Online Dating Terms & Types of Services Defined

Here are some common terms you will encounter in the online dating world, as well as, explanations of the types of online services available to you.
3 Minute Dating	A new way of dating where you join a group of people at a predetermined location and talk to a single man or woman for three minutes. When your three minutes are up, you go on to meet the next single for three minutes. This continues throughout the course of the evening so you can have a bunch of mini dates in one night. Speed dating events are held in cities all over the world, so you can join a quick date event in your city (or in the closest large city to you). If you find someone you like, you can arrange to contact him or her afterwards. It is a fun social outing that allows you to quickly determine if there are "any sparks" between you and the other singles.
8 Minute Dating	A new way of dating where you join a group of people at a predetermined location and talk to a single man or woman for eight minutes. When your eight minutes are up, you go on to meet the next single for eight minutes. This continues throughout the course of the evening so you can have a bunch of mini dates in one night. Speed dating events are held in cities all over the world, so you can join a quick date event in your city (or in the closest large city to you). If you find someone you like, you can arrange to contact him or her afterwards. It is a fun social outing that allows you to quickly determine if there are "any sparks" between you and the other singles.
Adult Online Dating	Adult online dating is specifically for individuals looking for a more sexual experience. Perhaps they'd like to find partners for sex, want a more exciting relationship, want to partake in hot and sexy chat, want to view or add sexier / nude photos, and so on.
Alternative Online Dating	Alternative online dating is specifically for individuals looking for a more exciting and experimental sexual experience. If you enjoy, or would like to experience, different fetishes, BDSM (bondage, discipline, sado-masochism), or sex with individuals, groups, couples, transvestites, cross-dressers, or transsexuals, then an alternative site might be just what you're looking for. The chat and photos are often more sexual and explicit.
Chat (Chat Rooms)	Chat is a way of communicating online in a live environment. Typically, you enter a chat room by clicking on a URL link. Once you enter, you can "listen" to the other people in the room, or you can "talk" to them. You talk to them by typing into a special program that the dating site provides (sometimes you will need to install software on your computer to do so, but it is free to download and install.) It is an excellent way of meeting people and getting to know what they are really like. As a safety precaution, try not to give out personal information that can lead people to look you up in the phone book or find out your real name.
Free Dating Trial Memberships	A free trial membership allows you to use all the services at the particular online dating site. This is better than a free basic membership since some dating services do not allow you to contact other members with a basic membership, unless a member contacts you first. This is not the case with a free trial membership. Trials offer a wonderful opportunity for you to try the service and see if you like it. Often free trials are for a limited amount of time, such as, a week, two weeks, or a month.
Free Matchmaking Trial Memberships	A free trial membership allows you to use all the services at the particular online matchmaking site. This is better than a free basic membership since some matchmaking services do not allow you to contact other members with a basic membership, unless a member contacts you first. This is not the case with a free trial membership. Trials offer a wonderful opportunity for you to try the service and see if you like it. Often free trials are for a limited amount of time, such as, a week, two weeks, or a month.
ICQ	ICQ can mean two things depending on the context. If used as an abbreviation in a chat conversation or instant messaging, it means, "I seek you". If it is making reference to a type of messaging system, then it is a proprietary free messaging service (including instant messaging) that many people on the Internet use. Currently you can download the program for free at and install the program on your computer. You can then register and get a number to share with your friends (or online at SexyAds and other online dating services). This allows people who know you to contact you when you're online.
Mail Order Brides	Mail order bride sites specialize in helping people meet for the purpose of marriage. Usually the women listed on these sites are from foreign countries (Russia, Asia, Philippines, etc). You can browse personal ads of both men and women online, or you can often purchase e-mail addresses or postal addresses of the women. The better sites have tours you can purchase to travel to foreign cities and meet groups of women in person at parties (this allows you to mingle and get to know a bunch of people). The mail order bride service arranges the accommodation and the parties. If you meet anyone you like, you can arrange to contact him or her again. The better sites also have people who can help with the language barrier (although a lot of the women speak English), and visa services.
Matchmaking Services	Matchmaking services are similar to online dating services, but they have added features to assist you in finding your perfect match, or true love. Matchmaking sites have more in-depth questionnaires that you fill out asking more details about who you are, who you want to meet, and the qualities that are important to you. They then use a computerized program to match your detailed profile with all the other profiles in their database. When a possible match is found, they send you the information. You can then decide if you'd like to contact the individuals. Matchmaking makes it easier to find compatible partners. If you don't want to wait for the matchmaking service to find you a match, you can also browse through personal ads like any other dating service.
Online Dating	Online dating services are web sites designed to help you find a date, a friend, a lover, or a soul mate (depending on what you are looking for). You begin by joining and filling out a personal ad that lists information about yourself and the type of person you'd like to meet. You can then use their services to help meet people. Good dating sites are anonymous and secure, have photos of the members, have instant messaging or e-mail services, and have live chat and good search features. Some online dating sites cater to the general audience, and some are more specific to sexual preferences, religious affiliations, ethnic background, or age group.
Speed Dating	A new way of dating where you join a group of people at a predetermined location, talk to a single man or woman for a fixed amount of time. When the time is up, you go on to meet the next single. Each mini date ranges from around 3 to 8 minutes in length. Depending on the length of the evening, you can have about 7 to 25 quick dates in one night. Speed dating events are held in cities all over the world, so you can join a quick date event in your city (or in the closest large city to you). If you find someone you like, you can arrange to contact him or her afterwards. Sometime referred to as round robin dating, 8 minute dating, 3 minute dating, 25 dates, hurry dates, fast dates, quick dates, or mini dates. It is a fun social outing that allows you to quickly determine if there are "any sparks" between you and the other singles.