Online Dating Services
Booming in Bad Times
Stock prices and retirement funds might be fizzling but the dating scene is hotter than ever.
"People want to be with someone when times are tough," said Brian Barcaro, the founder of CatholicMatch.com, which has seen steady growth during the recession and even a spike last September when
He's not the only one to see romance on the rise during the downturn. The Modern Matchmaker, a brick-and-mortar service in Squirrel Hill, is busier than ever before and numerous online dating sites are reporting record revenue and membership figures.
Though thinner wallets might make flowers, rings and fancy dinners tougher to afford, the rise in dating is no paradox, said various industry members. Mr. Barcaro, for one, thinks the correlation boils down to a need for support and traditional family values in a time of insecurity.
In a recession, CatholicMatch.com is "attracting singles who seek partners to pray with, commiserate with and split the bill," said Mr. Barcaro, whose Evans City site has 200,000 users and caters to Roman Catholic singles searching for love, friendship and marriage.
Like most matchmaking sites, CatholicMatch.com features profiles and pictures but includes a faith-related section that asks about the frequency of mass attendance and belief in Church teachings, such as papal infallibility and premarital sex. A one-month subscription costs $25, three months is $50 and six months is $75.
The willingness to invest in romance isn't exclusive to religious services. According to Forrester Research Inc., online dating is the third largest producer of revenue out of all paid content sites, generating $957 million in 2008, a figure the firm predicts will grow 10 percent by 2013.
Dating site Match.com now has more than 20 million members, a figure that grows by 60,000 daily. The company charges members $35 per month and had a total revenue of $366 million in 2008, a 5 percent increase from 2007.
Searching for companionship during tough times makes sense from a psychological standpoint, said Diane Marsh, professor of psychology at University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. "The recession is marked by a sense of anxiety. People are gloomy, depressed and anxious, and research certainly indicates that under those circumstances, social support is enormously important."
Brian and Rebeka Seelinger of Erie know first-hand just how hearts can flutter as the economy flounders.
In April 2008, Mrs. Seelinger -- then Miss Alpern -- was in search of a "real gentleman with old-fashioned values and behaviors" but found the dating process tedious, frustrating and time-consuming. And with the spiraling economy, Miss Alpern, a busy lawyer, couldn't afford to waste time on dates that went nowhere.
She turned to The Modern Matchmaker to do the screening. By the end of her first consultation, she already had several potential matches, including Mr. Seelinger.
On the pair's first date at the CLO's production of "The Wedding Singer," sparks flew.
"I thought, 'Wow.' I felt really comfortable with him, like I'd known him before," Mrs. Seelinger recalled. "He was definitely someone that I could see myself with." The couple got engaged last July and married this February in Hawaii.
Though The Modern Matchmaker charges $1,250 for a six-month package -- far pricier than just dating independently -- Mrs. Seelinger sees the service as a recession-friendly option. "In the long run, that's really a bargain," she said. "It's priceless, since you're investing in your future."
Susan Dunhoff, president of the Squirrel Hill-based service that has 500 clients, thinks it's no coincidence that her company is busier than ever. During hard times, people "want to feel satisfied with one aspect of their life and think, 'At least my personal life is going right.'"
The service has had 3,500 clients in its 18-year history, 85 percent of which Mrs. Dunhoff claimed have found a long-term relationship or marriage through her service.
Dating is just one facet of the search for support in bad times.
According to the National Center for Health Statistics, couples are more likely to stay together in times of need than in plenty. The number of divorces and annulments dropped by 16,000 from 2006 to 2007, a decline of 2 percent.
The rise of romance could owe as much to finances as the need for companionship: it's less expensive to have a partner than to be single.
"Though that's probably not the best reason to get married," Dr. Marsh said.
Stock prices and retirement funds might be fizzling but the dating scene is hotter than ever.
"People want to be with someone when times are tough," said Brian Barcaro, the founder of CatholicMatch.com, which has seen steady growth during the recession and even a spike last September when
He's not the only one to see romance on the rise during the downturn. The Modern Matchmaker, a brick-and-mortar service in Squirrel Hill, is busier than ever before and numerous online dating sites are reporting record revenue and membership figures.
Though thinner wallets might make flowers, rings and fancy dinners tougher to afford, the rise in dating is no paradox, said various industry members. Mr. Barcaro, for one, thinks the correlation boils down to a need for support and traditional family values in a time of insecurity.
In a recession, CatholicMatch.com is "attracting singles who seek partners to pray with, commiserate with and split the bill," said Mr. Barcaro, whose Evans City site has 200,000 users and caters to Roman Catholic singles searching for love, friendship and marriage.
Like most matchmaking sites, CatholicMatch.com features profiles and pictures but includes a faith-related section that asks about the frequency of mass attendance and belief in Church teachings, such as papal infallibility and premarital sex. A one-month subscription costs $25, three months is $50 and six months is $75.
The willingness to invest in romance isn't exclusive to religious services. According to Forrester Research Inc., online dating is the third largest producer of revenue out of all paid content sites, generating $957 million in 2008, a figure the firm predicts will grow 10 percent by 2013.
