NICHE SITES | Making a match easier by narrowing the field

Jill Barrs knew something had to change after one too many dates with a dude calling himself a neo-hippie.

So she created a profile at MillionaireCupid.com ("sweethearts, not bleeding hearts"), hoping to meet a man with similar values.

"I was tired of dating liberals," Barrs said. "I'm not trying to be insensitive to other political views, but I was tired of dating apathetic people who didn't hold the same interest in politics."

Forget eHarmony, Match.com or Yahoo personals. Singles increasingly are turning to niche online dating sites promising to match couples with similar interests, backgrounds or religions.

Mark Brooks, whose blog Online Personals Watch chronicles the Internet dating industry, estimates that niche sites now occupy approximately 43 percent of total market share. Brooks writes that while mainstream sites are stagnating, niche sites continue to grow.

While the most popular niche sites offer the chance to meet people of similar race, religion or sexual orientation, there are sites for every conceivable taste and interest.

People looking to meet Trekkies or truckers can turn to the Passions Network, which offers 110 individual online niches for daters to meet and mingle. The site includes space for those interested in mullets and mustaches, pirates and redheads.

"The marketplace as a whole seems to be moving toward niche community development," said Michael Carter, president of Passions Network Inc. "The idea is to break the ice with people" over a common interest.

If there's someone for everyone, there's a Web site to help. Here's a look at a few niche sites:


www.seekwealthy.com
SeekWealthy bills itself as the place where the "classy, attractive and affluent meet." the site says, "are ultimately caring individuals" who understand the good life is a necessity, not a luxury.

Classy same-sex couples need not apply -- the site only offers the options of men seeking "Sugar Babes" and women seeking "Sugar Daddies or rich and wealthy men."

Who you'll meet: Women like XoParisXo, a 23-year-old blonde Illinois resident featured in a tight hot pink dress. She implores Sugar Daddies to "treat me like a princess and spoil me!"

Lovabuilder, a 49-year-old with a thick mustache also from the Land of Lincoln, should take heed. He believes "women should be treated as princesses."

www.avemariasingles.com
Calling itself a "reason for hope," Ave Maria Singles offers a service for hard-line Catholics interested in sacramental marriage.

This dating Web site takes the unorthodox approach of featuring a bald, bearded monk's endorsement on its home page. Ave Maria Singles also offers singles trips, like an upcoming excursion to the Holy Land or a singles cruise where daily mass is included in the cost.

Who you'll meet: Guys like Bill, 24, from New Jersey, who spent one "grace-filled" year as a seminarian before realizing God didn't want him to be a priest. He wanted him to be a husband.

"Half of my friends don't understand why I pray the rosary, read encyclicals or visit the adoration chapel," he writes. He's looking for a "chaste" woman and it won't hurt if you look the part.

"I get weak in the knees anytime I see a woman with a dress," he writes. "When I see a veil on her head, I faint."

www.positivesingles.com
This is the site for people staying positive though they've tested positive -- for sexually transmitted diseases.

Registering for positivesingles.com involves identifying your STD (Herpes Type 1, syphilis and thrush are options) and checking a box for the disease you are looking for in your match (no preference is OK, too).

Beyond the personals, the site offers helpful forums, blogs and a live chat with an STD doctor.

Success story: "I just wanted to say that anything is possible, like finding the love of your life on Positive Singles," wrote Spidersyren and jaxvilman. "We are engaged, I am pregnant and moving to Florida. And to think I thought life was over when I found out I had herpes!"

www.hyesingles.com
Billing itself as the "most popular Armenian singles sites on the Web," Hye Singles is designed to connect singles to their "Armo soul mate."

Who you'll meet: Armenians and those who love them. Max_K, a 30-year-old from Buenos Aires, describes himself as "an Armenian guy, full of Armenian blood." He's prepared to do some traveling, "looking for Armenian girls all over the world."

There's a special "Ask Dr. Nuneh" section where the good doctor answers questions like "Sticking to Armenian?," "Are Armenian women too materialistic?" and the more generic "Do we need more than love?"

Online Dating Coach this week: Can You Answer YES To Any Of These Questions?

Do you spend too many hours writing or reading e-mails in reaction to your profile only to find you’re not attracting the type of person you want?

Have you ever put your online membership on ice or given up because the e-mails flooding your inbox are just too much to handle?

How many times have you re-written your profile to try to attract the right person but keep getting the "not even-close"?

Do you find yourself thinking "Maybe there is no such thing as Mr. or Ms. Right; I’ll just have to settle for less"?

"The reason most people are not getting the results they desire is because their profile is a contradiction to who they truly are and what they are truly looking for in a partner. They desire one thing and communicate another." says Chaszey.

Let Chaszey help you create a profile that is so unique and compelling that it not only attracts responses from those who fit your dream of an ideal date or partner, but automatically repels those who aren’t right for you.

With 96% of all Americans wanting and believing in marriage and over 16 million people in the
United States alone seeking for true love via the Internet, it is easy to see that cyber dating is quickly becoming the new way to possibly finding your diamond in the rough. The importance of this is magnified when we hear that 8 out of 10 relationships are formed one way or another as a result of the Internet (source: PEW Internet and American Life Project).

If you are looking for love, you’ve come to the right place!

