As the stigma of online dating recedes, many internet users are giving online dating a try.

In fact, according to ManVsDate.com, over 40 million people now use dating sites in the United States alone. It has grown to a $1.049 billion industry—that’s bigger than porn.

Globally, BBC found 30 percent of internet users believed online dating to be a good way to find a match, with the United States clocking in at 21 percent.
The numbers differ in regard to age and gender, according ManVsDate.com. Men made up 52.4 percent of online dating site users, while the most enthusiastic age group were those ages 18 to 24—36 percent thought online dating was a good idea.

The shift away from real-life dating has lead to a debate about whether online dating is effective and if it mimics the time-tested method of meeting a potential mate the traditional way.
Though the shift may just be a result of Generation X and Y’s technology-oriented psyche, findings show the trend is increasing across all age groups, with an average age of 48, according to ManVsDate.com.

The anonymity the internet allows can lead to lies. Most often, dating site users tell white lies, including lying about their physical characteristics as well as their financial ones. According to ManVsDate.com, men lie most about age, height and income— and women’s top three lies are weight, physical build and age.

Because communication is moving online and there is constant increase in specialty sites catering to specific niches like religion and hobbies, singles have numerous ways of connecting that go beyond the classic hope of meeting someone at a bar or church.

Dating sites are not just limited to the advertised powerhouses of Match.com and eHarmony—these are just two of the thousands out there. Here are a few unique dating sites that may be particularly interesting to students.

Free dating sites

AdoptAGuy.com Women make the first move on this free dating site. They “shop” for men and add them to their cart. It’s also unique because it allows users to sort themselves into social categories such as “intellectual,” “bohemian,” “artsy” or “adventurous,” and style categories like “rocker,” “sporty,” “men in uniform” and “country and corporate.”

AlikeWise.com Alike Wise is a free dating site for book lovers. Users display their favorite or current-read books on their profile and hope to find someone who shares a similar taste in reading.

Plentyoffish.com Plenty of Fish is one of the largest free dating sites. It’s also home to a large population of younger users. Plenty of Fish raves about its “Chemistry Test” that matches users with “daters that will meet your emotional needs.”

OkCupid.com OkCupid is another one of the largest free dating sites with an abundance of younger users looking for love. OkCupid’s math-based matching system is based on what users tell them they want in a match, and then matches are provided based on percentage as a Match, Friend or Enemy.

Special dating sites

HowAboutWe How About We focuses on the first date rather than the unnatural abundance of messages that usually take place on dating sites. A user chooses matches based on what people say they want to do on their next first date. For example, one user said “How About We… test our Boy Scout skills and try to start a bonfire without a match. Then we can make s’mores.” It costs $8 a month for 12 months.

GreenSingles.com Their slogan: “Find love and save the planet!” Green Singles is geared toward those looking to find partners that have a passion for sustainability, vegetarianism, naturalism and other alternative lifestyles. Membership is $24 for 3 months.

ChristianMingle.com and JDate.com Christian Mingle is a dating site catered to Christian singles looking for a Christian match. JDate is geared toward Jewish singles looking for the same. Both sites clearly indicate a membership fee, but neither has the membership price clearly stated on their site or in their terms of use.

DatingRepublicans.com and LiberalHearts.com Dating Republicans is the home of “singles on the right.” Republicans and Conservatives can meet other users with the same political beliefs as them. On Liberal Hearts, users fill out their “match platform” and find like-minded liberals through the site’s “progressive” matching system.

MyPartner.com My Partner is a dating site specifically for gays and lesbians. The website combines years of scientific research with knowledge of today’s gay relationships to make the “Partner Perfect Compatibility Matching System.”

IQelite.com IQ Elite is “exclusive for intelligent people.” Their website claims to have 3,287,165 members. The site matches users based on psychometric tests that include questions in the categories of “verbal-logical,” “mathematical-numerical” and “visual-spatial.”

Peculiar dating sites

MILFdating.com MILF Dating focuses on “experienced women looking for love” and those who seek them. Users can browse as a man, woman or couple and search for a man, woman or couple. The site also utilizes a “Little Black Book” feature that unlocks special information about that user, including “private” photos.

SugarDaddie.com Sugar Daddie allows users to search as a “man looking for a sugar babe” or as a “woman looking for a sugar daddie.” The site focuses on matching high class, affluent men or women with not-so-rich counterparts.

420dating.com 420 Dating allows users to find other smokers in their area. As the website states, “why toke alone?” The site features profiles of marijuana smokers as well as marijuana products and resources.

Cupidtino.com “Meet an Apple fanboy or girl” on this dating site geared toward Apple lovers. Users must be using a Mac to gain access, though. Even those on iPhones or iPods must sign up on a Mac first. Membership costs $4.79 a month.

PrisonHookup.com Their slogan is “crime put them in there but love is going to bust them out.” The site is moderated and censored, but claims to connect inmates with those on the outside. WomenBehindBars.com, another dating site focused on connecting female inmates with singles on the outside, claims to have facilitated 38 marriages. Most of the profiles include a release date—no details on convictions or crimes are provided.