Blind date

A blind date is a social engagement between two people who have not previously met, usually arranged by a mutual acquaintance.

A blind date is arranged for by a mutual acquaintance of both participants, whether that person be a friend of both persons or a family member of one. The two persons who take part in the blind date have never met or seen each other, thus the name blind date. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the person who arranges the date to ensure that they are a good match. Sometimes one person is more interested in the match than the other, which may make it more difficult on the person arranging the date to judge whether the date will be successful.

The date is usually two hours or less, as it is just a first date and is really meant to introduce the two people more than it is meant to create a marriage. Furthermore, due to the unfamiliarity of the two people the date is shorter than most because they are in the beginning stages of a relationship. The date is also very adventurous in the way that neither party knows what to expect and whether or not they will hit it off. The location of the date is also affected by the spontaneity in that it is often a neutral and public place so that both parties feel comfortable.

Family and grade school have been declining in their influence over the dating market for the past 60 years. In the past 15 years, the rise of the Internet has also displaced the neighborhood, the workplace, and the circle of friends as sources of dating partners. As of May 2013, it was estimated that 11% of adult Americans had used online dating websites or mobile dating applications, and 59% of American Internet users agreed that online dating was a good way to meet people. China's largest online dating site reported over 100 million users in September 2013. For couples that have been together for more than a year, the choice of venue (online vs. real life) had little influence on relationship success.

Online dating services do the same thing that friends used to do - ask questions in the form of a survey in order to get to know the user better as a person and to understand what they are looking for in a relationship. Then the online service will find matching users based on various algorithms. The users are enabled to communicate with each other, often after they sign up for the service at a cost.

Online dating has seen much success in recent years. “17% of couples married in the last 3 years, or 1 in 6, met each other on an online dating site” and “1 out of 5 single people have dated someone they met on an online dating site”. This is according to a study done by Match.com in an effort to determine how much impact their services are having on the way relationships develop today.

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Wikipedia