Today's Online Dating - Dissertation Example

?RESEARCH PROPOSAL: ONLINE DATING Introduction This project includes a research proposal on a topic “Online dating.” First we would have an overview of dating. It was invented in the first phase of this particular century. Earlier, all the marriages always were dependent on the input of parents. The so called test relationships were not tried that could lead up to the married. A date is an act by two people that is intended to allow each other to know themselves on a more romantic level. Two people that are involved in the activity of dating hence get to share a lot of time together in the form of multiple dates and ultimately make it clear to each other that they are seeking for a relationship more than just a friendship. From this we derive that dating is basically an activity of knowing each other over a longer period of time to see if a romantic relationship that is built within themselves should extend further or not. Online Dating An internet dating service, commonly known as online dating, is a dating system that gives the platform to people seeking for a romantic relationship. The individuals are able to meet their date online and can start a new romantic or sexual relationship through this online service. The online dating service provides its services through the help of personal computers, the Internet, and phones. It allows people to give their personal information, and requirements so that they can search for the individuals accordingly. The criteria they are asked to share include gender, age bracket, location and much more. There is also an option to upload one’s own photos on the website so that the other members of the website can view the photo. There are other services offered by the sites including online chat, message boards, webcasts etc. There are various sites that do not charge for its registration whereas some require a monthly subscription fee. Usually the concept of online dating fills the distance gaps and that is the reason most of the members belong to a variety of backgrounds seeking a different types of relationships. But there always some sites that are more specific about the type of members, their interest, location, background or relationship. Aim of Research Project The topic of the research is well introduced. The following are the aim of this research paper: To analyze the concept and trend of online dating. To discuss the advantages and disadvantages of online dating. To see its effects and results, by closely monitoring and surveying the direct consumers. To have the insight of people involved in this business. To evaluate it from both a consumer and a business point of view to judge the practicability and feasibility of this particular e-business. Background of Online Dating The online dating and its trend originated from a basic part of North American culture as the internet itself. Gradually the process and practice caught the eye of millions of people globally and hence the trend was spread. For Emily Livingston from Match.com, one of the largest matchmaking website, the 1998 film, “You’ve got Mail”, became the inspiration and one step towards the global acceptance, as the film was a story of online romance. Talking about the native place of online dating today in North America, the membership of internet-based dating organizations are over 50 million. Refining itself over time and meeting the requirement, the service of online dating became more inclusive and sophisticated as it was a platform to initiate the relationships. Lately, the most practiced or the famous ritual was to approach someone you like through friends, bar encounters, blind dates, singles clubs, etc. Today, these practices are considered as outdated styles of the “bad old days” by many of us. In 2002, a Wired Magazine article forecasted that, “Twenty years from now, the idea that someone looking for love without looking for it online will be silly, similar to skipping the card catalog to instead wander the stacks because the right books are found only by accident.” Scope of Aims The aims of the research project refer to the entire global industry. It covers different regions and countries, irrespective of their cultural background and history. It may include the examples and insights from one or two firms but does not revolve around any particular firm. The e-business of online dating will be discussed generally on a global level. Reviews of Relevant Researches and Analysis Online dating service- By a thorough research I found a lot of such websites from different location and different languages that could be discussed as a relevant research and analysis. But there is something common in all the sites that were the service that they claim, service of providing a perfect match to the user. Following are a couple of the famous online dating businesses and the statistics that seem relevant to my research objectives. Match.com Match.com, launched on April of 1995 helped enhancing the position of online dating industry. It offers its services currently in U.S.A., Australia, U.K. and several countries in Asia. Match.com has websites in 15 different languages under its umbrella. The following are a list of important statistics relevant to my research. Match.com introduces a new feature called DateSpark to select markets Match.com acquires OKCupid.com for $50 million. Quarter 4 revenue from 2010 is $108.3 million In quarter 4 2010, Match had 1,789,000 paying subscribers. Match.com had 20% growth in the first three months of 2009. 2.8 million Match.com users connect online and meet offline. Match.com members go out on 6 million dates each year. A subscriber spends on average 60 minutes per month on the dating site. On average a member views 30 pages per day. 132 million winks sent out every year. Over 56 million first emails sent out per year. On average 12 couples get married or engaged every day on Match.com. (The above given statistics are taken as it is from match.com) Demographics: The gender split is 52% female and 48% male. 48% of Match.com members are College Graduates. Ages 25 to 44 makes up 56% of their members. 