Seems like everywhere we surf on the Internet nowadays we run across this little advertisement: 'Free online personals'.

They are everywhere, they are dating sites, and more are opening up shop every day.

Welcome to the newest internet gold rush.

More and more people are signing up to these new and "free" dating sites. What they are really getting is a place on the web where they can post their profile and let strangers contact them. As more and more dating sites pile up on the web, more people are ending up with very distasteful experiences because of this. Why? 99% of today's (and tomorrow's) dating sites do not screen their members at all. This means there are sex offenders, predators, scam artists mixed in with genuine people who are looking to find a match. Dating services need to be very discretionary and much safer, until that time comes here are some important things to consider when thinking about joining a dating site.