If you've spent any amount of time on the Internet lately, you can't
help but notice the growing number of websites related to love, sex,
matchmaking, relationships, etc., etc., etc.

What's the reason for this growing number of websites? It's pretty
simple really: people just can't get enough of anything to do with
attracting, understanding or seducing the opposite sex! And when people
can't get enough of something, you can be pretty sure there's going to
be a huge demand and a significant amount of money made by whomever
provides it to them.

Make no mistake about it. Online dating is big business. How big? About
$500 million per year and growing, with the biggest slice of the pie
going to Match.com, Yahoo!; eHarmony; and JDate. All of these goliaths
are raking in the big bucks, by catering to web users interested in not
just finding a date, but a marriage partner as well.

So, can you really find a marriage partner by using an online dating
service? Apparently so. At least sometimes.

Here's just one example: Betty Collins, 75, a resident of Briarwood in
Myrtle Beach, met David Johnson, 81, of Bend, Ore., through
eHarmony.com, an online relationship site that uses a patented
Compatibility Matching System to pair up singles. The couple celebrated
Valentine's Day this year in a fitting fashion - by getting married.

Johnson turned to eHarmony.com on the recommendations of friends who
had had positive experiences using the service. Johnson said it took
him about three hours to complete eHarmony's lengthy questionnaire,
which strives to match individuals using 29 different variables. Once
he completed the profile, which is free, Johnson decided to pay the $90
fee that would allow him access to matches for three months.

And the rest as they say is history.

So why has the Online Dating & Relationship Oriented Marketplace become
"the perfect place" to make online business fortunes? Well, let's take
a look at a few of the factors that make this marketplace the perfect
online business for just about anyone.

1. No Special Education Required to be an Expert: Whether you're young
or old, single or married, gay or straight, everyone has their own
special knowledge about Dating and Relationships that can provide all
the information you need to create a money making product.

2. An Endless Supply of New Customers: Just think about it. Every year
a new generation of young adults enter the "dating & mating game" where
their thirst for knowledge about the opposite sex becomes an extremely
important part of their life. Additionally, millions of individuals
reenter the "singles world" every year looking for a new relationship
following a breakup, divorce, death of a spouse, etc., etc... Not too
many industries have this infinitely renewable customer base.

3. A Low Cost, Easy to Start Up Business: It's never been easier to
start your own online business than it is today. Low cost ($6-$10)
domain name registration fees and hosting plans for as little as $8-$10
per month make setting up your own online business affordable for
virtually anyone with enough ambition to do so.

4. Nowadays there are more website authoring tools, templates and
online business automation software available than ever before allowing
even the most "technically challenged Internet Newbies" the opportunity
to build and operate a successful money making online business.

As a result, even small home-based entrepreneurs can take advantage of
this growing trend by developing money making products and services
that compliment the ever expanding market for all things romantic, be
it relationship advice sites, online dating/matchmaking sites,
astrological compatibility testing sites, personal appearance "make
over" sites, background checking services, etc., etc., etc...

$500 million per year and growing. Now I think that's an industry worth
looking into. Don't you?

**Carmella Giovanni is a free-lance writer, mother and housewife
currently living in San Francisco, California. Carmella may be reached
at carmgiovanni@yahoo.com

If you would like more information on how you can can get into the $500
million per year Virtual Dating industry, try this:

http://tinyurl.com/nbxgo