Dating sites have come a long way, and now there are hundreds of alternative services beyond the all-encompassing Match.com and the breakout hit PlentyofFish. If you're looking for one last summer fling (or just a human for a change --editor), we've picked out more than twenty niche dating services.
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A very nifty way to meet other singles and flirt on the go. Create a profile oin Meetmoi and using your mobile phone receive text messages with profiles of other singles that are "near" you, based on the location you submit. How you take it from there is up to you. Of course, there's a price to pay; although pricing varies according to cell phone carrier, it's around $.99 for 10 messages sent.
The idea behind Airtroductions is for finding out who's on your flight and meeting them. Airtroductions could be used for a variety of introductions, most notably dating. Users have profiles with a photo, their occupation, astrological sign and more - good for shy daters, but bad if you take a dislike to your match and have to sit next to them for hours.
A geek's paradise: a dating site based around tags and aimed at self-confessed freaks. Consumating spices it up with the features of a typical social network: host conversations, participate in contests and start meetings with others. Consumating also features a widget you can insert on any website that streams profiles according to the requirements you define.
Not a conventional dating site, but a question answer community which revolves around dating. If you have relationship or dating issues, come in for a peer consult.
100% free online dating with a collection of the latest online networking features -tagging, widgets, thumbs up/down voting, date mapping and more. It's dating 2.0, baby.
PodDater allows you to submit and search through video dating profiles. Profiles are searched via tags and downloaded to your potential match's iPod for later viewing.
Truedater is a dating companion that lets you review your past dates and partners. Find out whether your next date is all that (s)he claims to be in online profiles on popular online dating sites. Includes social networking and vengeful ex-girlfriends.
A paid (limited free access) online dating service for vegetarians, with a number of advanced matching features such as soulmatch, starmatch, and selectmatch. Suitable for vegetarians, obviously.
Hot or Not for dating. Mark profiles with "yes", "no" and "maybe" and you're notified when the your tagged profiles tag you back favorably. Unfortunately, it's a paid service.
A bit of dating site "hacking" for you: FineMeDateMe takes the fees out of dating by locating the profile that interests you on a major paid dating site, and letting you get in touch for free.
Online dating that offers anonymous voice conversations via Skype without revealing your phone number.
An alternative online dating service that helps people with health conditions find their other half.
Online dating with a twist, where users can play matchmaker. Fun with a friendly interface and Flickr-inspired name.
An online dating service that lets you recommend "great boyfriends and girlfriends". Everyone has a friend they think is a catch. With Greatboyfriends you can help out your friend and his/her perfect match.
Engage helps you find love through your friends. Add friends and wait for them to add their friends and as the tree grows, there's bound to be a match. Dating goes viral, but not in a bad way.
Currently available by invitation only (invites here). I'm in Like With You is unlike any other dating or flirting service. Play games to earn points in order to have a chance to speak to the game host, by bidding with the points you've won. The game host will choose the winner out of the top 5 bidders. This flirting frenzy service can be used online or on your mobile phone.
A very basic matching platform for dating that allows users to decide whether profiles make a good pair or not.
Kizmeet is an online service for missed connections. Number of cities is currently limited.
Activity matching using every geography freak's favorite tool: Google maps. The idea is to help you find activity partners and love, anywhere you go.
Event-based dating: post an event and wait for members with the same interests and geographic location to join you.
Minglenow helps you find venues, hook up with people in your area, then upload photos to your profile from your phone. The site uses a lot of trendy web 2.0 features: photo sharing, social networking, messaging, groups and more.
Meetup isn't explicitly a dating service, but anecdotal reports are that it can help. Meet people through activities in your area, rate events and keep in touch with members. As mentioned earlier this week, Meetup now has a Facebook application so that users can add their Meetup plans to their Facebook profiles.
There are certainly many more where these came from. Share any original online dating sites that you think should have made the cut in comments.
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