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Online Dating: Real Love, Refuge, and Extramarital Affairs. Recession Proof Business

This is yet another article for one of the recession proof businesses.  Online dating sites have become extremely popular for all walks of life, from the lonely hearts seeking real love, to the ones seeking refuge from the financial storm through saving expenses, to the financially well off ones looking for emotional (and/or physical) comfort through extramarital affairs.

by Samuel Chong
December 2, 2009

Also see Excess Wealthy Single Ladies in Hong Kong: Heaven for Single Men

Los Angeles, California.: Many people have asked about some of the recession proof businesses.  Abacus Chinese Translation Services is not one of them.  However, Online dating is.  People, for various reasons, have been using online dating services.  Some of them, the traditional ones, are seeking real love.  Some of them are seeking a shelter from the financial problems that they have been experiencing by living together to save costs.  While others are seeking emotional (and/or physical) comfort through extramarital affairs.

"Online dating is one of the a few businesses that I can say that are recession proof." Says Sunny Wang, a Chinese translator and an observer to the online dating business.  According to the New York Times, online and offline matchmakers are reporting that dating interest is up, way up. Match.com, for instance, had its strongest 2008 fourth quarter in the last seven years, and brick-and-mortar outfits like Amy Laurent International, a matchmaking service with outposts in New York, Los Angeles and Miami, say business is up 40 percent among women over the last four months following the October 2008 financial storm. Speeddate.com was averaging about 80,000 virtual encounters a day in October 08. Perfectmatch.com had a 51 percent increase in new members in the fourth quarter of 2008 compared with 2007.

"Traditionally, people use online dating services or offline dating services to find real love.  When the economy is good, they focus on their career.  When the economy is bad, they have time to think about their personal lives".  Wang says.

Online dating also seems to be able to help people who are looking for a partner to get through their financial crisis. Living together does save money than living alone.  Two people can share costs and expenses associated with living.  If it weren't for real love, it would help to save money, at the same time, have someone to depend on.

While true love, refuge are some of the reasons for people to go and subscribe online dating sites.  Others, such as once (and still are) well-off bankers, might go online specialty dating sites to find extramarital affairs.

IllicitEncounters.com, one of such sites, said it has seen a huge increase in the number of financial workers signing up to have affairs after the collapse of the markets in October 2008, and that "finance" continued to be one of the most represented professional areas on the site.

The Web site said in a statement that it has over 380,000 members across Britain of which more than 20,000 work in "financial services" and said it surveyed over 600 men and women bankers to compile a top 10 list of reasons why they embarked on extra-marital affairs.

Among the top 10 reasons are

1. To feel loved
2. For the thrill
3. Unstable home life
4. To escape the mundane
5. Ego boost
6. To avoid costly divorce
7. To lavish attention on someone
8. Because they feel entitled
9. Because they can/opportunity
10. Peer pressure

So, want to share with us your experiences with online dating sites or traditional dating services?  Please write to us.

This article can also be found at http://www.certifiedchinesetranslation.com/09/1202-Online-Dating-Boom.html