It says it has 125,000 active members. At first, Bender said, Cupid Network listed only a handful of sites. She said she spent most days counseling the company's clients through e-mail. Many sites encourage users to submit photographs, and some offer audio samplings. Those seeking a mate submit their forms with their preferences, then receive a list of matches, which includes brief profiles and anonymous e-mail addresses set up and run through the online dating service.
Some services are always free.
Ms. Warren was working in Phoenix at the time and had met other men through the service. Ms. Warren said she had felt unencumbered by the usual stigma associated with searching for love in the personals. Relationships that begin online may have a better chance of succeeding because they start from the inside, from communication, and work their way out, said Dr. Andrea Baker, an associate professor of sociology at Ohio University-Lancaster who studies successful online romances. But a romance cannot continue solely on line forever. And, if a suitor has built an e-mail house of cards, it will tumble.