All the web loves a lover: dating site boom

Jay and Christina Lorance first met in an MSN chat room in May 1996, when the internet, or even the idea of communicating electronically with a stranger, was an unfamiliar concept to many Americans.

Their online interaction led to four months of telephone calls and snail-mail letters, culminating in a face-to-face meeting in Colorado.

Jay showed up with a ring. One year and four months later, they were married.

"We shocked a lot of people," said Christina Lorance, 41. "I'm from New York and he's from Oklahoma, so the first question everyone had was, 'How did you meet?' ... When we said the internet, their eyes would bug out. They didn't even think it was true."

Digital culture has changed drastically since the Lorances' first virtual meeting. Online dating is now an accepted and commonplace way to meet someone, having largely shed its stigma as an option for only socially stunted nerds.

Match.com, one of the leading Web sites, celebrated its 15th anniversary in April.

While advanced technology can't guarantee in-person chemistry, that hasn't stopped dozens of new offerings from touting their matchmaking algorithms or catering to a demographic niche.

Michelle Teplitz, a 29-year-old Connecticut native, was drawn to JDate.com, a site geared toward Jewish singles, because she wanted to meet someone with similar values.

"It weeds out the people you wouldn't want to talk to in a bar," said Teplitz, who met her husband of three years on JDate. "You know when you're on this site, [you're meeting] people who, for the most part, are interested in meeting someone they want to spend their life with."

Online dating has grown into big business. Match.com recently became the exclusive dating service on Yahoo, while eHarmony has acquired other web properties related to weddings and parenting, including Weddingbee and JustMommies.

Web-based dating also is taking on new forms, such as mobile applications and services within Facebook.

Another twist on the model was launched this year through WinkVid, the brainchild of Jordan Fulghum and Jake Lumetta. Their Chicago-based company offers online speed dating through webcams, with each date lasting four minutes.

"This stigma that's been around for the past decade is really starting to be erased because people's lives are moving online, and they're seeing the real benefits of social networks and of these technologies that enable you to meet people," Fulghum said.

A video chat may help bridge that difficult gap between online compatibility and in-person chemistry. Still, there's no predicting how a romantic relationship will develop offline.