Members can constrain their interactions to the online space, or they can arrange a date to meet in person.A great diversity of online dating services currently exists.Feel free to link to parts of FANDOM University on your own community's main page, navigation, or anywhere else where members of your community look for help and guidance.Online dating (or Internet dating) is a system that enables people to find and introduce themselves to new personal connections over the Internet, usually with the goal of developing personal, romantic, or sexual relationships.

Most services offer digital messaging, while others provide additional services such as webcasts, online chat, telephone chat (VOIP), and message boards.FANDOM University is your official source for Community knowledge.The goal of FANDOM University is to provide instructions, help, and advice to users at every level of experience.Others utilize the freemium revenue model, offering free registration and use, with optional, paid, premium services.Still others rely solely on paid membership subscriptions.In 2008, a variation of the online dating model emerged in the form of introduction sites, where members have to search and contact other members, who introduce them to other members whom they deem compatible.Introduction sites differ from the traditional online dating model, and attracted a large number of users and significant investor interest.Further, during this period, the usage among 18- to 24-year-olds tripled, while that among 55- to 65-year-olds doubled.Niche sites cater to people with special interests, such as sports fans, racing and automotive fans, medical or other professionals, people with political or religious preferences (e.g., Hindu, Jewish, Christian, Muslim, etc.), people with medical conditions (e.g., HIV , obese), or those living in rural farm communities.It is possible that the mode of online dating resonates with some participants' conceptual orientation towards the process of finding a romantic partner.That is, online dating sites use the conceptual framework of a "marketplace metaphor" to help people find potential matches, with layouts and functionalities that make it easy to quickly browse and select profiles in a manner similar to how one might browse an online store.Online dating services also differ widely in their revenue streams.Some sites are completely free and depend on advertising for revenue.There are mixed opinions regarding the safety of online dating.Over 50% of research participants in a 2011 study did not view online dating as a dangerous activity, whereas 43% thought that online dating involved risk.