What percentage of single people find bars and dance clubs a useful way to meet other single people?

You maybe surprised to find out that bars and dance clubs ranks behind family and friends, work and online dating as a good way of meeting other single people with common interests.

In a recent survey by Love@AOL, over 4,000 single men and women say there are three big advantages to using online dating.

The three main benefits of online dating can be summarized in the following sentence. Online dating can be a safe way for single people to meet other local single people who share common interests.

Given the fact there is so much negative publicity surrounding online dating, with some horror stories making national headlines, it is surprising to see that 66% of singles who use online dating view it as a safe way to communicate with someone before meeting for an actual date.

Ironically, the negative publicity towards online dating can be seen as a way of strengthening the overall industry itself. People are becoming more and more aware of the pitfalls of communicating with someone masquerading behind an online profile. As a result, single people who use online dating are asking more questions and communicating more with prospective dates before actually meeting in person.

This common sense approach is one we use every day in communication with people we talk with on the phone or actually meet face to face in our daily lives. The norms and etiquette we use in our personal lives everyday are now being applied to the online dating world.

Once people develop a comfort level with online dating, the two main advantages of using the internet to find a date become glaringly apparent. Almost three quarters of respondents to the Love@AOL survey say finding other local singles (73%) with common interests (73%), are the two main advantages of using online dating.

Ultimately, what brings single people together and keeps them together can be largely based upon finding a person they find attractive and who also shares a set of common interests and beliefs.

Online dating can be a great way of meeting a single person who shares a common interest like golf.

Gary Kelly is co-creator of the online dating website for golfers, http://www.DateAGolfer.com and http://www.PuttingForPar.com, a golf website specializing in personalized ball markers.