Online dating is booming. At Online Dating Magazine, researchers there estimate that in a single year, about 120,000 people are married as a result of meeting online, through an online dating service. And worldwide, more than 20 million people visit at least one online dating service each month.

Online Dating: Questions to Ask

There are hundreds of questions to ask when meeting a complete stranger online, and singles should feel free to ask them all. However, treat the online dating forum like meeting someone in person. Remember that there is a natural order to questions and answers. Get the basic questions out first and after chatting a few times, begin to delve into deeper, more personal questions.

When chatting in an online dating forum, both singles have likely read each other's profiles and have a basic idea about what the other person looks like, along with some knowledge of the other person's interests and hobbies. Here are a couple of things to ask early in the discussion to quickly determine if this match has potential.

  • Employment – Watch out for singles who offer vague answers about employment status. Many singles find job security is an important element of deciding whether or not to pursue a relationship. This is not to say that people are looking for mates based solely on big paychecks; but knowing someone has been fired might affect how they view their potential match.

  • Living Arrangements – Ask whether or not the other person has kids. Ask if he travels a lot for work or leisure. Ask about what type of home he has and with whom he shares this home. This includes children, siblings, parents and even pets.
Online Dating Services

Mainstream dating websites offer different options for narrowing the search for the perfect match. These include things like the geographical location of the matches and the expectations for the relationship, in terms of things like length and level of commitment.

There is a trend towards creating highly specialized dating websites. Such websites are developed for singles seeking a race, age, profession or religion match.