One of the reasons that prompted the development of niche
dating services was the fact that people using the major dating sites occasionally
had difficulty meeting singles who had the same interests or shared the
same passion for their hobbies or activities. By creating targeted,
or niche, services, dating site operators were better able to compete with
some of the major online sites by drawing some of their visitors, who were
dissatisfied with non-specific matching, away from them and towards their
own services.
*Keyword (Niche) Searches take additional time - please be
patient!
Are all of these very specific dating sites
necessary?
As a society, we are becoming busier and busier and that
translates to single men and women having less time to go out and meet,
less time for the bar scene and less time to enjoy nightlife and go to
places where they might likely meet another person for dating. In addition,
after trying a major online dating site, like Match.com
and becoming disenchanted with their service after meeting dates who did
not share a passion for the same things they did, people began to look for
an alternative. The result was the emergence of niche dating
services. Obviously there appeared to be a need in the marketplace
for such sites and the sites that sprang up grew in both size and
popularity. Some of the more common ones are mentioned at the end of
this article, but many of you may have heard of ALT.com,
or DateMyPet, at which you can meet
pet lovers or even CyclingSingles, each of which caters to a specific niche
of the online dating population.
Will niche dating services put an end to the big
dating sites?
One of the questions you might as yourself, is "Why
even bother searching for love on a big personals site when I can now to go
a niche site and find EXACTLY who I am looking for?" Hold on a
minute, these smaller, targeted sites very often have a smaller database of
singles. You might not care because you feel that the person you find will
be such a perfect match, however with less users on the site, there will be
a smaller selection and more competition. Now, this is not always true, but
for some of the newer niche services, it is.
How can Web Personals Online turn a major dating
site like Match.com
into a niche dating site?
Now, while there are certain niche sites we can recommend,
one of the nice things about this site is that the tools we create for our
visitors to use, like our targeted search form above, can essentially turn
a major online dating site like Match.com
into a niche dating service. How can that be, you may ask. Since a
site like Match has such a large database of members there are surely to be
individuals that share your common interests or passions. The
difficulty-up to now-was that you had to read and search through all the
dating profiles to find that special someone. With the advent of the
targeted search form above, you can have the software search through all of
the profiles and only return those that have keywords matching your
particular hobby, activity, or interest. What you have essentially done is
taken a large dating site and turned it into a niche dating site and all
with one simple form and probably less than a minute of your time!
The result is that by combining search technology like you find on this dating
site and a major player in the online dating space, like Match.com
you can have your cake and eat it too. You can use the biggest and
most popular online dating services, the sites with the most single men and
women and you can save yourself the same valuable time that you would save
by joining a niche dating service. Hey, why not do both? Use our tools and
join a niche site. We can certainly recommend a few of these types of
sites below.
So what are some examples of a niche dating sites?
Here are a few of the popular (i.e. larger) niche dating
services available on your local internet. Enjoy!
ALT.com
Popular site for people into BDSM and other 'alternative' style
relationships. If 'kinky' is your hobby, then ALT.com is the niche dating
service you've been waiting for!
LargeFriends.com
This site features big beautiful women and big husky men. Their
motto is 'bigger is better' and with this kind of targeted site you should
be able to find your extra-large love.
Interracial
Match
Online site specifically for individuals interested in interracial
dating.
MillionaireMate.com
Dating service dedicated exclusively to helping hot women meet
millionaires. See - we told you there was a site for almost any
niche you could think of.
DateMyPet.com
These people are insane pet lovers and are only interested in
meeting people who are as devoted and dedicated to their pets as they
are. Why didn't I think of this service?
CyclingSingles
Avid cyclers can meet each other by using this niche site. Talk
about their bikes, discuss cycling and meet singles who share their
passion.
Muscle Personals*
Athletic & Bodybuilder Dating - Meet Your Athletic Match.
GreenFriends.com
The best place in the world for meeting vegetarian friends and singles.
TallFriends.com - The best and largest place in the world for meeting tall singles, friends and admirers.
Conclusion
Niche dating sites are here to stay and as the online dating environment
becomes more competitive, there will surely be new services dedicated to
very specific interests and developed around many different themes. These
services, for the most part, attempt to provide single men and women with a
convenient time-saving resource with the hope that people will be able to
meet with less searching, less looking and less hassle. Hey, that's
the same thing we are trying to do here. Copycats. Good luck and Happy
Dating!
Interracial
Relationships can be difficult in our society. Find out when you can do to
create an open-mindedness among your family and friends to make them more
accepting of your partner. 
