by Daryl Campbell

You may not know his name but you are probably familiar with his company. Last year Thomas Enraght-Moony the Ceo of Match.com told the Times Online, “There are 93m single people in America – only 3m use online dating services.” Needless to say a primary goal of Enraght-Moony is to bring a good deal of that ninety three million into the online dating services column.

And why not? Match.com had a great 2008 closing strong in the final quarter. They have a membership base of 15 million people. When business booms in a down economy, you know you are doing something right.

While many online dating services are having a field day there is still a lot of skepticism that remains. That would explain the fact that ninety million singles in the US have still not given it a try. What are some of the concerns?

1. Won’t work

They may have friends who have had a bad experience online or they may know someone who has been online for a while and had no luck. The last part is understandable since it is estimated that only ten percent have any success with online dating. In spite of the fact that people like Enraght-Moony want to obviously increase the success ratio, those are the numbers as they stand right now.

2. It’s for Losers

This is kind of a holdover from the early days of internet dating. The consensus was only someone who was an abject failure in the offline dating world would be desperate enough to try online dating. It was also a no win situation. If the person met someone then the reply was they were just hooking up with another loser. If it didn’t work out that was proof online dating was for losers.

3. Scammers

Let’s face it, online dating was the best thing that happened to countless con artists. The Nigerian scams, the Russian dating scams, identity thieves and many others have set up shop and profited right alongside the mega companies.

4. Weirdos

They seem to come out of the wood works. Unsavory characters who aside from scamming are also dabbling in more sinister territory. And they would like nothing better than to share their warped fantasies with you.

Those are good reasons to steer clear of online dating except for one thing. All the things listed can be applied to the offline world. You can go into a club filled with “losers” every day and not meet anyone. You can also meet someone in a very public place only to find out that the definition of scammer and weirdo was created for that person. The offline dating world just like the internet offers no one hundred percent ironclad promise. You may have to go through a lot of potential suitors while also making sure you stay on your guard.

There are many reasons that online dating is growing. But it all comes down to connecting with someone. And for that, no other source offers more choices (and chances) to meet that special person from the comfort of your own home than online dating.