A reported 20 million single adults in the United States have now turned to internet dating sites to meet other singles. Just when it appeared that internet dating had finally shed its long-held stigma and had actually moved itself into the mainstream, along came internet social networking. Although three of the top five internet dating sites are still showing some growth, comScore shows the social networking sites with both stronger growth and greater momentum than traditional internet dating sites.
In an interview with NetworkWorld.com earlier this year, Mark Brooks, editor of a Web site called onlinepersonalswatch.com stated, "The numbers show that less people are coming to Internet dating sites. ComScore said that the number of people who came to Internet dating sites in December 2007 was down 10% over the prior year. But I don't think it's the end of online dating."
Dating site membership statistics clearly show that singles have widely accepted the concept of seeking relationships via the internet and the practice is here to stay. However, the strong growth and growing popularity of online social communities also indicate a demand for more "dynamic" interactions than those currently offered by traditional "static" dating sites.
For more than a decade, Singles Entertainment, Inc., a mid-Michigan based corporation, has provided live entertainment venues for singles living in the Midwestern U.S. to meet, mingle and socialize. Norm Viaches, President of Singles Entertainment, Inc., recognized an obvious gap between the needs and desires of singles seeking relationships online and the online options that were available.
To fill that gap and to extend relationship and socializing opportunities for singles that attend the popular live events, Singles Entertainment, Inc. created Wealthy Chats. WealthyChats.com is an online singles community that offers all the features and functionality of the traditional dating sites, coupled with all the features and functionality of the popular community sites. Viaches states that, "Best of all, it lacks many of the shortcomings of the existing web offerings. This is the future of single's entertainment."
Cornel Ivanescu, the CEO of urbanverve.com [Urban Verve], the web development team involved in creating the site, said, "As the traditional dating sites are loosing new customers at an ever accelerating pace, the 21st century singles dating scene offers new ways of interacting that equate to less pressure on either sex. The relaxed atmosphere of base social networking sites like Facebook or MySpace allows one to explore the multitudes and increases the odds of potentially finding the right someone, while getting to know their tastes and way of life (sometimes even minute by minute - Twitter) well ahead of even virtual contact. These basic concepts along with the forward looking vision of the Singles Entertainment Inc. CEO Norm Viaches, are the foundation that led to SinglesNiteLife.com.
"The site encompasses not just the traditional dating site functionality, but also emphasizes the social networking and community feel much in demand today, offering editable profiles, personal blogs, video chat, forums, picture galleries, video galleries, helpful articles, community polls and dating searches all in one place."
Plans are already laid to quickly grow and improve the online community to include additional features like interactive games, exclusive community travel offerings and other exclusive live entertainment events for online community members in cities throughout the Midwestern United States.
