Further, during this period, the usage among 18- to 24-year-olds tripled, while that among 55- to 65-year-olds doubled.

Most services also encourage members to add photos or videos to their profile.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.Under this metaphor, members of a given service can both "shop" for potential relationship partners and "sell" themselves in hopes of finding a successful match.At the end of November 2004, there were 844 lifestyle and dating sites, a 38% increase since the start of the year, according to Hitwise Inc.