match dating

The recession may be biting into profits for most, but singles looking to save money are boosting the online dating industry.

SAN DIEGO - Katie Schaefer and Barrie Davies met several years ago at a speed-dating seminar, chatting for five minutes before furiously scribbling notes about what they liked - and didn't - about each other.

A recent launch suggests that the web’s love affair with paid dating sites may be coming to an end. DowntoEarth is a new, completely free dating site with an interesting pedigree. According to DowntoEarth’s Privacy Policy, this new, free entrant is “part of the IAC/InterActiveCorp family of businesses.” IAC, of course, acquired Match.com in 1999, and is also behind Match.com’s spin-off ...

Housing prices are plummeting. Jobs are evaporating. And the economy is a mess. But singles are wading into the online dating pool in record numbers, giving virtual matchmakers their best traffic figures in years - and giving users even better odds for finding a snuggle buddy, a fling or The One.