Dating site Match.com now has more than 20 million members, a figure that grows by 60,000 daily. The company charges members $35 per month and had a total revenue of $366 million in 2008, a 5 percent increase from 2007.
Searching for companionship during tough times makes sense from a psychological standpoint, said Diane Marsh, professor of psychology at University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. "The recession is marked by a sense of anxiety. People are gloomy, depressed and anxious, and research certainly indicates that under those circumstances, social support is enormously important."
Brian and Rebeka Seelinger of Erie know first-hand just how hearts can flutter as the economy flounders.
In April 2008, Mrs. Seelinger -- then Miss Alpern -- was in search of a "real gentleman with old-fashioned values and behaviors" but found the dating process tedious, frustrating and time-consuming. And with the spiraling economy, Miss Alpern, a busy lawyer, couldn't afford to waste time on dates that went nowhere.
Stock prices and retirement funds might be fizzling but the dating scene is hotter than ever.
"People want to be with someone when times are tough," said Brian Barcaro, the founder of CatholicMatch.com, which has seen steady growth during the recession and even a spike last September when
He's not the only one to see romance on the rise during the downturn. The Modern Matchmaker, a brick-and-mortar service in Squirrel Hill, is busier than ever before and numerous online dating sites are reporting record revenue and membership figures.
Though thinner wallets might make flowers, rings and fancy dinners tougher to afford, the rise in dating is no paradox, said various industry members. Mr. Barcaro, for one, thinks the correlation boils down to a need for support and traditional family values in a time of insecurity.
In a recession, CatholicMatch.com is "attracting singles who seek partners to pray with, commiserate with and split the bill," said Mr. Barcaro, whose Evans City site has 200,000 users and caters to Roman Catholic singles searching for love, friendship and marriage.
Like most matchmaking sites, CatholicMatch.com features profiles and pictures but includes a faith-related section that asks about the frequency of mass attendance and belief in Church teachings, such as papal infallibility and premarital sex. A one-month subscription costs $25, three months is $50 and six months is $75.
The willingness to invest in romance isn't exclusive to religious services. According to Forrester Research Inc., online dating is the third largest producer of revenue out of all paid content sites, generating $957 million in 2008, a figure the firm predicts will grow 10 percent by 2013.
Dating site Match.com now has more than 20 million members, a figure that grows by 60,000 daily. The company charges members $35 per month and had a total revenue of $366 million in 2008, a 5 percent increase from 2007.
Searching for companionship during tough times makes sense from a psychological standpoint, said Diane Marsh, professor of psychology at University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. "The recession is marked by a sense of anxiety. People are gloomy, depressed and anxious, and research certainly indicates that under those circumstances, social support is enormously important."
Brian and Rebeka Seelinger of Erie know first-hand just how hearts can flutter as the economy flounders.
In April 2008, Mrs. Seelinger -- then Miss Alpern -- was in search of a "real gentleman with old-fashioned values and behaviors" but found the dating process tedious, frustrating and time-consuming. And with the spiraling economy, Miss Alpern, a busy lawyer, couldn't afford to waste time on dates that went nowhere.
She turned to The Modern Matchmaker to do the screening. By the end of her first consultation, she already had several potential matches, including Mr. Seelinger.
On the pair's first date at the CLO's production of "The Wedding Singer," sparks flew.
"I thought, 'Wow.' I felt really comfortable with him, like I'd known him before," Mrs. Seelinger recalled. "He was definitely someone that I could see myself with." The couple got engaged last July and married this February in Hawaii.
Though The Modern Matchmaker charges $1,250 for a six-month package -- far pricier than just dating independently -- Mrs. Seelinger sees the service as a recession-friendly option. "In the long run, that's really a bargain," she said. "It's priceless, since you're investing in your future."
Susan Dunhoff, president of the Squirrel Hill-based service that has 500 clients, thinks it's no coincidence that her company is busier than ever. During hard times, people "want to feel satisfied with one aspect of their life and think, 'At least my personal life is going right.'"
The service has had 3,500 clients in its 18-year history, 85 percent of which Mrs. Dunhoff claimed have found a long-term relationship or marriage through her service.
Dating is just one facet of the search for support in bad times.
According to the National Center for Health Statistics, couples are more likely to stay together in times of need than in plenty. The number of divorces and annulments dropped by 16,000 from 2006 to 2007, a decline of 2 percent.
The rise of romance could owe as much to finances as the need for companionship: it's less expensive to have a partner than to be single.
"Though that's probably not the best reason to get married," Dr. Marsh said.
she already had several potential matches, including Mr. Seelinger.
On the pair's first date at the CLO's production of "The Wedding Singer," sparks flew.
"I thought, 'Wow.' I felt really comfortable with him, like I'd known him before," Mrs. Seelinger recalled. "He was definitely someone that I could see myself with." The couple got engaged last July and married this February in Hawaii.
Though The Modern Matchmaker charges $1,250 for a six-month package -- far pricier than just dating independently -- Mrs. Seelinger sees the service as a recession-friendly option. "In the long run, that's really a bargain," she said. "It's priceless, since you're investing in your future."
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