Chaszey's profile was viewed over 10,000 times in less than four weeks. She combines her highly intuitive guidance system with her background in Human Resources and merges her expertise as an Inspirational Coach to bring you the results that you deserve.

Chaszey says: "Internet dating starts with a profile that stands out and projects strength because it puts your most authentic Self forward and because you accurately describe who you are looking for in a life partner."

Whether you’re new or experienced on the Internet Dating scene, Chaszey is here to help you with this most important step in life. Finding true love is the end-all goal for every human being on this planet, no matter who you are or where you are in life!

Let's make this a fun, safe and successful journey! More profile tips can be found at our previous blog http://link.millionairecupid.com.

Online Dating Tip # 10 Have fun

You’re not applying to be the CEO of some huge conglomerate. Neither are you being screened by the army or anything. So just take it easy and have fun. Don’t take internet dating too seriously, or take it as seriously as you would ‘normal’ dating.

So you open your inbox and you’re not being bombarded with heaps of messages. So what? That doesn’t make you a failure in the dating department, there’s nothing wrong with you.

Just try going over your profile. There are lots of ways of making yourself sound more interesting and as always, having that photo helps.

And don’t wait for people to contact you either. You’re perfectly capable of contacting them yourself. And that’s part of the fun of internet dating. That you can just go and talk to anyone who catches your eye.

Also don’t be too serious in what you’re looking for. This isn’t a time to write a list of the qualities your partner MUST possess. Again, talk to anyone who seems fun and you never know; you might wind up liking someone you never thought you would.

Online Dating Article Tip #7 - Courtesy

Common Courtesy
Understandably, not everyone you come across on these dating sites will rub you the right way. There will probably be lots of people you won’t have things in common with. Or there’s even a possibility that you don’t find them attractive (be honest, how a person looks is important to you). That’s alright. Although keep in mind that you really shouldn’t judge someone just on how they look.

However, if you’re not interested, its just manners to let them know where they stand. You don’t want to lead someone else on. Maybe you can’t see any sparks building but you enjoy chatting to them. No one said you can’t be friends. Internet dating can also be a good source of friendships.

Even if you don’t find someone overly attractive or interesting, give him or her a change. You may change your mind about them. But if you really don’t want to hear from someone, just say so. While most people will get the idea if you ignore them, keep in mind you’d probably rather not be ignored yourself.

But if that does happen, assume that whoever it is isn’t interested and move on. Don’t keep sending messages/flirts/smiles/winks/etc. There’s a word for that: stalker. And if you’re at the receiving end of all this unwanted attention, you can always make a complaint with the site administrator.

Online Dating Article Tip #6 - Profiles

A Workable Profile
You know that feeling when you’re trying to apply for a job and you’re trying to make your resume look good? Ditto with creating an online profile of yourself. In the world of internet dating, your profile is your resume.

You should make clear what it is you’re looking for. Some people actually join internet dating sites for the sole purpose of making friends. Others have only no-strings-attached sex. The majority will have the idea of dating or relationships in mind. You make it a lot easier for yourself and others by stating your expectations.

You’re trying to sell yourself on all your good points here so go ahead and be informative. But like with a job interview, don’t just gloss over points; be specific.

Let’s say you enjoy travelling and you find someone else who shares that interest. Very good. But if you enjoy backpacking and they like hitting the shops and high spots, you can be sure that the idea of touring Europe may differ somewhat. And what seemed like a good holiday idea would end up disastrous.

It’s also okay to be honest about your bad points. No one’s expecting you to be perfect (just don’t go expecting the person you meet to be perfect either) and some people might actually find your little idiosyncrasies adorable.

Online Dating Article Tip #5 - Nudity

Keep it Covered
While some say that internet dating is a lot easier and in some way, more liberating than dating in ‘real’ life, it doesn’t give you the carté blanche to dispense with all social graces.

Being uninhibited while getting to know someone online is a good thing. Too much of not being inhibited however, is not. I’m not saying you should be too rigid with what you say and how you say it, though of course you shouldn’t punctuate every third word with swearing, but keep in mind that not everyone wants to see nude photos of you. And in particular, close-ups of nude bits.

It really is off-putting when someone you’ve never even chatted to sends you a photo of him or herself butt-naked. It’s even worse when there’s no full picture of them, just a very tight close-up. Yes, I have a problem with those close-ups and I don’t think I’m alone in this.

The message you send people is not a very good one and to be honest, people are less likely to keep you in mind as a person they could go out with. The idea they’ll get is that half the site will probably have seen you sans clothes and you can’t really be worth it.

Of course, if all you’re interested in is a quick shag with some random then you’re definitely going down the right path. If that’s the case, just state in our profile (you usually will be given the option for this) that you’re only after some casual fun and with the ‘right’ pictures, you can be guaranteed a huge response. But again, for the sake of the ‘serious’ daters, try not inundate everyone with your photos.

That doesn’t mean no nude shots at all. Basically, keep them off your profile and don’t just send them out to anyone who takes your fancy. If someone does make a request (and they’ll get an idea from you’re written profile as to what you’re looking for) then by all means, exchange those photos. But while you’re happily doing that, just keep in mind that these very same photos can very easily be downloaded onto their computer and uploaded onto some unknown internet site.