.

A little reminder: don't share your passwords with your partner, not even if you're in a committed relationship, not even if you're married. When the relationship ends, your ex will use your passwords (or any other private info you shared with them) to take revenge on you. Read more about this here.



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