Brief History Online Dating

The history of free online dating services is relatively recent in terms of its evolution, and the future of free online date site offerings will only get better and more interactive in the future.

About The History Of Free Online Dating

In the mid 1960s, Lewis Altfest attended the World’s Fair and encountered the Parker Pen Pavilion.  Here, a large computer was on display and was processing selections for foreign pen pals for anyone who visited the pavilion.  A visitor had to answer questions asked of them in a questionnaire.  The answers were put into the computer and the user of the computer got a card with the address and name of a “match” or like-minded individuals from across the globe.  By this time, some Harvard students had already come up with Operation Match, a computer program that was used for finding dates.   Altfest was impressed by the computer presented at the World Trade Fair and got together with another programmer to devise TACT: the Technical Automated Compatibility Testing.  The latter proved to be the very first computer-based service for dating.

In the beginning of Internet dating, there was not Internet dating sites.  Instead, service providers offered forums and chat rooms where single people would virtually gather and meet people.  The forums and chats were advertised a great deal, thereby drawing the attention of a lot of singles looking to meet someone for a relationship or casual encounters. 

Free online dating became very popular in the mid to late 1990s.  As the Internet evolved and became more advanced from the days when only plain, ordinary hypertext market language was used to create web pages, to sites being created by dynamic systems and databases, more and more free online dating sites came into being.  Today’s free online dating services are sites that can be used by thousands of users simultaneously and they host interactive features like blogs, video chat, video blogging, chat features, messenger features, and more.  For more information about the early history of computer dating versus online dating visit the DatingTrail.co.uk at http://www.datingtrail.co.uk/dating_article.php/28-the_history_of_online_dating.htm.

More About The History Of Free Online Dating

Originally, during the 60s and 70s, computer dating was handled in establishments in the United Kingdom and the United States.  A person would visit an establishment and go through a type of interview process so that a computer could be used to identify matches for the individual.  This all changed when the Internet made it possible to reach a large audience and to make the dating search more private as well as personalized.  With the Internet, a person no longer had to visit a location and go through a potentially awkward and embarrassing interview in order to get access to dating profiles. 

Match.com®

In 1994, one of the very first online dating sites was created by Peng T. Ong and Gary Kremen.  The site is still active and running today and is identified as Match.com®.  In 1994, the site was offered as a beta site offering free online dating services; the site relied on a platform not unlike an online classifieds site.  The full version of the site was launched a year later.  Later, the site started using a matchmaking system and personal profiles, all of which was launched in the late 1990s.  Today this site now assists those looking for singles and matches in as many as 24 territories and countries.  The site is offered in up to fifteen languages as well.  For more information about Match.com® visit http://www.match.com.

Free online dating caught on quickly as business entrepreneurs realized the potential such sites had and as those looking for dating options realized how convenient the sites were to use.  The very first free online dating services worked a lot like methods used in computer dating establishments where individuals answered a range of generic questions relating to their lifestyle, likes, and personality.  Later, more powerful search features were added to the free online dating services offered.  Relatively recent features include the addition of messenger features and video blogging; these features have been added to expand one’s ability to communicate with others and so that dating sites can gain a competitive edge against other free online dating websites.

eHarmony hit the free online dating websites scene in 1997.  This Santa Monica based dating website was established by Dr. Galen Buckwalter and Dr. Warren.  Both Warren and Buckwalter decided to assess the makings of successful and lasting relationships so that these same characteristics could be used for assessments in the online arena.  The company conducted three years of research so that compatibility factors could be readily identified based on the findings of the research conducted.  For more information visit http://market-watch.us/articles/?the-brief-history-of-online-dating-the-invention-198

The History Of Free Online Dating: Recent Developments

When looking at free online dating websites you will find that niche markets have developed: free dating online options for select groups.  You might see totally free online dating sites for members of a certain faith, for members of the military, or for those that are working in a specific profession. You will also see free online dating services for people that are seeking secret, discreet encounters.  What’s more, free online dating websites have evolved so much that there are sites that encourage casual encounters without attachments as well.  

Also new to the free dating sites online is some of the speed dating websites people can use to sign up for speed dating events in the local area.  Speed dating involves events where a person can meet a lot of people for a short five-minute period, before making a dating selection. In the future, it is believed that free online dating services will eventually integrated global satellite positioning system technologies into their existing services.  This will make it easier for those using the sites to find singles in and around their local area.  Find out more information at http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/07/04/
110704fa_fact_paumgarten#ixzz1VOJmUk8m.