Dating platform

A dating platform is a website, which focuses on matching people with similar interests. Usually, this is done to find someone to have a date with. Sometimes, this is like a marriage broker. When people visit the site, they can create a profile. The people running the site, will then show matching profiles, and give a means to contact the other people. Usually, this is a paying service, people pay a fee to get a number of matches. There may be other fees, such as that of being able to send a message, to see pictures, or to be able to answer a message.

These platforms can be differentiated:

• Finding a partner - much like a marriage agency
• Casual dating
• serving special interest groups (for example, finding someone who is also into certain sexual fetishes, or into BDSM...)

Different target group:

• The platform caters to anyone. There are many people registered, and finding a match is not difficult.
• Specialized dating platforms: For example, only taking people with a higher education, or people who adhere to a religious group

Different financing:

• Some of these platforms are free to use. They will likely finance themselves using advertising
• Some platfpoms require a paid subscription

Ways to find matches:

• When people are registered, they are able to search for matches, and to filter those matches according to certain criteria (such as age).
• Some platforms screen their profiles, so as to eliminate fake profiles (of people that don't really exist, and are there to trick users)
• Some platofrms guarantee a certain number of matches or contact requests.