The success of online dating sites like any other businesses can be measured by the growth of the business as well as the general public's interest in it. Taking this into account, we all know that the big cats such as match and eharmony have grown into a phenomenally successful business by pairing up couples online. This would not have been possible in the span of over a decade had the business not had any success stories to tell. Although match and eharmony are the big players in this market, there are also numerous websites offering this service including free dating sites.

A large part of the negative rap that dating sites seem to have are from scammers who prey on innocent victims looking for love and relationships. Many of these stories are traced back to couples meeting each other from a popular dating site and then meeting up only to find the date turning sour. In rare cases this can end up as possible reported assaults but in most cases it usually ends up with some kind of monetary gain by the perpetrator. However, if we were to do a count of the number of cases that these incidents happen, it would surely be dwarfed by unreported incidents happening on a daily basis with men and women routinely hooking up. Perhaps the story becomes more intriguing when an online dating site is behind it. Whatever the reasons, we should always ensure our own safety whenever meeting new people and especially if it involves a close relationship with someone.

There is no doubt that online dating is on the rise as reported by the big numbers joining the many dating sites and the huge revenues reported by some of the top players. Now with the added advantage of hand-held devices more singles are finding it very convenient to locate other singles and strike up conversations. The gratification of instant messaging can open the door to more flirtatious encounters with other like-minded singles and this is likely to grow further. With the social media as the mainstream usage of many online users the stigma once associated with meeting other singles online has been greatly diminished. We are routinely doing many of our conversations through personal devices and such our personal life has also been transformed as a result.

Take the example of a dating couple who met through an online dating sites. They are already familiar with the technology of communication using the internet and will no doubt have personal devices for further instant communication. They arrange a date and as they both trek through their home-town to their rendezvous point, they may take out their smart phones or tablet and open up their dating profiles to get a good idea of each other's hobbies and interest. It's always a good idea to do some preparation before coffee or dinner. In addition, by logging into their account, they are able to pull out the history of their email communication to see how the sparks flew. As they approach their meeting point, they take the device out to send an instant text message to each other of their imminent arrival.

One can see that the convergence of the internet and the powerful hand-held tools will only fuel the growth of online dating sites. More people will become dependent on this scenario of meeting other dates since their choices are multiplied through this medium. Since their lifestyle is centered around their personal device assistent, they are able to integrate seamlessly the features of online dating sites to make dating less cumbersome and more of a breeze.