44% of Match.com members make between $35k and $50k. (The above given statistics are taken as it is from match.com) eHarmony.com eHarmony, launched in the UK, July 2008 is also one of the prominent online dating services provider. It was established in USA in 2000, and grew to be responsible for nearly 5% of successful marriages in U.S. Later it expanded itself into Australia, Brazil, and Canada. According to an interactive online survey, administered by Harris 7,135 respondents age bracket of 20 and 54, married between April 1, 2006 and March 31, 2007 met on eHarmony’s platform. Some of the important statistics are shared below. Harris Interactive determined that the incidence of marriages resulting from use of eHarmony.com was 2.57% in this sample. Based on US Census figures, it is estimated that eHarmony.com introductions resulted in 43,051 marriages in the year ending March, 2007. With 86,102 eHarmony users calculated to have married in the year ending March, 2007, it can be summarized that, on average, 236 eHarmony users marry every day. The incidence of eHarmony marriages observed in 2007 is three times the incidence observed in a similar study conducted by phone in 2005 (2.57% vs. 0.79%). (The above given statistics are taken as it is from eHarmony.com) Stakeholder Analysis Stakeholder analysis is an established framework that is used to assess the potential interests of stakeholders that should be considered in conflict resolution, project management or any ethical issue. Stakeholder is any individual or organization that can be positively or negatively affected by the actions of company, government or organization or similarly can affect the company in positive or negative way. The Internet has enabled entirely new forms of social interaction, activities, and organizing.  Different social networking websites such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace have created new ways to socialize and interact. It will be very helpful in understanding the deep rooted implications and potential risks of internet dating if we analyze the potential stakeholders that can affect or be affected by internet dating. Members or Subscribers of the internet dating service Internet Dating Service Providers Society Government Internet Service Providers (ISPs) Spammers Members or Subscribers of the internet dating service The primary stakeholders involved in internet dating are the individuals or groups that use the online dating service. Their purpose to use the service is to get to know other members using the service, contact and communicate with them over the internet and develop personal or sexual relationship. They can really take the benefit as they have complete liberty to contact another person no matter wherever he/she is in the world. The individuals who think they would be rejected because they are not pretty or handsome use the internet dating service to find their love, if rejected on the internet they don’t usually have hard feelings that might happen otherwise. Individuals that belong to a society where dating is considered as a bad activity, can also use online dating services to involve in dating anonymously. On the other hand individuals can be affected negatively as well, they can be deceived by fake profiles, spammers and their personal information can be exposed. They are the main source of revenue for internet dating service providers. The data on the internet tells that there are more women than men on the internet dating sites, two women for a man. Internet Dating Service Providers Their primary concern is to generate the maximum revenue from their service. They don’t care how their business is affecting the society, the youth etc. Internet dating is becoming more and more popular and as a result this business is generating more revenue. In 2008 online dating service generated $957 million and is expected to increase its spending to $932 in 2011. Some service providers make money from the subscription fee that individuals have to pay in order to become a member of the pool, some provide the service free to users and make money from the banner ads, Google ads etc. these sites are becoming popular and competing with non-free service providers. Employees of the internet dating company enjoy handsome salaries if their company is generating the revenue, which they are generating at least now, the families associated with these employees also get benefited from the growth of business. Society Internet dating can sometimes be very addictive and can affect the society. The addictive users can cut off with society and spend more time seeking love online, sometimes in curiosity. In that case individuals can become nonproductive for the society. Government Government can also make money by imposing taxes on the internet dating service providers, in that regard government is benefiting and they should welcome such companies but on the other hand certain activists groups can cause problems for the government if they support such businesses in some countries. There are different laws in different countries for such organizations and business. Internet Service Providers They are not the primary stakeholder and don’t affect directly. They can gain benefit if users are subscribing to their service in order to seek love online. Internet dating can sometimes be very addictive and users are willing to pay to ISP. Spammers Spammers can take advantage from the personal information of the users by making fake accounts and later using this information to advertise their product or services. You cannot be sure that your personal data is safe internet dating companies can sell your personal data to spammers in order to gain money. Methodology The research for this project will be carried out in two methods, the primary research and secondary research. The primary research will be done by the members of such dating websites and regular consumers who avail such kinds of services. Also, the ones who do not use such services but are targeted by such businesses will be primary researched. On the other hand, the secondary research will be done through books, articles, and websites, blogs that include facts and figures or reviews of online dating. The analyses, criticisms and point of views of people that are directly or indirectly affected by the business will also be covered in the secondary research. Note that the research intends to evaluate the concept of online dating from all the perspectives, so anything that is related to online dating will be considered in the project. There will be questionnaire to undergo the primary research. The objectives of the research discussed in the beginning of the report were all take the shape of questions, presented in questionnaire. Likewise, there will be two questionnaires, one for the member, user or targeted individual and the other from the business owners. Strategy of Research During this research, data gathering the attitudes, interest and preferences of people towards the concept of online dating will be collected. These will help determine the usage patterns and help identify the needs and satisfaction of the population sample. Also the advantages and disadvantages will be researched, to come to the conclusion of the research in a more rational way. The questionnaires will be placed online to get more ready and rapid response. Primary Research Face to face interviewing survey method with a structured questionnaire is conducted. Secondary Research Already published researches are considered in order to collect some statistical facts. The major data source includes the internet. Scaling Techniques In the questionnaires for primary research, as a lot of features of online dating website and online dating itself will be judged, the Comparative Scaling technique, Rank Order Scale is used. In Non-Comparative Scaling technique, Likert Scale is used to judge the: Usability Practicability