Is Online Dating Dead?

Sarah Lacy over at Business Week thinks that online dating is dead, and will soon be replaced as the way to meet new people by social networking sites like Facebook or MySpace. I've already quoted Ms. Lacy on the same topic in a previous blog posting about WooMe, an online speed dating site.

Yet I'm not finding a lot of other online dating or internet experts predicting that online dating is dead. Or, at least, not so strongly. Yes, online dating sites have seen less users and lower profits over the past two years (according to multiple sources, such as Hitwise and Nielsen Ratings), yet this could be attributed to North American online dating markets that are close to saturation, as European online dating sites have just started to grow at astronomical rates.

Do you think online dating is dead? Do you still use online dating sites to meet new people? To take this poll, click on the link you choose as your answer:

• Yes, I use only online dating sites to meet people.
• Yes, along with social networking sites.
• Yes, in tandem with several other ways to meet new people.
• No, I don't use online dating sites at all.
• No, I use social networking sites exclusively to meet new people.
• No, I use a combination of several other ways to meet new people.

Related Blog Posting: The Definition of Dating