ry Standards (IDEA OASIS) which was formed by many of the leading US and international personals organizations in July 2004. This alliance was formed in part to explore emerging social technologies and to find new online marketing outlets for online dating subscriptions.

One effect of a maturing personals industry is slower growth, both in America and elsewhere. Although the growth trend remains upward, the actual speed of growth is slowing. During 2005 the growth of Internet personals and American personals in particular slowed by up to a third of previous cons

Back in the mid to late 1990's American personals, as opposed to those of other countries, were almost certainly the predominent personals organizations online. Nowadays the Internet has changed and is changing greatly in a movement away from this situation towards an expected eventual equilibrium.

There was a time before the current Internet age when 'Computer Dating' was viewed as a last resort by Americans -- or at least this was a publically expressed opinion, while in reality there were good numbers of people actually using these early 'American personals'. The attitude was no doubt based on the idea that someone must be less than 'cool' if he or she could not meet someone special through everyday social interaction -- and amazingly, this despite the fact that then, as now, millions of Americans work in intensive jobs that leave them little time for such social interaction.

The coming of the Internet changed everything for the American personals industry. Immediately popular due to the much greater amount of control and ease of use that American singles suddenly had over the process, Internet personals blossomed in a big way. Spurred on by events such as the release of a major Hollywood movie 'You've Got Mail' starring Tom Hanks, it wasn't long before American personals were considered cool and as such a normal part of everyday life online.

However, other countries were catching up fast. It was undoubtedly due to America's commercial use of technology and sizable population that it had made such good use of the Internet, and online personals specifically, so early on. Other populous countries or national alliances such as the European Union and Russia were soon contenders in matching America's use of online personals. Nowadays China, with its burgeoning economy, vast population and massively growing use of the Internet is set to outstrip American use, if it has not already done so.

The American/International side of the personals industry has naturally matured over time. According to JupiterResearch, the online personals industry was by 2005 a $500 million a year business. Such commercial maturation is also indicated by such events as the development of the Internet Dating Executive Alliance/Online Association for Social Industry Standards (IDEA OASIS) which was formed by many of the leading US and international personals organizations in July 2004. This alliance was formed in part to explore emerging social technologies and to find new online marketing outlets for online dating subscriptions.

One effect of a maturing personals industry is slower growth, both in America and elsewhere. Although the growth trend remains upward, the actual speed of growth is slowing. During 2005 the growth of Internet personals and American personals in particular slowed by up to a third of previous cons

The attitude was no doubt based on the idea that someone must be less than 'cool' if he or she could not meet someone special through everyday social interaction -- and amazingly, this despite the fact that then, as now, millions of Americans work in intensive jobs that leave them little time for such social interaction.

The coming of the Internet changed everything for the American personals industry. Immediately popular due to the much greater amount of control and ease of use that American singles suddenly had over the process, Internet personals blossomed in a big way. Spurred on by events such as the release of a major Hollywood movie 'You've Got Mail' starring Tom Hanks, it wasn't long before American personals were considered cool and as such a normal part of everyday life online.

However, other countries were catching up fast. It was undoubtedly due to America's commercial use of technology and sizable population that it had made such good use of the Internet, and online personals specifically, so early on. Other populous countries or national alliances such as the European Union and Russia were soon contenders in matching America's use of online personals. Nowadays China, with its burgeoning economy, vast population and massively growing use of the Internet is set to outstrip American use, if it has not already done so.

The American/International side of the personals industry has naturally matured over time. According to JupiterResearch, the online personals industry was by 2005 a $500 million a year business. Such commercial maturation is also indicated by such events as the development of the Internet Dating Executive Alliance/Online Association for Social Industry Standards (IDEA OASIS) which was formed by many of the leading US and international personals organizations in July 2004. This alliance was formed in part to explore emerging social technologies and to find new online marketing outlets for online dating subscriptions.

One effect of a maturing personals industry is slower growth, both in America and elsewhere. Although the growth trend remains upward, the actual speed of growth is slowing. During 2005 the growth of Internet personals and American personals in particular slowed by up to a third of previous cons

n a big way. Spurred on by events such as the release of a major Hollywood movie 'You've Got Mail' starring Tom Hanks, it wasn't long before American personals were considered cool and as such a normal part of everyday life online.

However, other countries were catching up fast. It was undoubtedly due to America's commercial use of technology and sizable population that it had made such good use of the Internet, and online personals specifically, so early on. Other populous countries or national alliances such as the European Union and Russia were soon contenders in matching America's use of online personals. Nowadays China, with its burgeoning economy, vast population and massively growing use of the Internet is set to outstrip American use, if it has not already done so.

The American/International side of the personals industry has naturally matured over time. According to JupiterResearch, the online personals industry was by 2005 a $500 million a year business. Such commercial maturation is also indicated by such events as the development of the Internet Dating Executive Alliance/Online Association for Social Industry Standards (IDEA OASIS) which was formed by many of the leading US and international personals organizations in July 2004. This alliance was formed in part to explore emerging social technologies and to find new online marketing outlets for online dating subscriptions.

One effect of a maturing personals industry is slower growth, both in America and elsewhere. Although the growth trend remains upward, the actual speed of growth is slowing. During 2005 the growth of Internet personals and American personals in particular slowed by up to a third of previous cons

s in matching America's use of online personals. Nowadays China, with its burgeoning economy, vast population and massively growing use of the Internet is set to outstrip American use, if it has not already done so.

The American/International side of the personals industry has naturally matured over time. According to JupiterResearch, the online personals industry was by 2005 a $500 million a year business. Such commercial maturation is also indicated by such events as the development of the Internet Dating Executive Alliance/Online Association for Social Industry Standards (IDEA OASIS) which was formed by many of the leading US and international personals organizations in July 2004. This alliance was formed in part to explore emerging social technologies and to find new online marketing outlets for online dating subscriptions.

One effect of a maturing personals industry is slower growth, both in America and elsewhere. Although the growth trend remains upward, the actual speed of growth is slowing. During 2005 the growth of Internet personals and American personals in particular slowed by up to a third of previous cons

ry Standards (IDEA OASIS) which was formed by many of the leading US and international personals organizations in July 2004. This alliance was formed in part to explore emerging social technologies and to find new online marketing outlets for online dating subscriptions.

One effect of a maturing personals industry is slower growth, both in America and elsewhere. Although the growth trend remains upward, the actual speed of growth is slowing. During 2005 the growth of Internet personals and American personals in particular slowed by up to a third of previous consumer use. In 2002, for example, growth was reportedly 73%. By 2004 the market grew by a reported 19% and in 2005 by a mere 10%.

The saturation of the American computer market and Internet use is believed to be a significant reason for this. One response to a slowing of growth of Internet personals has been a movement of online personals sites towards greater interactivity, to hold visitors longer on their sites and increase conversions to paying subscribers.

Eventually, as Internet usage reaches a saturation point in every country in the world, the personals industry -- both through personals organizations and consumer use of online personals -- will reach a state of equilibrium. Perhaps it will be the case then that as much as 20% or more of dating activity throughout the world will be conducted through online personals services -- quite a staggering change to human activity brought about through the use of technology. In a hundred years time it may even be the case that 50% or more of all social interaction, including dating, is conducted through technological communication methods such as the Internet. Is this potentially a cause for alarm, or simply an inevitable and natural progression of human development?