Over 40 million Americans have given online dating a try, and over a of the American couples married between 20 met online.The first prominent online dating site was Match.com, which launched in 1995.OKCupid is one of the most popular dating sites and is free to sign up initially.It works with special algorithms that match users with potential dates.It is one of the biggest dating sites with over 90 million registered users across the globe. Mingle2 is a membership service of which users pay to be a part.It was originally a service called Just Say Hi, but the site transitioned to Mingle2 in 2008 and now works with many populations of singles.

Once you’ve set age and distance preferences, you start swiping.

Is online dating making the world better and dating more effective, or is something important being lost or sacrificed as a result?

The way the current trend is heading, what will dating be like in 2030, and will that be a better or worse time to be on the dating market than 1995? I think the term “online dating” is part of the problem and makes people who don’t know much about it think it refers to people forming entire relationships online and only meeting in person much later.

I’m right there in the trenches online at single parents' dating sites and on apps, looking for love and, mostly, looking to stay out of trouble.

Sometimes it seems I’m swimming in a very shallow dating pool, but I haven’t given up and taken in fifty cats. So here’s the down-low on dating sites I’ve tried as a SWM (single working mother). And remember: You can do it at home, at night after the kids go to bed, in your pajamas if you want. You set it up through your Facebook account and set your preferences within minutes.