Accuracy of result Efficiency Effectiveness Satisfaction Samples and data collection The population of the research survey will include all the stakeholders that are already mentioned above. The sample size would be 50 numbers of primary users and 10 website/ business owners. The target sample is the differentiated on the basis of age group. The bracket that is defined for age is 20 - 40 years of age and including both men and women. There is no demographic condition for the sampling of business owners; every type of the online dating service owner can be interviewed. It is preferable to interview the owners of website of different types and languages to add variety to the analysis. Analysis of Resulting Data Online dating is a great opportunity for all those people who had been the victim of bad experience in the past, who need a support and guide to move on to form a love relationship for them. People, who had been busy all time, or those who live in far off areas all are being benefited by this kind of service. At the end, to further analysis my findings aligned with my objectives, I will take the help of the secondary research again to draw a line between the advantages and disadvantages of online dating. Then the primary research findings will be matched by the secondary research to come to the conclusion. The advantages and disadvantages that will help in the analysis part are researched already and given below. Advantages Here are few advantages of online dating. Chance to meet people you normally wouldn't meet The beauty of this concept is that the individuals get to meet each other from different backgrounds and these websites provide a platform easily and readily available. Through these websites the individuals meet that normally would not have met by any chance. Save time The digital world is itself known for the fastest, easier and more effective tool. The online dating service therefore saves the time of the individuals, the time they spend in going out, looking for a match, approaching the other person, fixing a meeting and keeping it on. In a usual routine there is no guarantee that one will meet someone he or she can see for an extended time. Online service solves all these issues. Meet people who are in the market Ad mentioned earlier it is difficult to find and identify someone who is seeking a date. It is waste of time knowing who is single and who is looking for a new relationship. The online service reduces all these pains without wasting your time, money and interest. Less fear of rejection Online dating is professional and less personal. It lets one move on only when there is a sign of mutual agreement. The element of mutual consent is decided in the beginning when the people are not tied in the sensitive and personal emotions for somebody. Hence, even if it does not move on with an individual the feelings are neutral. Many more potential dates One can have numbers of dates and potential opportunities to avail. The chances are limitless. There are other advantages as well, such as Personality-Based matches, and multiple chances of overcoming the shyness. Disadvantages Here are few disadvantages of online dating. Distance The distance is never good for any kind of relationship. There has to be a space but if the space starts increasing the problems arise. Therefore sometime, meeting or maintain a follow up becomes difficult due to the long distances. Stigma A stereotype, a stigma that online dating is corrupt and does not give permanent or long term results prevails over the minds of thousand s of people. It matters most to the ones that are being targeted by such services and they are restricting themselves due to the bad social image. Safety Since you contact information, who you are, what you do, where do you belong from, everything is shared with the members there is no privacy or safety from the websites. The photos are also uploaded on the website so the entire identity is open to the world. The information can be misused, or can be sued for some other hidden purpose. Cost If they provide a service, they are going to charge for it. These services ask the membership for a continued time period and you have to pay the subscription fee even if you are temporarily not utilizing the services. Less information When you meet a complete stranger, the background and history of that particular person is hidden from you. The person has the choice to tell you whatever he or she wants you to know. The person has the freedom to hide, exaggerate, manipulate, or make up a total lie. In this way the other person is secretly betrayed which he or she is unaware of. Under normal circumstances, the histories of the individuals you are interested in are easily shared by the friends or friends of friends but in this case this does not happen. Untruths Further to the previous point that I made, dating online is a world of mysteries, mysteries you will always stay unaware of. It makes it much easier for people to make up things about their past and lie about their identities. This may end up in something seriously horrifying. You might find out that the person who met you through internet and whom you are dating for quite a long time is a serial killer. Well, by that time you would not be able to do much about it. In worst cases, you might also get involved in some of the weird things that the other person has been linked with. This issue has no solution but there is always an option to be cautious, especially on the first date and to know as much as you can in the early meetings. Incompatibility It is said that online dating services is a quick solution and saves time but it can be reverse at times too. For some people the online service can end up in a disaster, wasting all their money and time. It happens in the case where someone is unable to decide on the internet if having a meeting is worth it. You might meet a person, and realize in the subsequent dates that he or she is not the right person for you the time is wasted and subscription fee goes in waste too. In the worst scenario, a person may find himself in this situation in various tries. Rationale behind Proposed Method The method that is proposed is simple, less time taking, and to the point, that is simply perfect for the sample that is targeted. Moreover, the modes of reaching the target population is already chose on the basis of the effectiveness. A short questionnaire is used as a tool for the research that is useful in devising the hypothesis of the research and drawing useful information out of the target population. Limitations 1. The budget constraints are the major limitation. 2. The time allotted for the research is also limited. 3. Only a few online dating services, for specific study will be used. References 1. “Advantages and disadvantages of online dating” Christian dating service, 2009 2. “Dating advantages” Date seeker online ,2011 http://www.dateseeker.net/dating-tips/online-dating.html > 3. “Advantages and disadvantages of online dating” eHow family, 2011 Read More